TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn men's basketball won its second game in a row and finished out its regular season schedule with a 84-64 senior night win over Missouri Southern on Thursday night. The Ichabods finish the 2022-23 season with a 10-3 record inside of Lee Arena and were led in the finale by Jaden Monday who poured in a career-high 23 points.
Seniors Tyler Nelson and Connor Deffebaugh were recognized on the court before the game for their contributions to the program in their four-year careers. The team will play one final regular season matchup on Saturday at Emporia State before heading to Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament next week.
The Lions (16-11, 12-9 MIAA) led for the first three minutes of action but after a layup from Andrew Orr with 16:52 left in the first half Washburn (14-13, 11-10 MIAA) took a 7-5 lead and never trailed again. After both teams were tied at 10, Washburn went on a 10-0 run to create a double-digit lead that was capped off by a fast break dunk by Michael Keegan.
The 10-0 run was part of a larger 31-6 burst for the Ichabods that spanned from the 13:47 mark to the 5:08 point in the first half. In that time Washburn knocked down seven 3-pointers including four on consecutive possessions, three from Levi Braun and one from Jarmell Johnson.
After the lead had ballooned up to 25 points at the five-minute mark but was bumped under 20 by halftime with Washburn in front 46-27.
The Ichabods continued the strong offensive performance in the second half and the lead never dropped below 18 because of it. Jaden Monday drilled a 3-pointer at the 12:13 mark in the second half to push the lead all the way up to 26 points. In the final minutes it grew to almost 30 points after Tyler Nelson knocked down a step-back 3-pointer.
Thirteen players checked into the game for Washburn as they closed out the 20-point victory. The Ichabods shot a scorching 52.8% from the field and were 11-20 from behind the arc while also getting to the line 24 times.
Jaden Monday knocked down five 3-pointers on his way to 23 points, going 9-15 from the field while also adding five assists and six rebounds. Andrew Orr chipped in 16 points on 7-13 shooting with four rebounds.
Michael Keegan was also in double figures, scoring 14 on 4-6 shooting, with six rebounds and three steals and Tyler Nelson had 12 points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists in his final home game.
On the defensive end Washburn held Missouri Southern to just 37.5% shooting and the Lions were ice cold behind the arc, going 5-29. The Ichabods also controlled a 15-10 assist advantage and had the upper-hand on the boards 42-27.
Sam Thompson led Missouri Southern with 15 points while Avery Taggart added 11.
