Starting introductions
Following a two-week holiday break, the Ichabods will return to the court in a New Year's Eve road contest against Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo. at 3:30 p.m. Washburn (8-3, 3-1 MIAA) has won its last three games including a 79-55 win over Missouri Western last time out. Overall the Ichabods have won seven of  their last eight games. The Mules (7-3, 3-2 MIAA) are coming off a 66-57 win at Pittsburg State on Dec. 18. Following the game with the Mules, the Ichabods will return to the road to face Southwest Baptist on Jan. 3 in Bolivar before returning home to take on Missouri Southern on Jan. 7.

Game Quick Facts . . .
Game No. 12 - Washburn (8-3, 3-1 MIAA) at Central Missouri (7-3, 3-2 MIAA)
Game Notes: Washburn | Central Missouri
Date: Dec. 31, 2011
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Warrensburg, Mo.
Arena: UCM Multipurpose Building
Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through America One
Television: None
Live Stats: Through UCM athletics
Washburn Head Coach: Bob Chipman (Kansas State, 1973) - 704-291, 33rd season
Cental Missouri Head Coach: Kim Anderson (Missouri, 1979) - 605-433, 35th season
Series History: UCM leads 47-43
Last Meeting: UCM won 65-61 on Feb. 9, 2011 in Warrensburg

Ichabods on the radio
Washburn basketball games can be heard live on KTPK 106.9 FM. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.wusports.com by following the “Live Audio” link on the basketball schedule page. Mark Elliott will have the call on the radio with Jake Lebahn providing color commentary.

The coaches
Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman is in his 33rd season at the helm of the Ichabod basketball program. Chipman is 704-291 (.707) overall and he has 463 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA - the most of any teams in the league since the 1991-92 season. Chipman has led the Ichabods to the MIAA Tournament 19 times collecting an all-time league-best 29 wins going 29-16 with a .675 winning percentage during tournament play. In home games, Chipman has amassed a home record of 410-77 (.840) record going 356-65 in Lee Arena and 54-12 in Whiting Fieldhouse. Chipman is 11th amongst all NCAA II coaches in winning percentage who have coached at least 10 seasons. Among that group, he is second in all-time coaching victories in active coaches in career victories. Among all coaches who have at least 10 years experience in DII, he is 25th in winning percentage and seventh in victories. At Washburn he has led the Ichabods to 11 conference regular season titles (9 MIAA), 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1987 NAIA National Championship. Chipman is 25-22 against the Mules.
Central Missouri head Kim Anderson is in his 10th year as head coach at Central Missouri. Anderson (Missouri, '79) has guided the Mules to a 210-77 (.730) record.

Last time out for the Ichabods • WU 79, MWSU 55 • 12/17/11
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods forced 17 first half turnovers and held Missouri Western to seven first half field goals as the ichabods won their third straight game and for the seventh time in the last eight games in a 79-55 win over the Griffons.
The Ichabods led from start to finish in the game as Washburn (8-3, 3-1 MIAA) came out hitting 14 of 30 shots in the opening stanza while the Griffons coughed up the ball 17 times leading to 24 points off turnovers. Washburn's Will McNeill scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the halftime horn staking the Ichabods to a 40-24 lead at the break. The difference for the the Ichabods in the first half was a 21-2 run puthsing the score from 11-10 with 11 minutes left in the half to a 32-12 lead with 4:05 to play in the frame.
In the second half, the Griffons (6-5, 1-4 MIAA) came out and cut the lead to six at 42-36 going on a 12-2 runo ver the first 3:40 of the half, but the Ichabods pushed the led back to 11 before the Griffons again cut the lead to seven at 47-40 with 14:07 to play in the game. However the Ichabods used a 19-5 run to stretch the lead to 18 and eventually to as many as the final margin of 24 in the win.
Alex North and McNeill tied for game-high honors with 20 points each. Martin Mitchell scored 14 points. Bobby Chipman had a game-high seven rebounds tying career highs with four assists and three blocks.
Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe led the Griffons with 12 points, going a perfect 4-4 from the 3-point line.
Washburn recorded 38 points off of Missouri Western turnovers while recording 16 steals in the game.  

About Central Missouri
The Mules are 7-3 and 3-2 in the MIAA after topping Pittsburg State on the road last time out on Dec. 18. Central Missouri has three players averaging in double figures in junior guard Widgett Washington (14.5 ppg), senior forward Dominique Long (11.7 ppg) and senior forward Boo Hunter (10.8 ppg). Junior forward Matt Webb is averaging 9.6 ppg along with Yavario Smith. The Mules are 6-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against Missouri Southern 72-64 on Dec. 3. The Mules' other MIAA loss came against Emporia State in overtime falling 74-72. The Mules are averaging 80.0 ppg while allowing 64.8 ppg. The Mules have shot 74 more free throws than their opponents this season making 52 more.
 
