MIAA Quarterfinal Washburn Ichabods vs Central Missouri Mules Friday, March 7, 2008 8:15 p.m. Complete Game Notes in PDF

Where: Kansas City, Mo.
Arena: Municipal Auditorium
Capacity: 9,827
Rankings: Both teams unranked in February 26 NABC national poll
WU Record: 17-10, 9-9 MIAA
UCM Record: 18-9, 11-7 MIAA
Series Record: UCM leads 41-40
Last Meeting: UCM 64-59 on 03/01/08 (A)
Last WU win: 82-76 on 01/05/08 (H)
WU Coach Bob Chipman: 645-250 (.721) in his 29th season at WU and overall
UCM Coach Kim Anderson: 128-53 (.707) in his sixth year at UCM and overall

  

Radio 106.9 FP KTPK Listen Online (Free)

Live Stats Not Available

Ichabods making 16th appearance in MIAA tournament as they face UCM Friday night
The Ichabods will play in their 16th MIAA Championship Tournament when they take on Central Missouri Friday at 8:15 p.m. in Kansas City, Mo., and Municipal Auditorium. Washburn is 17-10 and is the sixth seed in the field with a 9-9 MIAA record while Central Missouri is 18-9 overall and seeded third with an 11-7 conference mark.
   
The Mules earned their seed and kept WU from moving up by defeating the Ichabods 64-59 Saturday in the regular season finale. Washburn defeated the Mules 82-76 at home earlier in the year.
   
The game will be carried live on 106.9 FM KTPK throughout the Topeka area and will be streamed live at wusports.com for free by following the link under men's basketball. Fans can find a link there to watch free live stats of all tournament games.
   
Notes of Interest
• Washburn is 25-11 overall in the MIAA tournament, 13-2 in first round games and 5-3 in Municipal Auditorium. The Ichabods are 3-0 against UCM in the tournament.
• The No. 6 seed is WU's lowest in the tournament since its first year there, 1990-91.
• Washburn is 15-0 when leading at the half and 13-1 when leading with five minutes remaining.
• Paul Byers is shooting 56 percent against the Mules and has 11.5 points a game in the two contests.
• Washburn is 4-2 against its half of the bracket and 2-6 against the other half.
• The Ichabods are 3-6 in five-point games. They are shooting 21 percent (3 of 14) from the field during the final minute in the six losses.
   
About the Central Missouri Mules 
Central Missouri has won five of its last six games after defeating Washburn Saturday in the regular season finale. Joe Young scored 13 points in that game and leads the team with 14.3 points a game this year. He is the only Mule scoring in double figures as Kevin Wollbrinck is second on the team with 9.5 points a game. Central Missouri is seventh in the MIAA scoring 69.8 points a game but second allowing just 62.5 a game. The Mules are last with a .413 field goal percentage but are holding their opponents to just a .398 percentage, the lowest allowed in the MIAA.

This year against UCM
The Ichabods and Mules each won their home game against each other in a pair of close contests this season. Washburn won by six, 82-76 on January 5 in Lee Arena and then Central Missouri won by five, 64-59 last Saturday. Paul Byers had 11 points Saturday and 12 in the earlier game to average 11.5 against the Mules while shooting 56 percent. Kyle Snyder had 29 rebounds against UCM in the two games to average 14.5. For the Mules, Kevin Wolbrinck has 33 points in the two games while Young has 28. Skip Thomas leads the team with 14 rebounds against the Ichabods. Both teams have shot poorly against each other with the Ichabods shooting at 42 percent and UCM shooting 40 percent. The Mules are just 25 percent from 3-point range but 80 percent from the free throw line.

Ichabods down to the wire in close games
The Ichabods have lost their last two games by a total of eight points and they had chances to tie both the games in the final seconds. This year the Ichabods are 3-6 in five-point games and they have lost four straight. In the final minute of games lost by five points or less, Washburn is shooting 21 percent (3 of 14) from the field and 50 percent (5 of 10) from the free throw line. In those six losses the Ichabods have allowed their opponent to shoot 25 free throws in the final minute while shooting just 10 of their own. In their three wins by five points or less, the Ichabods are shooting 71 percent (5 of 7) in the final minute and are 10 of 14 from the free throw line. Andrew Meile is 5 of 6 from the line in those three wins while James Williams is 4 of 5.

