TOPEKA, Kan. --- The Washburn women's basketball team slugged its way to victory on Friday evening, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, topping St. Cloud State (2-1), 58-55, in the Parrish Hotels Thanksgiving Classic. With the result, the Ichabods pushed their season total to 5-0 giving them their first five-game streak since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
 
Washburn struggled offensively in the first half completing 8-of-27 from the field and 0-of-13 from three-point distance however converted 6-of-7 from the line. The Ichabods outrebounded St. Cloud State, 20-17, though committed nine turnover during the first two period of play.
 
Reagan Phelan led the Washburn scoring with nine points in the half while Taylor Blue added six. Axelle Bernard chipped in four points and finished the opening half five a game-high five boards.
 
The Huskies took the lead at the 6:10 mark of the first as a 9-2 run nudged them out front, 9-6. St. Cloud State assumed its largest lead of the half early into the second period, 20-12, thanks to an 11-2 run. A Taylor Blue layup with 4:24 until halftime trimmed the deficit to 26-19 as Washburn went on a 7-3 run but that was the closest it got as the Huskies took a 28-22 advantage into the break.
 
The Ichabods slipped into a double-figure hole midway through the third as SCSU opened the period with a 12-8 run taking a 40-30 lead with 6:09 on the clock. Blue then buried a pair from the charity stripe as Washburn tallied the next seven points cutting the Husky margin to 40-37.
 
Alexis McAfee gave Washburn its first lead of the game since midway through the first quarter, as she knocked down a trey making, 45-42. The bucket from McAfee at 7:16 in the fourth was part of 10-0 Ichabod run that stretched from the 2:19 mark in the third to 6:23 remaining in the fourth to lead 47-42.
 
SCSU responded by narrowly the Washburn advantage to two as a 5-2 run trimmed the score to 49-47 with 4:03 remaining. That however was the closest it got as the Ichabods converted 7-of-13 from the line during the 3:43 to hold off St. Cloud State for a 58-55 victory.
 
In the second half, Washburn completed 10-of-20 from the field and 1-of-8 from behind the arc while converting on 15-of-28 from the line. The Ichabods outscored SCSU, 24-10, in the paint while holding a 12-9 margin in second chance points. The Huskies shot 34.6 percent from the floor and from long range while completing 58.8 percent from the line.
 
Washburn is back in action tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm when it hosts former conference rival, Truman State.