FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Washburn Ichabods Women's Basketball used a 25-point third quarter to overcome an early deficit and knock off No 3. Nova Southeastern, 70-60, on Friday, Nov. 27 to open its weekend in southern Florida.
 
The Ichabods (4-1) crashed the boards all day, outrebounding the Sharks, 42-36, including a 17-11 advantage in offensive rebounds.
 
WU rolled off five unanswered behind Jayna Smith's three-pointer and a left-handed fast break layup early in the first to take a 10-4 lead in the first three minutes of play.  Tied 12-all later in the quarter, WU's Haley Pfau hit a three-pointer inside the final minute to break the tie, but a buzzer-beater from NSU's Sarah Kelly as time expired in the first sent WU to the pause down, 16-15.
 
NSU stretched that lead to 10 (25-15) just three minutes into the second period to prompt an Ichabod timeout before a long-range field goal from Jharian Bowen stopped the Sharks' run.  Lane hit a layup in the next possession as part of another 5-0 burst from the Ichabods.  The teams played relatively even the remainder of the half as WU went to the locker room down 33-27
 
Washburn did not attempt a free throw in the opening half, a first for the Ichabods since Nov. 20, 2012 against Drury.
 
A six-point halftime deficit for the Ichabods disappeared quickly in the third quarter as WU opened the frame on a 6-0 run to tie it, 33-33, but an NSU three-pointer from Molly Blomer stopped the run and gave NSU back a three-point lead.  WU wouldn't quit, however, and eventually took the lead, 38-36, behind Pfau's third three-pointer of the day.  Later on, ahead 43-40, Washburn attempted its first free throw of the game as Erin Dohnalek sunk both.
 
Washburn took a 52-44 lead into the final period and continued to roll, stretching the lead to 10 (54-44) after Dohnalek scored four in the first two minutes of the fourth and Felisha Gibbs put the lead at 12 (56-44) soon after with a layup of her own.  NSU cut the lead to eight twice the rest of the way, but free throw shooting down the stretch for Washburn paid off and sealed the win
 
Dohnalek, who scored all her points in the second half, finished the day with a team-high 17 points, pulling down six rebounds, dishing out three assists as well.
 
Pfau had a career-high 16 points with three three-pointers, adding four assists and five rebounds.
 
Lane, the other Ichabod in double-digits, finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a key block on a three-pointer inside the final minute of play.
 
Smith pulled down eight rebounds and had five assists to lead the team in both categories, while Cindy Demosthene finished with seven rebounds.
 
Felisha Gibbs, who played just nine minutes due to foul trouble, was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field with four rebounds and finished the game tied with Jharian Bowen (two three-pointers) and Alyxis Bowens with six points each.
 
It was the first ranked win for Washburn since Nov. 22, 2014, and came alongside a 37.9 percent shooting effort from the field.  After not shooting a free throw in the first, Washburn finished 12-of-14 from the charity stripe while hitting eight-of-28 three-pointers on the day.
 
The Ichabods close out their trip in southern Florida with a 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET contest at Palm Beach Atlantic in West Palm Beach, Fla.