Series history with Central Missouri
The New Year's Eve afternoon battle will be the 91st between these two teams and UCM leads the all-time series 47-43. The Ichabods snapped a Mules five-game winning streak in the MIAA quarterfinal match up last season. The Ichabods are 5-1 against Central Missouri in the MIAA Tournament. Washburn is 17-7 against UCM in Lee Arena and 20-19 in MIAA games. In road MIAA games played in Warrensburg, the Ichabods are 7-13. The Ichabods have lost eight straight games played in UCM's Multipurpose Building not winning since a 74-68 win on Feb. 15, 2003. The last four losses have been by six, eight, five and four points. In those last four road losses at Central Missouri, the Mules have had 106 free throw attempts compared to the Ichabods' 61.

Last time out for Central Missouri • UCM 65, PSU 57
(Dec. 18, 2011) – (UCM Media Relations) The Central Missouri Mules used good defense and some hot second half shooting to down Pittsburg State 65-57 on Sunday night at John Lance Arena. UCM shot 71 percent in the second half, while holding the Gorillas to 36 percent shooting.
Both teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the first half with the Mules (7-3, 3-2 MIAA) grabbing a 5-4 lead at the 17:30 mark behind five points from Will Kirksey. Pittsburg State (6-5, 2-3 MIAA) regained the lead on a Drake Green layup sparking a 6-0 run for PSU.
After Central Missouri had cut the lead to three at 14-11 the Gorillas went on a 7-0 run to open a 10-point advantage thanks to some sloppy play by the Mules. UCM committed 11 first half turnovers, including nine in the first 12 minutes of the game.
The lead was still 10 at 23-13 with 5:10 to play in the half, but the Mules closed the half on a 9-4 run to trail 27-22 at the intermission.
The second half got off to a bizarre start with Central Missouri being whistled for a foul before any time ticked off the clock and three total fouls in the first 15 seconds of the second half. The Gorillas capitalized and a three by Eric Ray gave PSU a 30-22 lead at the 18:25 mark.
The Mules began to chip into the lead and cut the deficit to one at 35-34 on a steal and layup by Lance Beckwith. The Gorillas pushed the lead back to six on a trey by Courtney Ingram, but the Mules responded with an 11-0 run to grab a 47-42 lead with 7:44 left in the game. Matt Webb started the run with a layup and Widgett Washington and Dominique Longfinished it by combining for nine straight points.
Central Missouri extended the lead to seven at 52-45 with 6:25 to play in the game, but five quick points by the Gorillas made it a two-point game with just over five minutes remaining. The teams traded buckets on the next few possessions with Webb's jumper at the 2:13 mark putting UCM up 58-54. The Mules made three out of four at the foul line to extend the lead to 61-55 with 47 seconds left and Yavario Smith and Boo Hunter each drained a pair of free throws to ice the game down the stretch.
After committing 11 first half turnovers, the Mules had just two in the second half and made 15-of-21 from the field for 71.4 percent. For the game, UCM shot 50 percent, 23-of-46, and 18-of-25 from the charity stripe for 72 percent. The Mules were just 1-of-6 from behind the arc.
Long led the Mules with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 5-of-5 from the foul line. Beckwith added 12 points and a team-high six assists. Washington finished with nine points while Long and Webb each had five rebounds.
Central Missouri held the Gorillas to 35.7 percent shooting, 20-of-56, and 5-of-25 from beyond the arc for 20 percent. PSU was 12-of-21 from the foul line for 57.1 percent and the Gorillas committed 17 turnovers.
Ingram led Pittsburg State with 18 points and Andra Bailey had 12.
The Gorillas out-rebounded UCM 37-29 including 15 offensive rebounds and had 16 assists to 11 for the Mules.

