KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The No. 3-ranked and top-seeded Washburn Ichabods delivered a wire-to-wire masterpiece in Kansas City, overwhelming Rogers State 91-59 to capture the 2026 MIAA Tournament Championship at Municipal Auditorium. The Ichabods never trailed, controlling all 40 minutes and improving to 31-1 on the season securing the MIAA's automatic bid and will host the NCAA Central Regional Tournament for the second year in a row starting Saturday in Lee Arena. Game times will be announced as soon as available.
Washburn struck first when Bryson Smith opened the scoring, and only seconds later Jeremiah Jones buried a transition three created by a Jack Bachelor steal, setting the tone for an early 5-0 burst. A series of defensive stops paved the way for an 11-3 start, fueled by high-pressure defense, multiple steals, and relentless second-chance efforts. Washburn dominated the glass from the outset, piling up 15 offensive rebounds in the first half alone - turning them into 15 second-chance points while holding Rogers State to none.
Three-point shooting helped Washburn widen the gap. Bachelor connected on multiple threes in the opening minutes, and a transition triple by Smith pushed the lead to 22-10 just before the 13-minute mark. Inside, Brady Christiansen anchored the paint, collecting 12 first-half rebounds - eight on the offensive end – extending possessions and taking the wind out of RSU's defensive stands. His putback at the 6:39 mark pushed the margin to 36-20, and Washburn continued applying pressure until carrying a commanding 49-25 advantage into halftime.
Washburn opened the second half with an emphatic 14-1 run. Christiansen drilled a second-chance three to make it 54-25, and moments later another Jones tip-in extended the lead to 31. The margin continued to swell as the Ichabods attacked from every angle. By the 8:19 mark, Bachelor scored on a fast-break layup to give Washburn its largest lead of the afternoon at 77-38, a 39-point cushion that stood as the game's high-water mark.
Smith led the Ichabods with 21 points, knocking down two threes adding five rebounds. Christiansen delivered one of the most imposing interior performances of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds for his second double double in as many games. Bachelor added 14 points, handing out nine assists and hitting four threes. Jones recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Washburn also received efficient scoring from Tyson Ruud, who posted 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting as all five Ichabods starters reached double figures.
Washburn controlled the matchup: an 18-5 edge in points off turnovers, a 40-18 advantage in the paint, a 29-4 margin on second-chance points, and a 52-25 rebounding dominance. The Ichabods shot 46.5 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three, while holding Rogers State to 38.8 percent overall and 33.3 percent from deep. RSU never led or tied at any point in the contest.
Notes:
• The Ichabods won their first tournament title since the 2021 season and the first one in Kansas City since 2012.
• Washburn's MIAA Tournament titles have come in 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2012, 2021 and 2026 … the 2012 and 2026 titles are the only one coming in Kansas City.
• Jack Bachelor was named the Tournament MVP with games of 24, 27 and 14 also dishing out 22 assists with only two turnovers hitting 16 3's during the three games.
• Brady Christiansen was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.3 ppg with 10 rpg hitting 50 percent of his 3-point shots going 7 of 14 overall from deep.
• Jeremiah Jones scored set an MIAA single game tournament record in the semis against Missouri Western with eight steals en route to all-tournament team honors.
• The Ichabods in the win set the largest margin of victory in an MIAA Tournament game with 32 topping the previous mark of 29 set in 2019.
