Washburn basketball splits double-header with Nebraska-Kearney
TOPEKA (KSNT) - The University of Nebraska-Kearney gave both Washburn men's and women's basketball a pound-for-pound match up.
Washburn men's beat the Lopers 79-77, but the Lopers' women's team won 49-43.
Men's recap:
Connor Deffebaugh had his hero moment. His driving layup with two seconds left in the game broke the 77-77 tie and gave the Ichabods the win.
The game had 19 lead changes with 11 coming in the second half.
The Ichabods (4-4, 1-1) trailed by one with 2:52 left. Then, Levi Braun hit his second 3-pointer, kickstarting a 7-0 run including four-straight points by Michael Keegan.
Washburn was leading by 6 with 1:50 left in the game, but back-to-back threes from the Lopers tied it, setting up Deffebaugh for the game-winning layup.
Deffebaugh finished with a career-high 19 points. Keegan had career-highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. Kevaughn Ellis also finished in double-digits with 11 points, and Jeremy Harrell ended with 10.
Next, the Ichabods will be on the road at Central Oklahoma.
Women's recap:
The Washburn women's team may have lost offensively, but its defense was clicking all over the court. The Ichabods (1-6, 0-2) held No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney to 23 points below its scoring average.
Both teams got off to a hot start and made each of its first three shot attempts. The Lopers went on an 8-2 run and ended the first quarter up by 5.
Washburn trailed 24-20 just before the half. A layup from Mackenzie Gamble started a 7-2 run for the Ichabods to give them a 27-26 lead at halftime.
Lauren Cassaday made a layup, and Hunter Bentley added a free throw to give the Ichabods the lead, 37-36, while the Washburn defense held Nebraska-Kearney scoreless.
In the final 5 minutes, Nebraska-Kearney took control again. The Lopers went on an 8-1 run that got them the win.
Bentley had a team-high nine points and had five rebounds.
Next up, the Ichabods play their first road game at Central Oklahoma.