TOPEKA, Kan. --- A 23-4 run in the second half was not enough for the Washburn women's basketball to pull some late magic as it fell, 67-58, Thursday to Northeastern State. With the result the Ichabods drop to 12-3 on the season and 4-2 in MIAA play with Central Oklahoma coming to Lee Arena on Saturday for 1 pm.

Trailing 14-12 after the opening period, the Washburn offense went cold in the second as it was held to 2-of-14 of from the field, as Northeastern State (8-6, 4-3 MIAA) took a sizable 37-21 lead into the halftime break.

The RiverHawks extended their advantage to a game-high 26 mid through the third behind a 10-0 run. The Ichabod offense then began to warm up as Reagan Phelan and Hunter Bentley alternated buckets from behind the arc as Washburn tallied nine unanswered to cut the deficit 47-30 with 3:50 left in the third.

After Mackenzie Loe traded layups with NSU to make it 51-32 with 2:52 remaining, Phelan drained her third trey of the night closing period with an 8-0 run as the Ichabods cut the margin to 11.

Washburn stretched its run to 12 unanswered to open the fourth as Olivia Montague and Axelle Bernard drew early fouls with Phelan capping the with a layup slicing the lead to single-digits, 51-44, with 7:11 to go. Northeastern State pushed the margin back to double-figures with a 5-2 spurt in a blistering 47 seconds. 

Taylor Blue answered for Washburn with a mid-range jumper igniting a 10-2 run as it drew within two with 2:38 remaining. During the stretch, the Ichabods converted 3-of-4 from the field with 2-of-3 shooting from deep as the run lasted 3:46. The late rally however fell short as the RiverHawks closed of the evening on a 9-2 run, handing Washburn it's second conference loss of the season.

Phelan paced the offense with a career-high 26 points as she completed 9-of-18 from the floor including 3-of-5 from distance and converted 5-of-6 from the line. Phelan also collected four rebounds, had three assists and three steals on the night. Blue netted 10 points and seven boards, while Axelle Bernard collected a team-high nine rebounds.

Northeastern State finished with four with double-figure points, led by 20 from Cailyn Long.

Collectively, Washburn made 17-of-53 for 32.1 percent shooting and 8-of-28 from three-point range, while being edged out in rebounds, 35-31; bench points, 14-11; and points in the paint, 26-16.