TOPEKA, Kan. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team came up short at Washburn Wednesday night as they lost 78-74.

The Griffons drop to 4-17 this season and 2-12 in the MIAA, while Washburn remains tied for first in the MIAA with a 12-2 record and they’re 18-5 overall.

Cole Clearman broke the Missouri Western career three-point record and became the 15th player in program history to score 1,000 career points with a three-pointer with 9:35 left in the first half.

Washburn pushed its one-point halftime lead to eight points with a 10-1 run with just five minutes to play. Bryan Hudson started an 11-6 Griffon rally just seconds later to cut the lead to one point with 2:19 left in the game. However, the Ichabods got a lay-up from Randall Smith and hit free-throws in the final minute to pull away.

Clearman was one of four Griffons to knock down a three-pointer in the first-half. MWSU shot 66.7 percent from the three-arc and led for over 15 minutes in the first half. The early lead was built from tip-off with a 16-6 run in the first 4:40 of the game. Lavon Hightower scored nine of the team’s 16 points during the early stretch.

NOTABLES
– Clearman broke Heath Dudley’s 27-year old record three-point record and is the first player since Damon Bailey in 2003 to score 1,000 career points

– Lavon Hightower and Bryan Hudson combined to go 11-12 from the free-throw line and score 32 points

– Hudson scored a career-best 16 points for the Griffons

– Missouri Western had three players score in double-figures and Washburn had four players score 13 or more

– The Ichabods outrebounded the Griffons 36-26 and 12-5 on the offensive glass

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Emporia State for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 10.

— MWSU Athletics —