TOPEKA – (RV) Raven Women's Basketball knocked off NCAA Div. II Washburn University 64-61 on Wednesday night in a game that counted against the Ichabods overall record, but served as an exhibition officially for the Ravens.
Ali Brzozowski connected on two free throws with one second remaining in the game to give the Ravens the three-point win after the team battled back from down as much as 12 points to Ichabods.
Washburn attacked the paint to start the game against Benedictine, finishing the first quarter with a 20-4 advantage in the paint that led to an 8 points lead headed to the second quarter. Washburn continued to control the game for much of the second quarter Benedictine closed out the quarter on a 10-0 run that not only erased a 12-point deficit but set the Ravens up to take the lead going into halftime. Skylar Washington a shot for the Ravens in the final seconds that would have given Benedictine the lead, but the momentum had already shifted as the Ichabods held a 34-32 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Ravens switched up their defense adding some pressure and switching their halfcourt defense. That allowed them to keep the momentum from the end of the second quarter. Just two minutes into the third quarter, Natalie Smaron gave the Ravens their first game at 39-37. Brzozowski gave the Ravens their largest lead of the quarter at five 90 seconds later and the Ravens never trailed the remainder of the quarter. Washburn briefly held a 53-52 lead early in the fourth quarter but Alleigh Kramer and Smaron anchored the Ravens offensive effort that allowed the Ravens to regain their lead and never look back.
Benedictine finished the game hitting 40 percent from the floor, hitting 66.7 percent in the third quarter that allowed them to take over the lead. Brzozowski scored a game-high 17 points while Smaron and Kramer finished with 14 each. While the Ichabods did finish with 38 points in the paint, after Benedictine made their in-game adjustment, they held the Ichabods to just 10 second-half points in the paint.
The Ravens return to play on Saturday as they host former NAIA member College of the Ozarks at 5:30 p.m. on Dugan Jones Court inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
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