WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 16 ranked Washburn Ichabods rallied back from a 11-point deficit at the half to defeat the Central Missouri Mules, 70-68, on Saturday afternoon.
The Mules (6-12) opened the game on a 7-0 run in the first two and half minutes. The Ichabods (14-3) answered as they went on a 6-0 run in the next minute to cut their deficit to only one. Washburn battled through the half, getting as close as a one-point deficit on two separate occasions, but Central Missouri held on to its lead to end the first half up 39-28.
The Ichabods gained their first lead of the game in the midst of a 9-0 run as
Tyler Nelson hit a three-pointer with 8:20 left on the clock to put Washburn up 53-52. This play ensued a back-and-forth battle that included three lead changes and three tied scores that would go on until the last few seconds of the game. The Ichabods' largest lead stretched to five points with 5:32 left on the clock after two made free throws by
Tyler Geiman.
Down by two with 41 seconds left on the clock, Geiman made a layup to tie the score at 68. The Mules attempted to regain the lead but missed the three-point attempt, giving the ball back to the Ichabods. With only two seconds left on the clock,
Jace Williams sank the game-winning layup to lead Washburn to the 70-68 victory over Central Missouri.
Tyler Geiman led the Ichabods with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Two more Ichabods scored double digits in points –
Jalen Lewis (16) and
Levi Braun (13). Williams recorded five rebounds, including three on the offensive side.
Cameron Hunter led the Mules with 21 points, while also notching four rebounds. Koray Gilbert had a team-high nine rebounds. The team shot 81 percent from the free-throw line.
The Ichabods scored 18 points off the Mules turnovers, while Central Missouri countered with 10 points off Washburn turnovers. Washburn outscored Central Missouri in the second half by 42-29. The Ichabods had 14 bench points on the night while the Mules countered with 12 points from the bench.
Washburn returns home to face Missouri Western on Feb. 18. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT) at Lee Arena.
