In a game that rivaled the women’s game in physicality, the Ichabod men’s basketball team lit up the scoring column with four players scoring double digits in a 67-51 win against Pittsburg State University on January 31.

Both Washburn and Pitt State got off to a slow start, scoring a total of 11 points combined were scored through the first five minutes of the game. Just as the women’s teams had done in the preceding game, it was a see saw of scoring that made it hard for WU to get into rhythm.

“It is tough to get a run on those guys because it is a rugged game,” head coach Bob Chipman said.

After almost fifteen minutes of play, the Ichabods caught fire and exploded to finish the half with a 35-21 lead.

The Ichabods would not let up after the halftime intermission and they put it to the Gorillas. 13 points was the closest that PSU would get to the red-hot shooting of Chipman’s squad.  WU stretched out the lead to 20 at one point in the second half, finally taking the win by 16 points.

Will McNeill (Alexandria, La.) was the leading score for Coach Chipman and the Ichabods with 14 points. He went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe and he added four assists and seven rebounds. Martin Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) recorded 10 points and six rebounds and Joseph Smith (Memphis, Tenn.) also finished with 10 points. Bobby Chipman (Topeka, Kan.) finished with 12 points and a snatched eight rebounds, along with two blocks.

“We definably knew that we were up for a big challenge, especially on the boards.” Bobby Chipman said. “We did the best we could of keeping them in front making sure we boxed them all out.”

  Pittsburg State’s Kaleb Porter led the Gorillas in scoring as he put up 11 points after coming off of the bench. Porter was the only Gorilla player that reached double digits.

Washburn was 22-for-55 from the floor, while the Gorillas shot only 33 percent. Pitt State was only 7-for-26 in the first half and they finished 17-for-51 in the game. WU ended with a 41-30 advantage in rebounds with 15 on the offensive end of the floor, leading to 16 second chance points.

The Ichabods improve their record to 14-4 overall on the season and 7-3 in the MIAA conference. Pittsburg State fell to 6-5 overall and to 13-6 in the MIAA conference. They are not scheduled to meet again this season, but may play in the MIAA tournament in March.

Washburn is, however, set to take on Missouri Western University tonight following the women’s game at Lee Arena, for the first of two meetings in seven days. The task in tonight’s game is to stop the best Griffon player, Cedric Clinkscales. Clinkscales is averaging 13.7 points per game and 6.2 rebounds.

The Bods have won the last three games that they have played against the Griffons. Last season, WU outscored MWSU 143-110 in their two meetings, winning both games.