TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team answered the bell turning an eight-point halftime deficit into a one-point win in a 64-63 win over Missouri Western on Wednesday night in Lee Arena. The Ichabods will be back in action on Saturday at 3 p.m. hosting Northwest Missouri.
 
With nine ties and seven lead changes in the game including three ties in the final 2:25 of the game, Jarmell Johnson hit the second of two free throws with 2.7 seconds to play putting Washburn up by one and the Griffons' inbounds pass was picked off by Brady Christiansen sealing the win for the Ichabods improving to 10-0 in homes games winning their 11^th in a row dating back to last season.
 
Washburn entered the halftime break trailing the Griffons 38-30 after shooting 38 percent in the opening frame including starting the game 1 of 6 from the field as the Griffons jumped out to a 10-2 lead after the first media timeout. The Ichabods cut the lead to two several times before the Griffons (15-7, 9-7 MIAA) jumped out to a lead as many as 10 before a pair of Sam Ungashick free throws before the break cut the margin to eight.
 
Starting the second half, Washburn used a 12-2 run hitting 5 of its first 7 shots including two 3-pointers to take a 42-40 lead with 16:26 to play. Missouri Western answered with a 3-pointer on a turn-around 3-pointer from 23-feet as the shot clock went off taking a 43-42 lead, but the Ichabods used a 6-0 spurt pushing their lead to 48-43.
 
Washburn (15-7, 11-5 MIAA) led 52-47 with 8:22 to play after four-straight points from Andrew Orr and the five-point lead was the largest by either team the rest of the way. After Washburn led 54-50 after a layup by Orr, Missouri Western scored five-straight points to take a 55-54 before an Orr free throw tied the score at 55. A Michael Keegan layup with 3:54 put the Ichabods up 57-54, but Missouri Western tied the score at 57 and took the lead at 59-57 after back to back layups by Tay Fields. Orr hit back to back layups of his own to put the Ichabods back in front at 61-59 with 1:18 to play.
 
A jumper by JaRon James tied the score at 61 with 58 seconds to play, before again Orr hit another layup to five him a game-high 25 points and Washburn the lead at 63-61. Fields tied the score with a jumper at 63 with 12 seconds to play setting up Johnson's go-ahead free throw with 2.7 to play as Washburn won its second in a row over the Griffons.
 
Orr's 25 led all scorers hitting 11 of 19 shots adding six rebounds and a block with 17 of his points coming in the second half. He was the only Ichabod to reach double-figure scoring with Ungashick and Michael Keegan each scoring nine. Ungashick also had four assists and two steals.
 
Fields recorded a double double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Zion Swader had 10 points.
 
Washburn shot 42 percent for the game hitting 25 of 60 shots overall and was held to 6 of 22 shooting from 3-point range. The Ichabods were outrebounded 36-35, but forced the Griffons into 15 turnovers leading to 19 Washburn points.