Game 16 Washburn Ichabods (9-6, 5-3 MIAA/t-4th) vs Pittsburg State (7-7, 2-5 MIAA/9th) Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:30 p.m. Where: Topeka, Kan. Arena: Lee Arena Capacity: 4,179 Rankings: Both teams unranked Series Record: WU leads 87-72 Last Meeting: WU 67-56 on 02/09/08 (H) Last PSU win: 82-69 on 01/26/08 (A) WU Coach Bob Chipman: 655-257 (.718) in his 30th season at WU and overall PSU Coach Gene Iba: 249-146 (.630) in his 14th season at PSU and 475-347 (.578) in his 29th season overall Complete Notes in PDF

TV: (tape-delay) • WUCT 13 Jan. 20 • 7 p.m. Cox 13 in Topeka Video Webstream: themiaa.tv Radio: 106.9 FM KTPK | Web Stream Live Stats: Here Washburn Men's Basketball Roster 2008-09 Statistics Schedule Pittsburg State Men's Basketball Roster 2008-09 Statistics Schedule

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Washburn returns to Lee Arena to host Pittsburg State Wednesday night
The Ichabods will return home to protect a 7-1 record in Lee Arena as they host Pittsburg State Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in an MIAA game. Washburn is 9-6 and tied for fourth in the MIAA at 5-2 while the Gorillas are 7-7 and ninth in the MIAA at 2-5. Both teams are coming off loses Saturday.
   
The game will be a brief break from travel as Washburn starts a three-game road trip Saturday.
   
DeAndre Eggins leads Washburn and he's fourth in the MIAA with 16.5 points a game. Pittsburg State is led by Carlos Taylor with 17.9 points a game, the second most in the league. PSU leads the MIAA with 41.6 rebounds a game while Washburn is second with 41.1 a game.
   
The Ichabods lead the all-time series against PSU, 87-72 in the 160th meeting between the two schools, the second-most played series for Washburn. The Ichabods are 23-2 in Lee Arena against the Gorillas.

Ichabods vs Gorillas Last Time Out
Washburn 67, Pittsburg State 56
Ichabods go big in big win over Pittsburg State
February 9, 2008
Washburn's four forwards each scored in double figures and shot 52 percent as the Ichabods defeated Pittsburg State 67-56 in Lee Arena. Kyle Snyder recorded his fourth career double-double with season highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds while Brady Sisk led the team with 18 points, all off the bench. Darnell Kimble put in 14 and Paul Byers had 11.
   
Those four players were 24 of 46 at 52 percent while the rest of the team shot 4 of 16 at 25 percent. Overall, Washburn shot 45 percent from the floor.
   
The Gorillas scored first and then after three ties Byers hit a jumper to give WU a 12-10 lead and the Ichabods held the lead the rest of the way. They led by as much as 13 three times in the first half including at the end of the half when Sisk hit a pair of free throws to give his team a 36-23 halftime lead.
   
The Ichabods led by double figures for most of the second half and let PSU get no closer than seven points when Carlos Taylor made a layup at 9:02 to make the score 52-45.
   
Andrew Meile led the Ichabods with eight assists to tie a his career high and move him into the top 10 in career assists at WU. He also led with two steals while Snyder led with a pair of blocks.
   
Cory Abercrombie led the Gorillas with 27 points off 11 of 19 shooting and had a double-double with 13 rebounds while Taylor had 10 points. The Gorillas shot 41 percent from the floor.

Pittsburg State Series History
• This is the 160th meeting between the two schools and Washburn leads the series, 87-72. The two teams split the series last year.
• The Ichbabods are 23-2 in Lee Arena against PSU and 20-12 against the Gorillas in MIAA play.
• The home team is 21-4 in the last 25 regular season meetings, dating back to 1996-97. Each team has won just twice on the road since then.
• Washburn's win last year snapped a four-game losing streak against PSU.
• The series goes back to 1919-20 and it has been played at least once a year since 1941-42.
• WU coach Bob Chipman is 41-16 against PSU and Gorillas coach Gene Iba is 11-17 against the Ichabods in his 14th season at PSU and 29th season overall.

Washburn's Last Time Out
No. 12 Missouri Southern 82, Washburn 67
Ichabods fall short at No. 12 MSSU
January 10, 2009
JOPLIN, Mo. - The Ichabods led by two at the midway point of the second half but couldn't pull off their second straight win against a ranked opponent as they fell, 82-67 at No. 12 Missouri Southern Saturday.
   