Ichabods plagued by free throw percentage
Washburn is ninth in the MIAA shooting .648 from the free throw line this year. The Ichabods are just 62 percent in the final five minutes of games and 59 percent in their 10 losses. They shoot best in the first half, 72 percent, while shooting just 61 percent in the second half.
   
Eight times this year the Ichabods have shot less than 60 percent from the line in games with a season low 41 percent performance coming January 2 at Missouri Western when they were 7 of 17 from the line in a one-point loss.

Washburn returns to MIAA tournament after two-year drought, three players bring postseason experience
Washburn will be looking for its fifth MIAA tournament championship as it makes its 16th appearance in the event. The Ichabods had been in every tournament since becoming eligible in 1990-91 until missing the last two years. They bring a 25-11 record in the tournament and a 13-2 record in first round games. They are 5-3 in Municipal Auditorium and 3-0 overall against Central Missouri in the MIAA tournament. WU is 8-5 in the semifinals and 4-4 in the finals.
   
Three Ichabod seniors have experience in the postseason. Kyle Snyder, a fifth-year senior, played in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 tournaments, appearing in four games with four points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Meile and Brady Sisk each played in Washburn's two games in 2004-05 with Meile recording two points and Sisk grabbing two rebounds.
   
Washburn coach Bob Chipman has been with Washburn in every MIAA postseason appearance, making him 25-11 in the tournament and 3-0 against UCM.

Snyder named all-MIAA honorable mention  
Senior forward Kyle Snyder was named to the all-MIAA honorable mention team announced Monday by the conference office. The senior forward is the Ichabods' leading rebounder and is third in the MIAA this year with 8.3 rebounds a game.
   
Snyder has recorded five double-doubles this year and he's reached double figures in rebounding 12 times. He's averaging 6.9 points a game and is shooting 53 percent from the field. In MIAA games he averaged 7.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Ichabods unbeaten when leading at halftime, have five second half comebacks
The Ichabods are 15-0 when leading at halftime this year. Conversely, they are 2-10 when trailing at the half. Washburn has trailed at halftime in 11 of the 18 MIAA games this year and the Ichabods have trailed at some point in the second half 15 times this year and have come back to win five times.
   
Washburn was behind by six, 49-43 with 10:38 remaining February 20 against Northwest Missouri. The Ichabods fought back and tied the score three times before taking the lead for good at 2:30. The Ichabods trailed by a point at halftime to Truman on January 19 and by as much as five in the second half before coming back for a 59-50 win. They were down by as much as 11 at Fort Hays State and at Southwest Baptist before coming back and then falling short in one-point losses.
   
At Northwest Missouri the Ichabods trailed the Bearcats by four points, 49-45 at the 6:40 mark of the second half before rallying for a four-point win. Washburn's biggest second half comeback this year came at home against Central Missouri on January 5. The Ichabods trailed by five at halftime and then three minutes into the period they were down by nine points. Washburn came back for an 82-76 win. Washburn also managed a comeback at home December 4 against Central Oklahoma, turning around a four-point deficit at 4:08 for a 71-68 win.

The Ichabods when shooting 50 percent or better...
The Ichabods are 6-2 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field this year. The win Wednesday against NWMSU was the first MIAA win when shooting that well. Before that, all five of the wins came in the non-conference season with the most recent being December 18 at St. Mary's when the Ichabods were actually out-shot, 53 percent to 50 percent, but held on for a 77-75 win. That game was also the last of three straight that the Ichabods made at least half of their shots.
   
Washburn is averaging 85.3 points a game when shooting at least 50 percent and is holding opponents to 69.9 points. Washburn's most efficient night from the field came November 16 when it was 54 percent, making 37 of 68 field goals. The Ichabods were also 53 percent from 3-point range that night (10 for 19).
   
The Ichabods are 15-4 overall this year when out-shooting their opponents and 1-5 when their opponent shoots at least 50 percent.

Ichabods enjoyed strong homecourt advantage at Lee Arena
The Ichabods finished the season 11-2 in home games this year after losing by three points to FHSU Wednesday. Overall, they out-scored opponents by 15.5 points a game. They score 78.8 points a game at home and shoot 47 percent while the visitors score 63.3 points with 39 percent shooting.
   
Grant Hargett led the Ichabods in scoring in home games with 10.6 per game after he had a career-high 18 last Saturday against ESU. Kyle Snyder led the team shooting 59 percent in Lee Arena and Andrew Meile was second on the team with 9.7 points a game. Snyder also leads the team with 9.2 rebounds a game.
   
