January 27, 2010

Washburn Cruises to 78-62 Win Over Northwest

By David Boyce

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Even though four minutes remained in the first half, a Washburn victory was no longer in doubt when the Ichabods literally put the hammer to Northwest Missouri.

It was the type of athletic play that brings loud applause, fans to their feet and causes hip students to use the latest slang word for good.

The dunk off the rebound by Washburn freshman Bryce Simons did exactly that. He sprinted down the court, leaped high and jammed the missed shot back through the net to give the Ichabods a 16-point lead.

"That almost ended the game and then our energy picked up like unbelievable," Washburn coach Bob Chipman said.

A three-pointer by freshman Bobby Chipman increased Washburn's lead to 19. From that point on the Ichabods had no problem salting away an easy 78-62 victory Wednesday evening at Lee Arena.

"I think we are playing hard defense and everybody's confidence is starting to build," said Washburn junior De'Andre Washington. "We lost a lot early so this confident thing is helping.

"I think the younger players are starting to get confidence in just playing and shooting the ball instead of worrying about coming out of the game."

It's significant that a couple of freshmen, who start, are making some impact plays for the Ichabods. They are learning from experience.

"Some of the freshmen like Bryce and Bobby, they were out there, but now they are out there trying to win," Chipman said.

"We have a great player in De'Andre. Whenever you have a great player like that it makes things a lot easier."

Perhaps, that's why Washburn has won four straight games to improve to 11-8 overall and 5-7 in the MIAA. Northwest Missouri dropped to 9-10 and 4-8.

The Ichabods don't have a senior on the roster so the future looks bright.

And the way Washington is playing, the immediate future isn't looking bad.

Washington filled the stat sheet, scoring 19 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

Washburn simply took control from the opening tap. The Ichabods scored the first six points, jumped to a 24-10 lead and held a 30-16 advantage when Simons made his athletic dunk and Chipman followed with the trey.

"That was pretty nice right there," Washington said of Simons' dunk. "I know how he can jump, but he never really uses it. It was like one of those it is about time situations.

"That was probably one of his worst dunks. I've seen him do some crazy stuff."

The Ichabods went into halftime ahead 39-21. Once they had the big lead they never allowed a glimmer of hope for Northwest Missouri.

Washburn held a 55-38 lead at the midway point in the second half.

Northwest Missouri made a little run and closed to 58-49 with 6:52 left. That's when a veteran showed confidence in a freshman.

Washington drove to the basket and passed it to Chipman on the wing. Chipman calmly knocked down the three-pointer to push the Ichabods' lead to 61-49.

"Bobby can shoot the ball well," Washington said. "I know when teams come to help out on me I just know to look for him. He's just now starting to look for his shot. That's one of the best shots we can get because he can really shoot it."

Washburn held a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Another reason the Ichabods stayed in control nearly the entire game was because of the play of sophomore guard William McNeill. McNeill finished with a team-high 20 points, going 6-for-12 from the field and 8-for-10 from the line.

In addition, junior guard Virgil Philistin came off the bench and made all four shots he put up.

"I was very slow in developing this group and that's my fault," Chipman said. "I had them in the wrong spot. I feel like our season is just starting now."

To reach David Boyce, contributing writer to the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.