Washburn women's basketball falls to No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney: 'Our defense gave us a chance'
The Washburn women’s basketball team took the No. 21 ranked team in Div. II to the wire Saturday, but lack of offensive production cost them once again. The Ichabods fell 49-43 to Nebraska-Kearney at Lee Arena to drop to 1-6 on the season.
The Ichabods held the 7-1 Lopers to just 20 points over the second and third periods combined, and just 34 percent shooting for the game. But Washburn came up just short on the offensive end, a problem that has plagued them all season.
“We’re just trying to win a game,” Washburn coach Ron McHenry said. “Our defense gave us a chance. Offense didn’t give us a chance.”
The Washburn offense was good enough in the first half to give the home team a shot at the upset. That Washburn took a ranked team to the wire was cause for some optimism.
“There are some positives,” McHenry said. “But we’re trying to catch a win. There’s no moral victories. It’s great that we stopped them, but we just have to.”
Clearly demonstrating Washburn’s offensive deficiency was its 1-10 shooting from behind the arc.
“I’ve tried a lot of offenses and it’s just not working,” McHenry said. “We shot about the same number of shots as (the Lopers), but on threes, we were one for ten. They weren’t much better. But the foul line caught us. We were just eight for 14. In a close game like that, you’ve got to be real efficient.”
A spurt put the Lopers ahead 19-11 early in the second quarter. But the Ichabods battled back over the next several minutes. A driving score by Shae Sanchez tied the game at 24-24 with 1:45 remaining before halftime. Less than a minute later, Hunter Bentley took a pass in the lane and scored through contact. The three-point play gave the Ichabods a 27-24 lead. Washburn went to halftime leading 27-26.
The Ichabods kept it close, trailing just 36-34 after the third period. But as has happened repeatedly, the inability to score proved the Ichabods’ undoing. Washburn scored just seven points in the third period, and just nine more in the fourth when they were desperate for points.
With neither team able to score consistently, the Ichabods had a chance when a Nuria Barrientos basket with 2:05 cut the Lopers’ lead to 44-40. But the empty possessions that followed allowed Nebraska-Kearney to hold on for their second win in the MIAA.
Among the difference makers in the contest were 11 offensive rebounds by Nebraska-Kearney, several of which came late in the game.
“We gave up some offensive rebounds there, especially on some long 50/50 balls, missed threes that we just couldn’t get to,” McHenry said. “That’s part of the game. Even if you’re not shooting it well, those extra possessions give you an opportunity to score."
Washburn's Hunter Bentley noted the affect those missed rebounds had on the Ichabods at the other end.
“When our defense is doing well, we’re getting steals and can play out in transition. That’s when we’re able to get easy scores,” Bentley said. “Toward the end, they were getting a bunch of offensive rebounds. You can’t get out and run when they’re getting a bunch of offensive rebounds.”
Bentley led the Ichabods with nine points. The senior said playing a ranked team to the wire could inject some confidence into the struggling squad.
“We’ve known (we can compete) from the beginning. We just haven’t been able to put it together,” Bentley said. “Playing pretty well with them for at least 30 minutes was a positive. I think we can carry that to the next game and get that to 35, 40 minutes. Knowing we can do that is going to be good for us.”
NEBRASKA-KEARNEY WOMEN 49, WASHBURN 43
Nebraska-Kearney 16 … 10 … 10 … 13 —49
Washburn 11 … 16 … 7 … 9 — 43
NEBRASKA-KEARNEY (7-1, 2-0)
Backes 2-10 0-0 5, McCool 5-11 1-2 11, Simental 4-10 4-5 14, Holt 2-4 1-2 5, Law 0-3 2-4 2, Moore 1-3 2-2 4, Burns 0-1 0-0 0, Carlson 3-6 2-3 8, Moes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 12-18 49.
WASHBURN (1-6, 0-2)
Gamble 3-7 0-0 7, Dewey 1-3 3-4 5, Oliver 2-7 1-2 5, Bentley 3-7 3-4 9, Doebele 1-4 0-2 2, Sanchez 2-4 0-0 4, Cassaday 2-5 0-0 4, Glatczak 0-1 0-0 0, Barrientos 3-7 1-2 7, Fulks 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-46 8-14 43.
3-point goals — Nebraska-Kearney 3-20 (Simental 2-8, Backes 1-5); Washburn 1-10 (Gamble 1-5). Rebounds — Nebraska-Kearney 36 (McCool 11); Washburn 30 (Bentley 5, Barrientos 5). Assists — Nebraska-Kearney 4 (Backes 1, McCool 1, Simental 1, Holt 1); Washburn 5 (Doebele 4). Turnovers — Nebraska-Kearney 11; Washburn 12. Fouled out — Holt Attendance — 975
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney beats Washburn women's basketball
