Washburn University men’s basketball will advance to the semifinals after securing a first-round win while hosting the NCAA Central Regional tournament for the first time in 24 years.
The Ichabods led the entire game against the Harding University Bison ending with a final score of 85-57. These teams had never played each other before this first round of regionals. This was also the first time the Ichabods were ranked No. 1 since the 2000-01 season when they reached the national championship game in California.
Washburn started off strong with a loud crowd, a near-full arena and and it won the tip-off with the help of senior forward Andrew Orr.
The starting line-up was Orr, senior guards, Jacob Hanna and Michael Keegan, alongside sophomore guards, Jack Bachelor and Brayden Shorter.
Keegan had his own feat in the game as he reached over 1,000 career points.
“It only took him ten years. I think he got here before I got here, so it only took him a decade. No, I’m kidding, that’s awesome [for] Mike. 1,000 points is hard to do so congrats to him,” said Brett Ballard, men’s head basketball coach.
The first point of the game was scored by Hanna in a free throw. Soon after, the Ichabods quickly started to build points with Bachelor scoring a bucket on a layup after a turnover, followed by layups from Orr, Keegan and Hanna.
After being down 0-9, Harding took its first timeout with 16:06 left of the half.
The first points scored after the timeout were Harding’s first of the game with a 2-point hook shot by Sam Smith, senior forward.
“[You have to] give Harding credit, they missed some shots early that they normally make. I thought we got pretty fortunate early. I thought our crowd had a lot to do with that, just the energy level they provided,” Ballard said.
Not long after, Washburn’s Dillon Claussen, freshman forward, had a successful dunk.
“Dill’s great. We knew from the start, he came in and I knew he’s gonna be really good and does all the little things really well,” Bachelor said. “He works so hard every day. You know a guy like him is gonna succeed and it’s awesome to see him [play].”
The half ended with the Ichabods leading 41-26 and Hanna driving for a layup with only three seconds left on the clock.
At the beginning of the second half, Bachelor secured a 3-pointer. Seconds later, Harding attempted to return the points but missed. Orr quickly picked up the rebound, and with the assist from Bachelor, Shorter earned another three points for the Ichabods giving them the lead 52-28.
With 13:50 left in the game, Washburn took its time shooting the ball to the point of the crowd counting down the seconds left on the shot clock. With just one second left on the shot clock, Sam Ungashick, junior guard, attempted a turnaround jumpshot and made it. The crowd went wild as the anticipation and pressure had the attendees on their toes.
“The crowd was just great. They’ve been great all year and they were great today so it’s super fun to play in front of them, they bring a lot of energy so it’s awesome,” Bachelor said.
Throughout the second half, Washburn made several 3-pointers, which excited the crowd and the players.
“Seeing those guys, they work hard and practice every day,” Claussen said. “So, when they finally get to show what they have in the games, it’s really exciting and we’re all just so tight together that we just get so excited when each other succeeds.”
With the final score, 85-57, Washburn’s record becomes 27-3 and Harding ends its season with a record of 22-10. Ballard was glad nobody had to play major minutes, hoping it’d allow them to be more prepared for tomorrow.
“[I’m] proud of our guys, I thought overall [it] was a really solid performance on both sides of the ball and once again just thought our crowd was terrific and we appreciate that boost and energy they gave us,” Ballard said.
Washburn advances to play Concordia University, St. Paul, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the regional semifinals.
Edited by Morgan Albrecht
