JOPLIN, Mo. – A staunch defensive effort and double-digit scoring from three Ichabods carried Washburn to a 64-42 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday, Dec. 19.
 
The win closed out 2015 for Washburn and moved the Ichabods' record to 7-4 (3-2 MIAA) headed into the holiday break.  Washburn nearly shot 50 percent from the field, finishing 24-of-50 (48 percent) and 7-of-15 from long range while hitting a season-high 90 percent (9-of-10) from the charity stripe.  MSSU shot just 23.5 percent from the field in the game and was only 3-of-26 on field goals in the second half.
 
Washburn outscored the Lions, 39-15 over the final two quarters and 26-12 in the paint for the game.  WU continued its season-long streak of winning the rebounding battle, dominating the boards, 41-24, and had a 21-point effort from its bench.
 
WU fell behind, 7-2 in the opening three minutes of play but responded with back-to-back three pointers from Haley Pfau and Erin Dohnalek as part of an 8-0 run that gave them a 19-7 lead inside three minutes to go in the period.  MSSU responded to tie it, 10-all, but Erika Lane hit a three-pointer with four seconds to go in the quarter to lead, 13-10, at the break.
 
MSSU opened the second with a 10-2 run before the 7:12 mark, but Washburn responded with a quick burst of four unanswered to keep things close at 4:14, down 20-19.  After the Lions grew their lead back to six (25-19) over the next minute of play, Lane hit her second three-pointer of the afternoon and WU followed with three free throws to tie it, 25-all with 24 seconds to play.  MSSU hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to go to send the Ichabods to the break down, 27-25.
 
Washburn shot 31 percent from the field in the first half and hit four three-pointers (out of 11 attempts), outrebounding the Lions 19-16 in the first 20 minutes.  The turnover battle was relatively even in the first half, as Washburn had seven while forcing six MSSU turnovers.
 
The Ichabods started hot out of the locker room, breaking off a 9-0 run while holding the Lions scoreless for the first 4:41 of action in the third. That burst was part of a 16-4 run for Washburn that started at the 2:14 mark in the second quarter and ended with Alyxis Bowens' jumper with 4:45 to go in the third.  The teams traded baskets the remainder of the quarter and WU took a 44-35 lead into the fourth.  Bowens was a strong contributer for the Ichabods in the third, scoring eight of Washburn's 19 total points in the period.
 
Dohnalek scored the first four points in the fourth quarter to push Washburn's lead into double-digits for the first time all day (48-35) with 8:26 to play and soon pushed it to 20 (57-37) on Felisha Gibbs' layup just under three minutes later.  The Ichabods continued its strong defensive effort to hold MSSU without a field goal (and just two total points) until the 4:10 mark.  Including the final 3:32 of play in the third quarter, that was a span of over nine minutes that WU did not allow a field goal. 
 
MSSU ended the Ichabods rally with five straight of its own late in the fourth, but Julie Ravn's third three-pointer of the day with just over a minute to play pushed WU's lead back over 20 for good, ending the game with seven unanswered.
 
Ravn led the team with 13 points, joining Lane (12 points) and Bowens (10 points) in double-digits.  Bowens also had seven rebounds as she and Jayna Smith (13 rebounds, seven points) both just missed double-doubles.  Smith now has four double-digit rebounding efforts this season.
 
Lane dished out five assists to lead the team and four Ichabods (Pfau, Gibbs, Dohnalek and Bowens) had a block in the game.
 
The Ichabods are off the rest of the year and return to play on Jan. 2, 2016 at home against Lindenwood.  Tipoff at Lee Arena that day is 5 p.m.