Last meeting with Central Missouri • UCM 65, WU 61 • 2/9/11
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabods were held scoreless the final 4:07 of the game while missing their final four free throws down the stretch in a 65-61 loss at Central Missouri.
Washburn (13-7, 10-6 MIAA) held a four point lead at 61-57 after a 3-pointer by De'Andre Washington. Following an Ichabod steal by Jadarren Mumpfield, Washburn went to the line after a Mule foul, but came up empty on two free throw attempts. The Mules (15-8, 10-7 MIAA) pulled within two at 61-59 after a pair of free throws by Tyrone Young with 2:24 to go. The Ichabods turned it over on their next possession and the Mules knotted the score at 61 on a lay up by Boo Hunter with 1:40 to go. A jumper by Young put Central up 63-61 with 1:01 gave the Mules the lead for good as the Ichabods missed their final three field goal attempts.
The Ichabods fell behind 7-0 to start the game before coming back to take a 32-30 lead into the halftime locker room after closing the opening half on a 15-3 run as Washington scored 12 points in the first twenty minutes.
Washington led the Ichabods with 20 points and Mumpfield finished with 11. Bobby Chipman scored 10 making his first start of the season in place of Jeff Reid who was hampered by an injury only playing three minutes.
Joel Barkers led the Mules with 16 points and Hunter finished with 14 while Reggie Stallings scored 10.
The Ichabods were 0 of 3 from the free throw line in the first half and finished 2 of 8 from the charity stripe in the loss. Central Missouri was 12 of 17 from the line in the win. From the field, Washburn was 24 of 65 for 37 percent while the Mules connected on 24 of 48 shots. The Ichabods did hit 11 3-point field goals compared to five for Central Missouri.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the ichabods
• Washburn is allowing 25.6 ppg in the 1st half of games, 36.3 in the 2nd half #DoNotLetUp
• In Washburn's wins the Ichabods are -46 in turnovers, the losses they are +9 compared to their opponents #GoodHandsTeam
• The Ichabods are 5 of 51 (.098) from 3-point range in their three losses #Ouch
• Washburn is +12.3 in ppg in the paint compared to its opponents #gettheballinside
• Will McNeill is the only Ichabod averaging double figures (18.0 ppg) in the WU losses
• The game against the Mules will be Bob Chipman's 996th game on the Ichabod bench recording a 704-291 record #winningformula
• Washburn is tied for the MIAA lead in defensive field goal percentage at .391  with Central Missouri #DefensiveBattleUpcoming
• Ichabods are leading the MIAA in rebounding defense at 31.4 rpg #Boards
• Washburn is leading the MIAA in rebounding margin at +6.5 #Windex
• Washburn is first in the MIAA in offensive rebounds at 13.4 rpg #SecondChances
• Will McNeill is third in the MIAA in scoring and 13th in rebounding (19.2 ppg/5.9 rpg) #HeIsAGuardPeople
• Alex North is 9 of 9 in FT's in the final 5 minutes of games #Clutch
• North is also 13th in the MIAA in rebounding #GlassMan
• Bobby Chipman is 10th in the MIAA in rebounding #Boards
• North is seventh in the MIAA in FT percentage (30-25/.833) #Pure
• Will McNeill leads the MIAA in steals at 2.5 per game #QuickHands
• Martin Mitchell is averaging 14.8 ppg in MIAA play and 12.7 in the 11 games overall #PickingUpThePace

Ichabod Player Notes
#4  • Jared Henry  • G • 6-1 • 170 • So. • Season high 12 minutes and 5 points against MWSU last game
#5  • Jeff Reid  • G • 6-6 • 190 • So. • Tied season with with 21 minutes scoring 5 points against Griffons
#10  • Will McNeill  • G • 6-1 • 190 • Jr. • Scored at least 12 points in every game this season
#11  • Kyle Wiggins  • G • 6-2 • 165 • Fr. • Six of eight from the field in the last two games (7.5 ppg)
#12  • Martin Mitchell  • G • 6-0 • 185 • Jr. • 21 of 36 from the field in the last four games (14.8 ppg)
#14  • Christian Ulsaker  • F • 6-5 • 190 • Fr. • Three rebounds in the last two games
#15  • Mitch Allen  • G • 5-9 • 165 • Jr. • 13 of 14 field goal attempts have been from 3-point range
#20  • Bobby Chipman  • F • 6-8 • 210 • Jr. • Season high four offensive rebounds (7 total) against Griffons
#21  • Joseph Smith  • F • 6-9 • 235 • Jr. • Season-high six rebounds against Griffons in third start of season
#22  • Alex North  • F • 6-6 • 210 • So. • Recorded 20 points on 5 of 6 shooting and 8 of 11 FT's vs Griffons
#24  • Zack Riggins  • F • 6-6 • 230 • RS-Jr. • Had flu bug playing only eight minutes against Griffons last game

Ichabod Basketball HIstory
Washburn is 1,412-977 (.590 in 2,389 games) in its 106th season of intercollegiate action. The Ichabods are the 10th-winningest team in NCAA Division II history and the 26th winningest team this decade. The Ichabods are 463-207 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most since the 1989-90 season in the MIAA.

Home sweet home . . . the Ichabods in Lee Arena
The Ichabods are 356-65 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena - the 28th season of play. The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.

Up Next
Up next Washburn will have another road contest at Southwest Baptist on Jan. 3 before facing Missouri Southern in Topeka on Jan. 7 in Lee Arena.