Washburn began playing in Lee Arena in 1984-85 and has gone 318-57 (.848) in the 24th season there.

Meile in the top 10 in six Washburn career records
Senior guard Andrew Meile entered the top 10 in career steals after he had five February 20 against NWMSU. He now has 107 in his four years, the ninth most at WU. He needs two more to catch Mike Dickerson, who had 109 from 1986-90.
   
He also entered the top 10 in assists after he tied a career high with eight of them February 9 against Pittsburg State. He currently has 268, the sixth most in school history, and he needs 9 more to move into a tie with Keith Downing, who had 277 from 1983-87.
   
Meile is also in the top 10 in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers attempted, 3-point percentage and games started. He is seventh with 155 3-pointers in his four years and needs 4 more to catch Jordan Canfield, who had 159 from 1992-97. He is also sixth in 3-point attempts with 380 and eighth in 3-point shooting percentage at 41 percent.
   
Meile has started every game the last two years and 79 in his career, tied for the seventh most in school history.
   
Meile has scored 20 or more points in two of the last six games and he's averaging 13.2 in the last six games.
   
Meile leads the team in scoring during conference games with 10.5 per game and he's a 51 percent shooter from the field and from 3-point range. Overall he is averaging 8.9 points a game after scoring a career-high 25 against Southwest Baptist with a career-high six 3-pointers on February 13. He matched that total against NWMSU and scored 24 points February 20.

Ichabods are 10-3 when Sisk scores in double figures
Senior forward Brady Sisk leads the team in scoring with 10.2 points a game and he's first shooting .533 from the field. He has reached double figures 13 times this year and the Ichabods are 10-3 when he reaches double figures and 5-1 when he leads the team in scoring. Sisk led Washburn with 19 points February 27 against FHSU, marking the first time the team lost when he led in scoring.
   
In nine starts this year he is averaging 11.6 points a game and shooting .661 percent from the field. Off the bench he is just a 47 percent shooter.

Point guard Mario Scott leads the Ichabods offense
Sophomore guard Mario Scott leads the team with 101 assists and his 3.74 per game is fourth best in the MIAA. At Missouri Western he had 10 assists to become the first Ichabod to reach double figures since Jerad Head did it in 2004-05. Scott also leads the team with 39 steals and 1.44 per game. Scott had 19 points against Missouri Western and he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench at Fort Hays State. He has reached double figures eight times and is averaging 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Byers moves to sixth on career blocking chart  
Junior forward Paul Byers has moved alone into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks, now with 65. He needs one more to move into a tie for fifth and three more to move to fourth. He had 17 blocks last year and in 2005-06, his freshman year, he had 31, the eighth highest single-season total at Washburn. Byers begins the year fifth in school history with 0.9 blocks a game. Byers has 17 blocks this year with a team season-high of three three times this year.
   
Byers scored a season-high 17 points against ESU Wednesday and overall he is scoring 8.7 points a game and he's second on the team shooting .528 from the field.

Kyle Snyder leads Ichabods in rebounds
After limited playing time last year with an injury, senior Kyle Snyder has played in every game this year and has started 11 at forward. He leads the team and is third in the MIAA with 8.3 rebounds this year and he is scoring 6.9 points a game and shooting 53 percent.
   
Snyder has reached double figures in rebounds in six of the last seven games and he has double-doubles in four of the last seven games. In that seven-game stretch he is averaging 10.9 points and 11.4 rebounds a game and he's shooting 54 percent.
   
As a starter Snyder is averaging 9.9 points and 9.9 rebounds and shooting 57 percent from the field. Off the bench he scores 4.9 points with 7.1 rebounds while shooting 47 percent.
   
Snyder had a season-high 16 rebounds Saturday at Central Missouri and he scored a career-high 19 points February 13 against Southwest Baptist.

Hargett continues to start for Ichabods
Senior guard Grant Hargett has started the last six games and 13 of the last 15. Hargett led the Ichabods in 13 homes games with 10.6 points a game while shooting 50 percent. Overall he is averaging 8.2 points a game and is shooting 47 percent. In his 13 starts he is averaging 2.9 assists and in the last five games he has 3.6 assists.
   
Hargett started against ESU February 23 and tied his career high with 18 points with four 3-pointers. In a start against Truman on January 19 he scored 17 points, all in the second half as the Ichabods won 59-50. He was 5 of 7 from the field in the second half and 5 of 6 from the free throw line.

