Washburn men's basketball reaches NCAA Division II Elite 8 for first time since 2001

TOPEKA — Lee Arena was the place to be in the capital city on Tuesday. Behind a packed gymnasium, Washburn men’s basketball delivered a performance to remember in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship.

No. 1 Washburn (29-3) defeated No. 2 Minnesota State-Moorhead (25-9) 93-65 to reach the Elite 8 for the first time since 2001. The win snapped the Dragons 13-game winning streak that dated back to January.

The opening minutes were electric for the Ichabods. They started the game shooting 7-for-7 from the field. Jack Bachelor went on a tear scoring 11 of his 16 points in the opening 8 minutes of the game. Bachelor become more of a distributor later in the game earning 10 assists for the double-double.

Washburn Ichabods senior Jacob Hanna (5) dunks over MSU Moorhead in the first half of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Championship game inside Lee Arena on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

When the game settled down, the Dragons found their offense through true freshman Carson Johnson. The 6-foot guard was knocking down 3-pointers from everywhere as he scored 15 first half points. Washburn led 41-47 in a tight contest.

But, the offense would dry up for the Dragons in the second half. Johnson would go on to score just two points in the second half.

In the second half, the Ichabods exploded on offense and defense. They went on a 32-10 run in the opening 10 minutes. 3-pointers from Brayden Shorter and Brady Christiansen were big momentum swings while Jacob Hanna threw down a reverse dunk in transition.

Hanna scored 19 points with 13 coming in the second half. Shorter scored a game-high 21 points, hitting 5-for-9 from behind the 3-point line.

Andrew Orr dominated the lane as he went against the Dragons’ Jacob Jennissen, who stands 7-foot-1. Orr scored 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting.

The win was a statement for the Ichabods. They defended at a high level, shot the ball well and fed off a sold out crowd. It was a perfect evening for Washburn.

Washburn will play in the Elite 8 in Evansville, Indiana on Tuesday, March 25.

NCAA Division II Central Region Schedule

First round, Saturday

No. 3 Winona St. 69, No. 6 Southwest Minnesota St. 62
No. 2 Minnesota St. Moorhead 69, No. 7 Fort Hays St. 62
No. 1 Washburn 85, No. 8 Harding 57
No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul 83, No. 4 Minot St. 71

Second round, Sunday

No. 2 MSU Moorhead 70, No. 3 Winona St 59
Washburn 94, Concordia-St. Paul 78

Third round, Tuesday

No. 1 Washburn vs No. 2 MSU Moorhead, 7 p.m.

Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Washburn men's basketball advances to NCAA Division II Elite 8

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