PITTSBURG, Kan. – The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods improved to 4–0 on the season with an emphatic 88–57 victory over Winona State at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kansas on Saturday in their final game of the Central Regional Challenge. Washburn returns to a renovated Lee Arena for its home opener against Rockhurst on Wednesday at 7 pm
After falling behind 2–0 on the opening possession, Washburn responded with a 10-0 run midway through the first half, sparked by threes from
Bryson Smith and
Jeremiah Jones and a fast-break layup from
Dillon Claussen. That surge flipped the momentum and gave Washburn a lead it would hold for the final 37 minutes. The Ichabods shot 50 percent in the opening half and knocked down eight triples to build a 41–26 advantage at the break.
The second half was more of the same. Washburn opened with back-to-back transition buckets from Smith and
Brady Christiansen, then extended the margin with a 7-0 spurt capped by a
Marcus Glock three-pointer. The lead ballooned to 33 points in the final minutes, their largest of the night.
Washburn's offense was balanced and efficient, finishing 34 of 65 from the field (52.3 percent) and 11 of 32 from three-point range. They dominated inside with 44 points in the paint and converted 21 Winona State turnovers into 33 points. The Ichabods also controlled tempo, scoring 17 fast-break points and adding 13 second-chance points.
Bachelor led the Ichabods with 14 points and five assists, hitting three triples. Claussen led the way with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while. Smith chipped in 13 points and three steals, and Jones contributed 11 points and five assists on 4-of-5 shooting. Glock matched Jones with 11 points, including three three-pointers, and Wilkins provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 night.
Washburn's bench combined for 34 points, outscoring Winona State's reserves 34–23.
Defensively, Washburn held Winona State to 38 percent shooting and just 17.6 percent from beyond the arc. Gavyn Hurley paced the Warriors with 19 points, but no other player reached double figures until late in the second half.
