Starting introductions
The Washburn Ichabods will travel to Pittsburg, Kan., to face the Pittsburg State Gorillas at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 in John Lance Arena. The Ichabods (10-4, 5-2 MIAA) are coming off a 67-49 win over No. 14-ranked Missouri Southern. The Gorillas (9-5, 5-3 MIAA) have won their last three games with two coming on the road including a 75-68 win at Emporia State last time out. The Ichabods will be looking for their eighth-straight win over the Gorillas dating back to the 2007-08 season.

Game Quick Facts . . .
Game No. 15 - Washburn (10-4, 5-2 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (9-5, 5-3 MIAA)
Game Notes: Washburn | Pittsburg State
Date: Jan. 11, 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Arena: John Lance Arena
Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through America One
Television: None
Live Stats: Through pittstategorillas.com
Washburn Head Coach: Bob Chipman (Kansas State, 1973) - 706-292, 33rd season
Pittsburg State Head Coach: Kevin Muff (Kansas State, 1986) - 22-18, 2nd season
Series History: WU leads 93-72
Last Meeting: WU won 72-68 in Pittsburg, 2/19/11

Ichabods on 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 706-292 (.707) overall and he has 465 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 411-77 (.840) record going 357-65 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 47-16 against the Gorillas.
Pittsburg State head Kevin Muff is in his second season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, '86) became the Gorillas' 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons. He is 22-18 overall and 0-2 against Washburn.

Last time out for the Ichabods • WU 67, #14 MSSU 49 • 1/7/12
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods defeated their third top 25-ranked team of the season in a 67-49 win over No. 14-ranked Missouri Southern in Lee Arena holding the Lions to 38 points below their season average forcing 19 turnovers in the win.
The Lions (12-3, 5-3 MIAA) were limited to five field goals in the second half as the Ichabods held the Lions to 5 of 22 shooting from the field. The Ichabods led 38-29 at the half leading by as many as 12 in the first 20 minutes at 13:21 jumping out to a 19-7 lead.
The ssecond half saw the Lions trim the lead to six at 45-39 after a free throw by Patrick Hester, but a free throws by Will McNeill and Alex North, followed by a 3-pointer by Jeff Reid and a jumper by North pushed the lead back to 13 at 52-39 with 9:13 to play in the game and the Lions would not get closer than 11 the rest of the way on a lay up by Keane Thomann. Washburn stretched its lead to as many as 19 on a 3-pointer by Mitch Allen with 21 seconds remaining.
The Ichabods never trailed in the game as the Ichabods led from start to finish in their first game in Lee Arena since Dec. 17. Washburn was outshot in the first half 52 percent to 44 percent in the opening frame.
McNeill led the Ichabods with 13 points with 10 coming in the first half. Joseph Smith recorded a career-high 12 points before fouling out. All 11 Ichabods in uniform scored.
Thomann was the only Lion to reach double figures scoring 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
Washburn finished 25 of 66 from the field hitting 38 percent overall while the Lions were 16 of 43 as the Lions were held to 18 points below their lowest offensive output of the season when they netted 67 in a loss at Missouri Western. The Lions starters were 4 of 18 from the field in the second half with Thomann going 4 of 6 by himself.
Washburn forced the Lions into 19 turnovers leading to 21 points for Washburn while the Ichabods turned the ball over a season-low seven times.    

About Pittsburg State
The Gorillas have won their last three games including the last two on the road at Lincoln and most recently at Emporia State on Jan. 7. Pitt State is 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA. Topeka native Eric Ray leads a balanced scoring attack with 12.9 ppg. JaVon McGee is scoring 12.4 ppg and Andra Bailey is putting in 11.0 ppg with a team-high 8.9 rpg. The Gorillas are averaging 74.9 ppg while allowing 71. 4 ppg and they are +6.2 on the boards.
 
Series history with Pittsburg State
Wednesday's meeting is the 166th between the two schools and Washburn leads the series, 93-72. The Ichabods have won the last seven meetings. The Ichabods are 26-2 in Lee Arena against PSU and 25-12 against the Gorillas in MIAA play. The home team is 24-7 in the last 31 regular season meetings, dating back to 1996-97. The series goes back to 1919-20 and it has been played at least once a year since 1941-42. Since the 1956-57 season, the Ichabods are 24-29 in Pittsburg while going 8-10 in Pittsburg since becoming a MIAA of the MIAA. The Ichabods have won the last three meetings played in Pittsburg including last season's 72-68 win on Feb. 19.

