Game 15 Washburn Ichabods (9-5, 5-2 MIAA/t-2nd) at No. 12 Missouri Southern (14-2, 4-2 MIAA/t-4rd) Saturday, January 10, 2009 7:30 p.m. Where: Joplin, Mo. Arena: Leggett & Platt Athletic Center Capacity: 3,240 Rankings: MSSU No. 12 in January 6 NABC poll Series Record: WU leads 43-20 Last Meeting: MSSU 65-56 on 02/06/08 (A) Last WU win: 82-75 on 02/04/06 (H) WU Coach Bob Chipman: 655-256 (.719) in his 30th season at WU and overall MSSU Coach Robert Corn: 305-249 (.551) in 19th season at MSSU and overall Complete Notes in PDF

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Ichabods head to No. 12 Missouri Southern for another MIAA showdown
The Ichabods will take on their second straight ranked opponent as they travel to No. 12 Missouri Southern Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Ichabods are 3-1 against ranked teams this year, winning their last three.
   
Washburn improved to 9-5 overall and 5-2 in the MIAA with a win Wednesday against second-ranked Southwest Baptist while the Lions dropped to 14-2 and 4-2 in the league with a loss at Emporia State.
   
Washburn is tied for second in the MIAA with ESU while MSSU is in a three-way tie for fourth. SBU leads the league at 5-1.
   
DeAndre Eggins leads Washburn and he's fourth in the MIAA with 16.5 points a game and in his two away games he scored 40 points. Missouri Southern is led by Vincent Ateba with 14.2 points a game, 12th best in the MIAA.
   
The Ichabods lead the all-time series against MSSU, 43-30 but the Lions have won four straight in the series and two straight in Joplin.

Ichabods vs Lions Last Time Out
Missouri Southern 65, Washburn 56
Turnovers plague Ichabods in loss at Missouri Southern
February 6, 2008
JOPLIN, Mo. - The Ichabods turned the ball over a season-high 28 times and trailed the entire second half in a 65-56 loss at Missouri Southern.
   
Darnell Kimble led the Ichabods with 16 points off the bench. He was 7 of 13 from the field with five rebounds. Andrew Meile also reached double figures with 11 points and Paul Byers had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.
   
Washburn scored first and led three times in the early portion of the game, but the Ichabods never led by more than three. A lay-up by Pat Monroe at 12:19 gave the Lions a 10-9 lead and they maintained that lead the rest of the game.
   
The Ichabods kept the deficit under 10 points for all of the half until MSSU went on a 6-0 run to end the half. The Ichabods were scoreless after Kimble made a pair of free throws with 2:17 remaining and Tony Webb's 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half capped the 6-0 run and gave the Lions a 31-21 lead going into the locker room.
   
Washburn opened the second half on a 4-0 run to pull within six, but the Ichabods never got any closer. Missouri Southern built its biggest lead, 15 points, at the 15:57 mark when Vincent Ateba hit a jumper. A quick 7-0 run by WU got the lead back down to eight but the Lions got it back up to double digits and kept it there for most of the game until the closing minutes.
   
Washburn out-shot MSSU from the field 49 percent to 45 percent and both teams scored just five 3-pointers. The Lions got to the free throw line 22 times and made 12 shots while WU was just 5 of 10 from the line. The Lions also scored 32 points off Washburn's 28 turnovers.
   
Mario Scott led Washburn with six assists while Kimble led with two blocks. Webb led the Lions with 21 points and Ateba added 11.

Missouri Southern State Series History
• This is the 64th meeting between these two schools in a series that dates back to 1968-69. Washburn leads the all-time series, 43-30.
• The Lions have won four straight in the series and two straight in Joplin.
• Washburn is 20-8 in MIAA games against the Lions and 9-7 on the road against MSSU since joining the league in 1989-90.
• The two teams have met at least once a year since 1976-77.
• WU coach Bob Chipman is 36-16 against Missouri Southern and 23-11 against MSSU coach Robert Corn.

Washburn's Last Time Out
Washburn 83, No. 2 Southwest Baptist 72
Solid effort leads Ichabods to win over No. 2 Southwest Baptist
January 7, 2009
Lekheythan Malone had 21 points and DeAndre Eggins had his first double-double at Washburn as the Ichabods beat second-rated Southwest Baptist, 83-72 Wednesday night, handing the Bearcats their first loss of the season and giving the Ichabods their second win against a top-10 team this year.
   
Malone was 8 for 16 from the field with seven rebounds and three steals and Eggins had his first double-double as an Ichabod with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Covier Carter had a career-high 14 points off a 3-for-6 effort from the field and a 7-of-8 effort from the free throw line.
   
After a 2-2 tie to open the game the Ichabods went on an 8-0 run and extended that to a 14-1 run to lead 16-3 at the 14:23 mark. The Bearcats got within seven points at 4:56 and then within three at 2:44 when Ryan Dougherty hit a 3-pointer. Steve Feighny later made a pair of free throws to give WU at five-point halftime lead.
   
