The Washburn Ichabods have won their season opener, the first game of the Ichabod Classic, 75-54 against the Colorado Christian Cougars on Saturday, November 15. Washburn also played the Central Methodist Eagles on Sunday.

The game started off slow, and the Bods held the Cougar scoreless until the 13:18 mark in the first half. Colorado at one time led 14-12, but after Ichabod Paul Byers answered with a three-point shot, Colorado would never see the lead again.

Washburn had a small 33-25 lead at the half, but that lead was about to grow. After a Lekheythan Malone lay-up at the 14:04 mark, the Ichabods had a 20 point lead on the Cougars. The closest it got to was 63-52 at the 6:07 mark, but Washburn pulled away and put away any chance of a comeback, ending the game with a score of 75-54.

Perhaps the most impressive story of the game was the Washburn debut of Lekheythan Malone, who did his part by scoring 24 points and collecting 9 rebounds. Throughout the preseason and now in the early days of the regular season, Malone has proven to be a leader for the Ichabods. Mario Scott led Washburn in assists with 3, and the top defender was Darnell Kimble with a steal and a pair of blocked shots.

Starters for Washburn included Mario Scott, DeAndre Eggins, Lekheythan Malone, Paul Byers, and Darnell Kimble. The win marked Bob Chipman’s 27-season opening win (27-3 all-time) in his career.