Washburn fell to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA while MSSU went to 15-2 and 5-2. Washburn will return home and host Pittsburg State Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.
   
DeAndre Eggins led WU with 16 points and Darnell Kimble and Covier Carter came off the bench to score in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
   
Both teams shot 42 percent in the game and WU out-rebounded the Lions, 43-26. Washburn was doubled up on turnovers with 20 while MSSU committed 10.
   
The teams were tied at halftime and Lekheythan Malone hit a 3-pointer to open the second half and WU led until the 15:18 mark. MSSU went up by six after that but Carter's 3-pointer gave WU a 56-55 lead at 11:01.
   
The Lions regained the lead and built it to 11 points at the 5:35 mark and Washburn never got within nine after that.
   
Eggins led the Ichabods with six assists and Mario Scott had two steals.
   
MSSU stole the ball 13 times from WU and four players reached double figures in scoring, led by 16 from Marium Price.

Ichabods continue dominance at Lee Arena
The Ichabods started the year 6-0 at home and have since gone 1-1 for a 7-1 record at home. Washburn is out-scoring opponents by an average of 84-68 in Lee Arena. The Ichabods shoot 48 percent at home compared to 42 percent on the road in away and neutral-site games.
   
Lekheythan Malone leads the Ichabods in Lee Arena with 16.8 points a game and he's shooting 56 percent in Lee. Away from home he averages 10.3 points while shooting 36 percent. Paul Byers is a 51 percent shooter in home games and he's 46 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
   
DeAndre Eggins, the fourth-leading free throw shooter in the MIAA at .787 from the line, actually shoots better on the road. He is an 84 percent shooter in away and neutral games and a 74 percent shooter at home (both home and away totals lead the team).
   
Overall, the Ichabods shoot 48 percent at home and 42 percent away from home. They are out-scored 77-78 while on the road.

Ichabods begin tough road stretch
After this brief, one-game home stand, Washburn will play its next three matches on the road. Overall, eight of the final 13 games are on the road.
   
Washburn is 1-3 in true road games this year and 1-2 in the MIAA. DeAndre Eggins leads the Ichabods with 18.7 points a game and Darnell Kimble is second with 11.5 and he leads with 7.0 rebounds. Washburn is out-shooting its opponents on the road, 40 percent to 29 percent but getting outscored by 4.6 points a game.

Chipman coached game No. 900 November 25
Head coach Bob Chipman coached his 900th game November 25 against Baker and he became the eighth coach to do so and win at least 600 games. Chipman is 655-257 (.718) in his 30th season with Washburn and overall as a coach.
   
Chipman is the second active MIAA coach to coach at least 900 games. Missouri Western's Tom Smith has coached over 940 games.

Eggins has reached double figures in nine straight games
Senior guard DeAndre Eggins is leading the team with 16.5 points a game, fourth best in the MIAA, after he has reached double figures in each of the last nine games. During that stretch he is averaging 18.2 points a game and shooting 43 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the free throw line. He has scored 20 or more points in three of those games. He set his season high with 25 points on December 17 against BYU-Hawaii in the Hoop N Surf Classic. He's also averaging 6.2 rebounds in those six games.
   
Eggins has reached double figures in 11 of the 13 games he's played this year and he's led the team in scoring in nine of the games. Washburn is 5-0 when he scores at least 20 points.
   
Eggins leads Washburn and is fifth in the MIAA shooting .785 from the free throw line.

Byers fourth in blocks, three away from third
Washburn senior forward Paul Byers is fourth in school history with 76 career blocks. He is three away from third and 24 away from tying former assistant coach Ewan Auguste for first in school history with 100.
   
Byers was second on the team last year as a junior with 20 blocks. He totalled 31 blocks in 2005-06, his freshman season, to lead the team and rank seventh in WU single-season history.
   
He has eight blocks this year.
   
Byers has scored in double figures in six of the 15 games this year. He set a career high December 3 against Nebraska-Omaha with 26 points as he shot 10 of 14 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He also had eight rebounds and three assists that game. He's averaging 9.6 points a game this year and shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range.
   
