Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney basketball teams have nine games remaining, six being away from home. The first road test comes Thursday night in Topeka against the Washburn Ichabods.

Games times are 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Check the schedule pages (women, men) for media links.

The Loper men (12-5, 7-3) are tied with Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern State for second place in the MIAA with a red hot Lindenwood squad a game ahead. Showing how tight the race is so far this year, five other clubs are between 5-5 and 7-4 in league play.

Washburn, with most of its roster back from last year's 17-10 team, was expected to contend for the conference crown. However, the 'Bods currently are 10-11 (5-5) and have lost three of its last five games.

Veteran head coach Bob Chipman has a squad scoring 70.0 points per game and shooting 44% from the field. The 'Bods rank 13th in the MIAA in free throw percentage (65.5) but have a plus 2.0 rebounding margin.

A balanced attack includes 6-3 senior guard Kyle Wiggins (13.4 points & 2.4 rebounds per game) and 6-6 senior wing Alex North (11.4 points & 6.9 rebounds per game). The pair have combined for 45 made threes; Washburn is 12th in the league in 3's made per game (6.0).
 
Outside of Wiggins and North, five others average between 5.0-9.2 points per game, including Alabama transfer Algie Key (6-4). Last year, North tallied 31 points in a 90-84 loss to the Lopers in Topeka. North also had a double double (16 points & 13 rebounds) in an 88-79 setback in Kearney.
 
Washburn will try and slow down UNK's "Killer B's" in junior forwards Conner Beranek and Ethan Brozek. The dynamic duo are now 1-2 in the MIAA in scoring and also rank in the top 10 in blocks and rebounds. Overall, they provide 36.3 points, 16.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
 
In the early contest, the Washburn women are looking to get back on track after being nationally ranked for most of the season. They have lost three of five, including a 58-54 setback to Northeastern State last Saturday.
 
Having identical 6-2 records at home and on the road, WU is led by a pair of senior guards in Taylor Ignoto (14.3) and Casyn Buchman (13.2).They have combined for 55 made 3's with Buchman shooting an MIAA-best 89.8% at the line and averaging a team-best 3.6 assists per game.
 
Second in the MIAA in rebounding margin (+ 12.4) and third in scoring defense (56.1), Washburn's post game is led by Division I transfer Honor Duvall (12.0 points & 6.5 rebounds).
 
UNK (11-8, 5-5) beat Washburn, 61-53, in Topeka last year as current senior post Amarah Williams went for 21 points and eight rebounds. In Kearney, Washburn won 82-70 as current senior guard Janelle Travis (4.6) scored 20 points, two off her career-high.
 
Williams (15.8) and junior guard Laramey Lewis (15.9) are among the MIAA's leading scorers and rebounders. Williams is also shooting a team-best 56% from the field with Lewis leading the entire league in 3-point percentage (44.2/38 of 86).
 
With just five more made threes, Lewis will become only the seventh Loper with 100 in a career. Debi Johnson ('12) is the most recent player on that list, finishing with 195. Beth Swift, a 2014 UNK Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, holds the school mark with 247.
 
UNK will face the Emporia State Hornets Sunday afternoon. Tip times have been moved up a ½ hour to accommodate the Super Bowl.