EDMOND, Okla. -- The Washburn women's basketball team closed out the 2022 calendar year on a high note as the Ichabods held on for a 75-73 road win at Central Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon. Washburn will play the first games of 2023 in Topeka hosting No. 11-ranked Central Missouri on Jan. 5 and Lincoln on Jan. 7.
 
The Bronchos led 6-2 early to begin the game and then went up 8-3 at the 6:16 mark when the Ichabods (6-5, 2-3 MIAA) started to slowly chip away at the deficit with free throws. Although the Bronchos made 9-of-16 from the field for a 56.3 shooting percentage in the first quarter, fouls proved costly as they committed 10 fouls compared to the Ichabods' one. Washburn made 9-of-12 from the free throw line with Macy Doebele going a perfect 6-for-6. After the Ichabods made seven free throws, the shots started falling for Washburn as well as Natalia Figueroa made a jump shot with 3:29 left to spark an 11-4 run to close out the opening period with a 20-19 lead.
 
Figueroa quickly got the scoring going with a layup 10 seconds into the second frame. The Bronchos (4-7, 1-6 MIAA) leveled the score at 22 after an old-fashioned three-point play and tied things up again at 24 before being held scoreless for nearly four and a half minutes while the Ichabods put up seven unanswered points to lead, 31-24. The Bronchos hit a three-pointer with 4:36 left in the first half to end their scoring drought and begin a run of their own, taking a 34-31 advantage after a 10-0 burst. A three-pointer from Figueroa tied the game for a third time in the quarter, but UCO ended the first half on a 5-0 run capped off by a buzzer-beating triple to lead 39-34 at halftime.
 
The Ichabods chiseled down the deficit to one point on two occasions within the first four minutes of the second half, but the Bronchos used a 6-0 run to go up 49-42. Washburn responded with a 7-2 scoring stint and continued to keep the game in reach. With 10 seconds remaining, Gabi Artis hit a three-pointer to cut Central Oklahoma's lead to just two, 56-54, heading into the final quarter.
 
Artis made another three-pointer for Washburn's first points of the fourth and Emma Chapman followed that with a layup 72 seconds into the quarter to give Washburn its first lead since the three minute mark in the second period. Back-and-forth scoring ensued with eight lead changes and six tied scores over the next six minutes. Trailing 68-66 with 2:40 left, Figueroa was fouled on a made jump shot and then completed the and-one play to push Washburn ahead by one. Central Oklahoma hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to make 73-72 in favor of Washburn, but on UCO's next possession, the Bronchos committed an offensive foul and received a technical foul on the call. Doebele was chosen for the free shots and went 1-for-2 and was fouled again three seconds later, but missed both of those free throws and committed a foul herself battling for the rebound. With 19 seconds on the clock, Central Oklahoma made the first free throw and missed the second to keep Washburn's lead safe at 74-73. The Bronchos committed their 27th and final foul of the contest with nine seconds left and Mackenzie Gamble went 1-of-2 at the free throw line. Washburn's defense was tough throughout Central Oklahoma's last possession as the Bronchos' last-second three-point shot attempt that was off the mark.
 
For the game, the Ichabods scored a season-high 75 points and shot 44 percent from the floor while the Bronchos finished with a 40.3 field goal percentage. Washburn hit one more three-pointer than Central Oklahoma, making 7-of-16 from deep compared to UCO's 6-of-24. The Ichabods made a season-high 35 trips to the free throw line and successfully made 24 foul shots while the Bronchos went 13-of-15 at the charity stripe. On the glass, Washburn had one more rebound than the home team, 37-36.
 
Doebele led five Ichabods in double-digit scoring and finished the afternoon with a career-high 19 points after going 17-of-20 from the free throw line, setting a program record for the most free throws made in a single game. She also pulled down six rebounds. Figueroa made 5-of-8 from the floor and tallied 13 points.
 
Artis and Gamble both made a trio of three-pointers and totaled 12 and 11 points, respectively. Chapman rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. Point guard Aubree Dewey hit four of her six shot attempts for eight points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished out a team-best seven assists.
 
Brooke Rayner paced the Bronchos with 19 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.