Washburn 3-0 in neutral site games but 6-8 overall on the road  
The Ichabods went 3-0 playing teams on a neutral court as they will this weekend in the MIAA tournament. Washburn defeated Lincoln and Upper Iowa in the Missouri Western Classic in November and then topped Southeastern Oklahoma State in the St. Mary's Classic in December. Mario Scott led the team in scoring in the three games with 12. per game while Darnell Kimble averaged 11.3. Scott shot 63 percent from the field and the Ichabods shot 49 percent as a team.
   
The Ichabods went 3-8 in true road games this year and 6-8 away from home, counting the neutral games. Brady Sisk leads the Ichabods in the 14 games played away from Lee Arena with 10.8 points a game while shooting 60 percent and Kimble is averaging 10.0 points.

Ichabods return to Municipal Auditorium after exhibition with UMKC  
Despite a two-year drought from playing in the MIAA tournament, this will not be the first trip to Kansas City, Mo., and Municipal Auditorium for all of the Ichabods. Washburn played an exhibition against Missouri-Kansas City on November 13 and lost by four points, 79-75, to the NCAA Division I Kangaroos. Four Ichabods reached double figures in the game with Andrew Meile leading with 19 points off 7-of-12 shooting and five 3-pointers. Paul Byers and Grant Hargett each had 12 points and Darnell Kimble was 4 of 4 for 11 points.

Ichabods bench stretched thin second half of season
Washburn has lost three players (Nate Daniels and Dei Dei, academics and Angel Santiago, personal reasons) since the second half of the season and is down to 10 uniformed players. In the last seven games, since losing Santiago, the Ichabods have had just five players to go to off the bench and three who have been used regularly. Brady Sisk leads the bench players with 47 points in those seven games.
   
The Washburn bench is averaging just 15.4 points a game in the last seven while the starters are scoring 51.9 with Andrew Meile leading with 11.7 a game.

Bods and Ends  
• Andrew Meile leads the MIAA shooting .466 from 3-point range.
• Washburn leads the MIAA in rebounding with 39.3 a game and in rebound margin at +5.7.
• The Ichabods are 15-0 when leading at halftime this year and 13-1 when leading with five minutes remaining.
• The Ichabods are 31-24 all-time in overtimes with one win this year. Washburn is 6-7 all-time in 13 games that went into at least double-overtime.

Final notes on the Central Missouri game
• In the 81st meeting between the two schools, Central Missouri broke the tie in the series record and now leads 41-40. Washburn has not won in Warrensburg since 2003.
• Once again Andrew Meile and Grant Hargett started at guard and Paul Byers, Kyle Snyder and Darnell Kimble started at forward. This is the fifth time this combination has started, but the first time it has lost. Meile and Byers have started every game this year and Meile has started 67 straight games. His last non-start was December 30, 2005, at Truman.
• Hargett had a career-high six assists in the game. His previous high was five, reached on February 16 at Truman.
• Kimble reached his season high of 16 points for the third time. He also had 16 on February 6 at Missouri Southern and January 26 at Pittsburg State.
• Washburn shot just 39 percent from the field, dipping below the 40 percent mark for the sixth time this year.
• Washburn tied its season low with 10 free throw attempts, also reached February 6 at Missouri Southern.
• Snyder played a career-high 39 minutes.

A winning history
• The Ichabods are 1,354-934 (.592 in 2,288 games) and are in their 103rd season of basketball.
• In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Ichabods are 318-57 (.848).
• In 19 seasons now as an NCAA II school, the Ichabods have 10 NCAA tournament appearances and nine MIAA titles.
• Washburn won the 1986-87 NAIA national championship with a 35-4 record under head coach Bob Chipman in his eighth year as coach.
• The Ichabods suffered their first losing season in 2005-06 since 1976-77 and first of head coach Bob Chipman's career. They also failed to advance to the MIAA tournament for the first time since joining the league in 1989-90.

The rest of the tournament field
If the Ichabods can get past No. 3 Central Missouri they will face the winner of the No. 2 Northwest Missouri/No. 7 Pittsburg State game Saturday at 8:15 p.m. Washburn is 4-2 against its half of the bracket with a sweep against NWMSU and splits with UCM and PSU.
   
On the other half of the bracket No. 1 Southwest Baptist plays No. 8 Emporia State and No. 4 Missouri Southern plays No. 5 Fort Hays State. The Ichabods are 2-6 against that half of the bracket, splitting with SBU and ESU and getting swept by FHSU and MSSU.