SBU led twice early in the second half, both times by one point and then Malone's dunk with 14:52 put Washburn up for good, 42-41. A 3-pointer by Carter at 10:21 made it a 10-point game before the Bearcats clawed back within five with 8:16 remaining.
   
Carter made four straight free throws near the 2:00 mark and then a lay-up by Paul Byers with 1:14 gave the Ichabods a 15-point lead.
   
Washburn shot 44 percent from the field and SBU shot 40 percent. The Ichabods made their first 10 free throws and ended up 70 percent from the line (19 of 27) while SBU was 63 percent (19-30).
   
Washburn won the rebound battle, 46-35 and committed one fewer turnovers, 18-19.
   
James Williams led Washburn with five assists, Mario Scott had four and Malone's three steals led the team.
   
Matt Rogers, the MIAA's leading scorer and the nation's leading shot blocker, had 17 points and a block. His point total led his team, as did his nine rebounds.

Ichabods begin tough road stretch
Washburn will play four of its next five matches on the road. After a game away and then at home, WU will play three straight on the road. Overall, eight of the final 13 games are on the road.
   
Washburn is 1-2 in true road games this year and 1-1 in the MIAA. In two away games this year, DeAndre Eggins leads the Ichabods with 40 points and 20.0 per game. Darnell Kimble is scoring 11.0 and Mario Scott has 10.3 a game.

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.

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 655-256 (.719) 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 each of last eight 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 eight games. During that stretch he is averaging 18.5 points a game and shooting 45 percent from the field, 42 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 10 of the 12 games he's played this year and he's led the team in scoring in eight of the games. Washburn is 5-0 when he scores at least 20 points.
   
Eggins leads Washburn and is fourth in the MIAA shooting .787 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 14 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 leads the Ichabods in MIAA games with a .464 field goal percentage. 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 his first game off the bench Wednesday against Southwest Baptist this year after starting the first 13. He had eight points against the Bearcats off a 5 of 6 effort with five rebounds.        
   
Kimble has 21 blocks this year and he's third in the MIAA with 1.5 a game. He is now 12th in WU career history with 42 blocks and he's four away from 10th.
   
He is third on the team with 11.6 points a game and first with 6.4 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 Bearcats
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.
   
Malone started the first nine games for Washburn and in his 10 starts he's scoring 15.9 points a game and shooting 53 percent. Off the bench he scores 9.3 points while shooting 35 percent.
   
Malone has reached double figures in nine of the 14 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 14.0 points a game and 5.9 rebounds. He shoots 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 67 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 4.8 assists per game. Scott is scoring 9.1 points a game and shooting 48 percent from the field. He had 11 points last Wednesday against FHSU and has reached double figures five times this year.
   
Scott has had at least five assists in five of his 12 games this year with a season-high nine coming twice.

About the Lions
Missouri Southern started the year 12-0 but has since gone 2-2. The Lions are 14-2 overall and are in a three-way tie for fourth in the MIAA at 4-2. In their latest action they lost at Emporia State Wednesday. Vincent Ateba leads the Lions with 14.3 points a game and 6.4 rebounds. He is 12th in the MIAA in scoring and sixth in rebounding. His .594 field goal percentage is second best in the MIAA and Skyler Bowlin's .840 free throw percentage is second in the league.

Final notes on the Southwest Baptist game
• Washburn improved to 27-13 in the 40th meeting against SBU in series history. The Ichabods are 15-3 against SBU in Lee Arena.
• Mario Scott, DeAndre Eggins and James Williams started at guard and Paul Byers and Lekheythan Malone started at forward. This is the first time this combination has been used.
• The Bearcats still lead the MIAA at 5-1. Washburn and MSSU are second at 5-2 and three teams are 4-2.
• Malone is averaging 15.9 points a game in his 10 starts and 9.3 in his four off the bench. He shoots 53 percent as a starter and 36 percent off the bench
• Washburn is now 3-1 against ranked teams this year. The Ichabods have beaten No. 2 SBU, No. 3 BYU-Hawaii and No. 21 Northwest Missouri.
• DeAndre Eggins had his first double-double at Washburn with 14 points and 10 rebounds. His rebound total was a career high. He has now scored in double figures in eight straight games.
• Lekheythan Malone had his fourth 20-plus point game and WU improved to 4-0 when he reaches that total.
• Covier Carter had his first double-figure scoring game at WU with 14 points, a career high. He also set a high with his seven free throws. His previous high was four points on December 29 at Missouri Western.
• SBU lost for the first time this year after starting 12-0 and 5-0 in the MIAA. The Bearcats were one of five teams undefeated through January 4 in NCAA II.

Coming up next
The Ichabods will return home Wednesday to host Pittsburg State at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Arena. After that WU will play three straight on the road. Washburn is 23-2 against PSU in Lee Arena