ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western men's basketball (13-7, 5-5 MIAA) dropped Saturday's rematch to the top-ranked Washburn Ichabods, 85-52, at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
 
The Ichabods demonstrated why they are the top-ranked team in the country with an overall complete performance to remain undefeated at 19-0 (10-0 MIAA) for the season. After taking the lead at 14:23 in the first half, they built their advantage to as many as 35 to secure the victory.
 
Led by sophomore Brayden Shorter, who finished with a game-high 22 points, Washburn finished 30-of-56 from the field and hit 11-of-22 three-point attempts. They also won the paint battle 32-26 and scored 17 points from turnovers. Defensively, they won the rebound battle 40-22.
 
Senior Julius Dixon was the leading scorer for the Griffons with 14 points, shooting 4-of-8 during the game. The Fayetteville, Tennessee native also led Western with seven rebounds.
 
Seniors Zion Swader and Justin Bubak also finished in double-figure scoring with 10 points. Additionally, senior Zane Nelson led the team with five assists and senior Kiani Saxon added a team-leading two blocks.
 
Missouri Western will return to action from Tom Smith Court next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to conclude non-conference play against Haskell. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and streamed on the MIAA Network.