LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Washburn trailed by just five points at halftime on Thursday night against Kansas before falling 68-50 in an exhibition serving as the team's first taste of action on the court in the 2026-27 season. The Ichabods will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 13 facing St. Cloud State at the Central Region Crossover in Marshall, Minn.
Both teams opened the game slow out of the gates offensively. Late in the first quarter Sarah Gatwech got a driving layup to go that cut the lead down to two points at 8-6. A 3-pointer from Olivia Wren in the final minute of the opening quarter made it just a three-point lead for the Jayhawks heading into the second quarter.
After Gatwech began the second quarter with a layup to pull within one the next 12 points all came from Kansas as they pulled ahead 26-13 at the 4:03 mark in the second quarter. A steal from Gatwech resulted in a fast break layup by Madelyn Amekporfor which sparked a 7-0 Washburn run, cutting the lead down to six points after Ta'Leeyah Glynn knocked down a corner triple. After free throws from Wren in the final seconds before halftime the Ichabods trailed 31-26 heading into the locker room.
Out of the break Macey Willman got a runner to fall that cut the lead down to four at the 7:54 mark before the Jayhawks launched a 17-3 run over the next six minutes that pushed the lead up to 20 points inside the final minute of the quarter. The Ichabods trailed 52-33 heading into the fourth.
Kansas opened the final frame expanding the lead to a game-high 25 points in the opening minutes. Washburn went on an 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch that brought the lead down to 14 points after Britany Kogbara got a layup to go inside. The Ichabods outscored the Jayhawks in the quarter, 17-16, but fell 68-50 in the final preseason tune-up.
Washburn finished the game shooting 19-58 (32.8%) overall and 2-21 (9.5%) from deep. On the other side of the court they held Kansas to 21-54 (38.9%) shooting and 5-20 (25.0%) from beyond the arc.
Rebounding went 45-33 in favor of the home squad, with a 15-9 advantage on the offensive boards. It contributed to a 33-14 free-throw advantage as well. Both squads forced the other team into turnovers with the Ichabods turning the ball over 27 times while forcing Kansas into 25 turnovers.
Ten players scored for Washburn led by 10 points off the bench from Sarah Gatwech who added two steals and two blocks defensively. Olivia Wren had nine points and swiped three steals while Ta'Leeyah Glynn and Macey Willmann each chipped in seven points.
