Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball team knocked down 13 three pointers and had four score in double figures to edge Washburn, 75-69, Thursday afternoon in an MIAA Tournament quarterfinal game in Kansas City.

The third-seeded Lopers (20-9) will play Saturday at noon against second-seed Central Missouri (20-8). The Mules held on to beat seventh-seed Central Oklahoma, 59-54, in today's second game. UCM beat UNK, 77-72, in Kearney earlier this year in the only meeting between the two.

With the win, UNK is now 5-3 all-time in the MIAA Tournament.  The Lopers also beat the Ichabods (20-10) for an eighth straight time and end the storied career of WU head coach Bob Chipman. He led the 'Bods program for the past 38 years, racking up 808 wins.

Finally, the Lopers reach 20 wins for a second straight year and the 26th time in program history. 

"I'm really proud of our guys and excited to be advancing. Hats off to Washburn; we've played them three times this year and each one has been a battle. Brady Skeens is a heck of a player and Coach Chipman has had a legendary career," said UNK head coach Kevin Lofton.  

Led by double double machine Brady Skeens, Washburn went inside early and often and quickly jumped out to a 27-17 lead. At one point, they had a 22-4 advantage in points in the paint as the Lopers were misfiring from the perimeter.

UNK came in having sunk 23 of 43 threes against WU this year and that trend eventually continued. Led by Minnesota sophomore Isaiah McKay (4 of 6) and Iowa freshman reserve Kyle Juhl (4 of 5), the Lopers were 8 of 19 from long range in the first half to negate WU's inside dominance.

A layup from Chicago junior guard Yashua Trent gave Kearney its first lead, 30-29, at the 4:25 mark. The two teams went back and for the rest of the half with a buzzer beating three by Isaiah Clark giving WU a 39-38 lead at the break.

"We knew we were going to take some shots. They've been playing well and I kind of braced myself because I knew they were going to come out fast. That's why I kept telling our guys to be mentally tough and just hang in there," said Lofton. "Just find a way in the second half to separate from them. We hit some shots, had a balanced attack and were fortunate enough to do that.

Over the final 20 minutes, UNK held Washburn to 39% shooting (13 of 33) and were out rebounded by just an 18-15 margin. McKay hit two more threes, as did Trent, with UNK finishing 13 of 31 from behind the arc. The 31 attempts are a season-high effort and just nine off the school-record.

The Lopers scored the first seven points in the second half and held several eight point cushions. However, the 'Bods didn't go away, making it a two-point deficit, 71-69, after a Clark layup with 1:47 to play.

Trent took a pass from Iowa junior Trey Lansman 25 seconds later and made a shot in the lane. Washburn then missed a three from the top of the key and Juhl knocked two free throws to push the lead to six, 75-69

The 'Bods did hit a late three to make it a one possession game but a free throw from York junior Ty Danielson and a block by Lansman sealed the deal.
 
"Coach preached in the second half to get the ball in the middle. And once it gets in the middle, you can break any zone down. We got open shots and looks from our ball movement," said Trent.

Scoring over 20 points for the third time in the last five games, McKay finished 6 of 10 from three point land to score a game-high 22. The total is one off his career-high with the six treys a new career best effort.

Next, Juhl (14) reached double figures for the third time in the last four games while also grabbing six boards and handing out three assists. He also played 33 minutes for a second straight contest.

From the point guard spot, Trent hit 8 of 9 shots (2 of 2 threes) to tally 18. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Finally on the perimeter, Danielson went 5 of 10 from the floor (1 of 6 threes) to score 12.

Facing Skeens, the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Lansman had seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He averaged 11 points per game this year against WU.

"We know Brady is an incredible player. Our job was to focus on defense, do whatever we can to contain him and then knock down opens shots and threes," said McKay.

Skeens (19 points & 10 rebounds) did record a double double with guard Javion Blake at 16 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and two steals in playing all 40 minutes. Off the bench, Clark scored 15 in 24 minutes.

"We really asked our guards to pressure up a little bit more and have active hands. If the passer doesn't have an easy look to get it inside, it's going to take a pin-point pass and that makes it tough," said Lofton "Trey really stepped up to try and deny him the ball. Brady is going to get his points; we just wanted him to work for it."