Byers is averaging 9.5 points a game this year and shooting 47 percent from the field. At home he's scoring 10.1 points a game and shooting 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.

Kimble remains strong in post position
Senior forward Darnell Kimble played the last two games off the bench after starting the first 13. He had eight points against the Bearcats Wednesday and 13 Saturday at Missouri Southern to give him 10.5 points a game off the bench.        
   
Kimble has 22 blocks this year and he's fourth in the MIAA with 1.5 a game. He is now tied for 11th in WU career history with 43 blocks and he's four away from 10th.
   
He is third on the team with 11.7 points a game and first with 6.3 rebounds.
   
Kimble had his first career double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds against Chaminade on December 18 in the Hoop N Surf Classic. His seven offensive rebounds and eight defensive rebounds were also career highs.
   
Kimble set four career highs November 29 against Southwestern Oklahoma in the UCO Thanksgiving Classic. He had 29 points, topping 20 for the first time in his WU career. He made 11 field goals with 17 attempts and he blocked four shots.
   
Kimble returns for his second year after finishing second on the team last year with 9.4 points a game. He led the team with 15 double-figure scoring games and scored a season-high 16 points three times. Kimble led Washburn with 21 blocks and averaged 0.75 per game. He played in 28 games with 16 starts as a junior last year after transferring from Brown Mackie CC.

Malone returns to starting lineup and scores 21 against No. 2 SBU, nine at No. 12 MSSU
Senior forward Lekheythan Malone missed his first four starts of the year and then returned to the starting lineup Wednesday against the second-ranked Bearcats. He went 8 for 16 and scored 21 points. Saturday he started against MSSU and scored nine points after going 6 of 9 from the field.
   
Malone started the first nine games for Washburn and in his 11 starts he's scoring 15.3 points a game and shooting 52 percent. Off the bench he scores 9.3 points while shooting 35 percent.
   
Malone has reached double figures in nine of the 15 games this year and Washburn is 7-2 when he does so. He has scored 20 or more points in four games this year and he had his first double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Northwest Missouri December 6. Washburn is 4-0 when he scores 20 or more.
   
Overall, Malone is second on the team with 13.7 points a game and 5.9 rebounds. He shoots 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 65 percent from the free throw line.
   
He was 8 for 9 in his Washburn debut and 5 for 5 from the 3-point line as he scored 24 points to lead the Ichabods against Colorado Christian on November 15. Malone missed his first shot against Colorado Christian and then made his next eight. He was 2 for 3 in the first half and then 6 for 6 in the second half.
   
Malone transferred this year from NCAA Division I Arkansas-Little Rock.

Scott second in the MIAA in assists
Senior guard Mario Scott leads the team and he's second in the MIAA with 4.5 assists per game. Scott is scoring 8.5 points a game and shooting 46 percent from the field. He had 11 points against FHSU and has reached double figures five times this year.
   
Scott has had at least five assists in five of his 13 games this year with a season-high nine coming twice.

About the Gorillas
Pittsburg State is 7-7 and 2-5 in the MIAA after losing two straight. Their last loss was an MIAA-tying four overtime loss against Emporia State. Carlos Taylor leads the team with 17.9 points a game, the second highest total in the league. T.J. Stukes leads the team with 8.0 rebounds a game and he has 10.7 a game during MIAA games.

Final notes on the Missouri Southern game
• Washburn leads the all-time series 43-31 after the 64th meeting between the two schools. MSSU has won five straight in the series and three straight in Joplin.
• Mario Scott, DeAndre Eggins and James Williams started at guard and Paul Byers and Lekheythan Malone started at forward. This is the second straight time they have started together and they are 1-1 when doing so.
• Washburn is now 3-2 against ranked teams this year. The Ichabods have beaten No. 2 SBU, No. 3 BYU-Hawaii and No. 21 Northwest Missouri. They lost to No. 7 Central Oklahoma and No. 12 Missouri Southern.
• The 15-point loss was the biggest deficit this year for Washburn.
• MSSU had 13 steals, the most given up by Washburn this year.

Coming up next
The Ichabods will begin a three-game road trip starting Saturday at Emporia State with a 7:30 p.m. game. Between that game and the next will be Washburn's first bye. It will also mark the halfway point of the MIAA season. Washburn is the last MIAA team to get its bye and the second bye of the season will come during the final day of the regular season.