TOPEKA, Kan. --- Despite winning the scoring battle in the first and fourth quarter, the Washburn Ichabod women's basketball fell to Emporia State, 73-61, on Tuesday at Schendel Court at Lee Arena.
 
Washburn (16-9, 9-7 MIAA) grabbed and early 5-2 advantage thanks to consecutive buckets from Alyxis Bowens, who tallied 16 points during the first half. Emporia State (21-4, 12-4 MIAA) then responded with a 10-4 run pushing to retake the lead at 12-9. Bowens and Erika Lane then combined for an 8-0 run to give WU a 17-12 advantage before Addie Lackey trimmed the margin with a buzzer beating 3-pointer.
 
The Ichabods took their largest lead of the night and extended their advantage to seven as they scored the first four points of the second to make it 22-15. The Lady Hornets then overwhelm WU beginning with a 9-0 run to make it 24-22 before closing the period with a 18-5 run to take a 42-27 advantage into halftime.
 
After allowing the first basket of the new half, Washburn went on 12-6 run to narrow the margin to 50-39 following a pair of free throws from Reagan Phelan to make it 50-39.  The 11-point margin was the closet the Ichabods got the rest of the way.
 
Washburn outscored Emporia 17-13 during the final period including a 7-0 run to end the game but the late effort was not enough to overcome ESU's 19-point margin.
 
Except for a cold shooting second quarter (3-of-11), the Ichabods shot well as they finished 23-for-56 from the field for a 41.1 percent mark while Emporia State finished 49.1 percent from the floor. The Lady Hornets also edged out WU in rebounding, 33-32.
 
Bowens added 10 points during the second half en rout to finishing with a game-high 26. She also led all players in rebounding with eight. Jharian Bowen and Reagan Phelan followed with 12 and 11 points respectively, while Bowen pulled down six boards.
 
Washburn continues its season-ending homestand on Saturday when it welcomes Southwest Baptist to Lee Arena. Saturday's contest will tip off at 5 p.m. and will the team's annual WBCA PinkZone Night to help continue the fight and raise awareness against breast cancer.