Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team hosted the Washburn University Ichabods on Senior Night. Ryan Franklin led the Lions with 29 points, while Grace Frazier added 15. The game saw several lead changes, but the Ichabods managed to secure a late win, finishing 70-66.
Missouri Southern (18-13,10-9 MIAA) vs. Washburn (17-12,11-8 MIAA)
Quarter 1:
Washburn's drained a layup at 9:23 to open the scoring.
Ryan Franklin had a strong start, contributing seven points, including a layup at 4:37 that tied the game at 10-10. The Ichabods managed to pull ahead with a 3-pointer at 1:27, giving them a five-point lead.
Kaitlin Hunnicutt narrowed the gap with a 3-pointer at 1:08. Washburn closed the quarter with a layup at 0:04, securing a 21-19 lead.
Quarter 2:
Mackenzie Hart sank two 3-pointers, including one at 8:12, to keep the Lions offense active. Washburn answered with a layup, but Ryan Franklin scored consecutive jumpers at 5:47 and 4:23, maintaining a slight edge. In the final minutes, Southern capitalized on the Ichabods' turnovers, with Kennady Roach and Ava Pautz both scoring on layups, contributing to a 19-11 run for the quarter, ending with the Lions leading 38-32 at the half.
Quarter 3:
In the third quarter, Southern led off with a jumper by
Ryan Franklin at 9:44, bringing the score to 40-32. The Ichabods responded with a layup at 9:12, 40-36. The Lions regained momentum, highlighted by another Franklin jumper, bringing the score to 44-40 by 6:28. Later in the quarter,
Mackenzie Hart contributed a layup at 4:38, maintaining their lead at 50-42. Washburn hit a 3-pointer at 2:19 to bring the score closer at 52-49, but Southern's defense, led by Franklin's defensive rebounds, held strong, concluding the quarter with a slight edge 52-49.
Quarter 4:
Early in the quarter, Ryan Franklin of Southern scored two consecutive layups at 9:05 and 8:36, assisted by Grace Frazier. The Lions would see baskets from Frazier, Franklin, and Kennady Roach. Washburn added to their lead and held on for a 70-66 win.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Points: Ryan Franklin - 29
Rebounds: Ryan Franklin – 7
Assists: Grace Frazier - 7
Steals: Grace Frazier - 7
Blocks: - Ryan Franklin - 1
Washburn Leaders:
Points: Yiibari Nwidadah – 19
Rebounds: Yiibari Nwidadah – 11
Assists: Payton Sterk - 5
Steals: Four players – 1
Blocks: -
Up Next:
The Lions, seeded No. 9, will face the No. 8 seed Northwest Missouri State University on Wednesday, March 5th. Tip-off is set for 6 PM at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
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