Lions Hot Shooting Too Much for Ichabods

Despite three double-figure scorers and an efficient .444 shooting from the field, Washburn women’s basketball fell, 83-65, on Thursday to Lindenwood. The decision ended a three-game win streak and dropped the Ichabods to 17-8 on the year and into a tie for third in the MIAA standings at 12-4 with three regular season games left on the calendar.

Hunter Bentley paced the Washburn offense with 16 points while pulling down a team-best six rebounds. Taylor Bluefollowed with 15 points, while Nicole Murugarren chipped in 12. Bentley and Murugarren were each 6-of-11 from the field, with Bentley going 3-for-4 from the line. Blue meanwhile was 6-of-13 shooting and 3-for-6 from three-point distance.

Washburn led early as it jumped out to a 5-1 run to open the contest. The Ichabods then put together an 8-2 run to push the margin to seven, 15-8, with 5:42 left in the frame. Lindenwood (19-5, 13-4 MIAA) efforts then trimmed the margin to 21-20 during the final minute before a last second three from Reagan Phelan.

Lindenwood then moved out front as it rattled off an 8-0 run to begin the second. Trailing 29-24 with 7:11 to play, Bentley cut the deficit to one with back-to-back buckets but was not enough as the Ichabods went into halftime behind, 37-34.

In the third, down 49-40, Washburn pulled within two as it knuckled together a 7-0 spurt in under a minute. That however was the closest the Ichabods got in the second half as Lindenwood closed the third frame with an eight-point margin. Washburn then dropped the fourth, 20-10, as Lindenwood was 3-for-4 from the deep, finishing the night, 14-of-23.

The Ichabods return to action Saturday as they wrap up their road schedule at Lincoln, with tip set for 1 pm.