TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn put a bow on the 2023 portion of its season Tuesday afternoon running away in the second half with a 75-56 win over Northeastern State. The Ichabods take the court in 2024 on January 4 against Central Oklahoma in Topeka.  

The RiverHawks (4-6, 1-4 MIAA) claimed the first run of the game, jumping out to an 8-2 lead with 5:50 to play in the first quarter. A pair of Washburn (8-3, 3-2 MIAA) 3-pointers, first from Lakyn Schieferecke and then from Aniah Wayne got the offense going. The lead was pushed back up to seven before the Ichabods ended the quarter on a 7-0 run with Aubree Dewey scoring five including a bucket just before the break to tie it at 17.  

Washburn scored the first four of the second quarter but couldn't push the lead past four at any point in the first half. Northeastern State was able to tie the game and take a 3029 lead with 4:23 remaining in the quarter. They stayed in front until Wayne was able to convert an old fashioned three-point-play in the final seconds of the half to leave it tied at 34 after 20 minutes.  

After shooting 31.3% in the first half Washburn came out of halftime rolling on offense shooting 55.6% from the floor. The Ichabods began the half on a 7-0 run with Yiibari Nwidadah scoring the first five points. Nwidadah led the charge to Washburn shooting 8-9 at the free throw line in the quarter with the sophomore making five in the frame.  

The Ichabod defense held strong all quarter, holding NESU to 3-14 shooting, until the lead was pushed to double digits on a corner 3-pointer by Amaya Davison with 1:15 left. A triple by Wayne before the quarters end made it 54-43 after three.  

Wayne stayed hot, leading off the fourth with another shot from behind the arc. The RiverHawks cut the lead down to 10 in the opening minutes of the quarter but that was as close as they got, Nwidadah got an and-one to go with 5:10 left and the lead was back up to 16. Nia McKenzie scored the final two baskets of the game with the 75-56 final score as the largest lead of the game for the Ichabods.  

Washburn shot 43.4% from the game, missing only eight shots in the second half. The offense also generated 27 free throws with 22 of them sunk. Northeastern State was limited to 37.0% shooting and was just 5-16 from behind the arc. The Ichabods pulled down eight more rebounds and the home bench outscored the RiverHawks 25-12.  

Yiibari Nwidadah set a career high with 19 points on 4-4 shooting while going 11-12 from the line. She also added six rebounds and a pair of steals in just 21 minutes. Aubree Dewey finished with 13 points, four steals, seven rebounds and seven assists. Aniah Wayne made four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. Amaya Davison added eight off the bench.  

Courtney Lee and Halie Jones were the only RiverHawks in double figures with Lee scoring 14 on 5-7 shooting and Jones finishing with 10 points.