TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods put a bow on the 2023 calendar leading from start to finish in an 84-48 win over Northeastern State on Tuesday afternoon in Lee Arena. With the win, the Ichabods move to 7-4 on the season and 3-2 in the MIAA. The Ichabods will be in action starting the new year with a Jan. 4 contest with Central Oklahoma in Topeka.
 
Washburn never trailed in the game scoring the first seven points of the game and jumped out to a 15-8 lead less than five minutes in with Jack Bachelor pacing the Ichabods scoring 11 points out of the gate en route to a career-high 24 points making his second start in a row. The RiverHawks cut the lead to five at 17-12, but that ignited a 24 to 5 run by the Ichabods over the next 9:06 of the half pushing their lead to 41-17 with 4:36 to play.
 
The Ichabods were 7 of 13 from the field and hit all nine free throw attempts while holding the RiverHawks to 2 of 13 shooting forcing six turnovers. Bachelor wrapped up the scoring in the opening half on his 16^th and 17^th points of the game sending Washburn to the break with a 43-23 lead.
 
To start the second half, Washburn scored nine of the first 11 points of the half and led by no fewer than 20 points the rest of the way eventually stretching its lead to as many as 38 in the 36-point win.
 
Bachelor's 24 led the Ichabods after going 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 7 from deep. Andrew Orr finished with 14 on 7 of 9 shooting and Emmanuel Byrd scored a career-high 10 points adding four boards and two assists. Brady Christiansen and Michael Keegan each had 10 rebounds. Jake Schadegg came off the bench to scoring nine points adding five assists.
 
The Ichabods finished with 24 assists on 32 made baskets shooting 32 of 65 for the game for a 49 percent average. The RiverHawks were limited to 17 of 55 shooting overall for a 31 percent clip. Washburn also forced 18 turnovers in the game. The Ichabods outrebounded the RiverHawks (4-6, 0-5 MIAA) 44 to 33 and the Ichabod bench outscored the NSU bench 31 to 14.