The Washburn men’s basketball team swept the season series against Emporia State on Saturday with a 86-76 win. Washburn entered the game with a 15-11 overall record, 11-10 in the conference while Emporia State had a 13-14 record, 10-11 in the conference.

This game played a large role in the conference standings going into the MIAA Tournament. With the win over Emporia State, Washburn finished sixth in the conference behind the University of Central Oklahoma. Emporia State was a few spots back at tenth. Five teams finished with an 11-11 record in the conference, Washburn included.

The game started as a back and forth grind-it-out game. Neither team was able to gain an edge. By five minutes in they were tied at 12 and again at 15.

Washburn took off to a small lead and the Hornets would not have the lead for the remainder of the game. Washburn ended the first half up by six, 40-34.

The second half was slightly more contested for the first few minutes, and although Emporia tied it up with just over 13 minutes left, that’s as close as they would come.

Washburn then slowly built a lead over the next 10 minutes, reaching their largest lead of the game with three minutes to play at 12 points, 79-67. The game ended without a big comeback as the score ended 86-76, Washburn on top by 10 points.

Washburn plays Missouri Western State at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29.

Washburn has a home court advantage going into the game. The Ichabods split the season series with Griffons going 1-1. The last time the two teams met, the Griffons took the game 74-66.