Last time out for Pittsburg State  • PSU 75, ESU 68
(Jan. 7, 2012) – (PSU Media Relations) EMPORIA, Kan. -- The Pitt State men's basketball team earned a tough 75-68 road win over Emporia State on Saturday night (Jan. 7) at White Auditorium. The Gorillas (9-5, 5-3 MIAA) have now won three games in a row and four of their last five.
JaVon McGee led the Gorillas with 23 points and nine rebounds. He was one of three Gorillas in double figures for the game. Eric Ray added 11 points and led the team with six assists. Marky Nolen added 15 points. He was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
As a team, the Gorillas shot 83 percent from the free throw line, and nearly one-third of their point came from the charity stripe.
Emporia State's Tola Lawal led all players with 24 points, 16 of which he scored in the second half.
With the game tied 10-10, Pitt State went on an 13-3 run lasting over eight minutes to take a 23-13 lead with 6:52 remaining in the first half. Though the Hornets scored 13 more points in the half, the Gorillas were able to remain strong offensively and bank 13 more points themselves to take a 10-point, 36-26 lead at the half.
The Hornets came out hot in the second half and were able to cut the Pitt State lead to three, 42-39, with 16:09 remaining. The two teams continued to battle, with Emporia State cutting the lead to one twice before the under 10 minute media timeout.
With 7:34 remaining, ESU's Tola Lawal hit a three to tie the game at 55-all. The two teams continued to trade points, though Pitt State's all came from the free throw line.
A three by Taylor Euler broke the tie trend and gave ESU its first lead since the first half, 60-59. It was short lived, however, as Eric Ray answered with a layup for the Gorillas. The next trip down the court Marky Nolen was fouled and hit the first of two charity shots to give the Gorillas a two-point lead, 62-60.
On the opposite end of the court, Nolen fouled Lawal as he was attempting to shoot a three, Lawal made two of his three free throws to tie the game once again, at 62-all. The teams traded shots, but strong free throw shooting down the stretch, as well as several offensive rebounds allowed the Gorillas to regain and sustain the lead.
McGee got a crucial steal with just under a minute remaining, hit a layup, was fouled and sunk the free throw to give Pitt State a 72-65 lead.

Last meeting with Pittsburg State • WU 72, PSU 68 • 2/19/11
PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Washburn used a shot clock buzzer beater with 26 seconds remaining by De'Andre Washington to propel the Ichabods to a 72-68 win in John Lance Arena on Feb. 19 in Pittsburg over the Gorillas.
The Ichabods trailed the Gorillas by six points at 50-44 with 16:13 remaining in the game before Washburn took a 51-50 lead on a lay up by Washington. The Gorillas rebounded and pushed their lead to four at 55-51 on a 3-pointer by Adrian Herrera with 10:42 to go. Washington tied the score at 55 with 8:48 to go but the Gorillas took the lead back at 57-55 on their next possession.
Jadarren Mumpfield put the Ichabods on top for good with a 3-pointer from the win at 58-57 with 7:27 to play. Washburn pushed its lead back out to six before the Gorillas cut it back to two with 4:40 to go. A lay up by Alex North after three offensive rebounds on the set put the Ichabods back up six with 3:09 to go. After the teams traded free throws, PSU cut the lead to three at 68-65 leading to Washington's jumper giving the Ichabods back the 3-point lead. Washington then was fouled after the Gorillas missed a pair of 3-pointers and hit both free throws. The Gorillas hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make the final margin four.
The Ichabods trailed entering the locker room at halftime 39-34 after leading by as many as five with 8:03 after Logan Stutz put Washburn up 24-19 with a driving lay up. A jump hook in the lane by Brandon Scaife cut the Gorilla lead to two at 34-32 with 1:38 to play before the Gorillas stretched the lead to five at the break. Eight different Ichabods scored in the first 20 minutes led by Stutz's nine points and De'Andre Washington's eight points. The Gorillas were 12 of 16 from the free throw line compared to the Ichabods' 5 of 10.
Stutz scored 17 points to lead the Ichabods with eight rebounds. Washington finished with 16 and Mumpfield scored 10. Eric Ray scored 17 to lead the Gorillas.
Washburn was 26 of 59 from the field hitting 44 percent for the game while the Gorillas were 21 of 43. The Gorillas finished 17 of 21 from the free throw line while the Ichabods were 12 of 20. Washburn out rebounded the Gorillas 37 to 25.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the ichabods
• In Washburn's wins the Ichabods are -74 in turnovers, the losses they are +9 compared to their opponents #GoodHandsTeam
• The Ichabods are 11 of 68 (.162) from 3-point range in their four losses #Ouch
• Opponents are 33 of 96 from 3-point range in Washburn's losses #DefendTheLongBall
• Washburn is +10.6 in ppg in the paint compared to its opponents #gettheballinside
• Will McNeill (20.5 ppg) and Martin Mitchell (11.3 ppg) are the only Ichabod averaging double figures in the WU losses #NeedScoringHelp
• The game against the Gorillas will be Bob Chipman's 999th game on the Ichabod bench recording a 706-292 record #winningformula
• Washburn is tied for first in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage at .391 #pressureD
• The Gorillas are 1st in the MIAA in steals per game (10.4) and the Ichabods are 2nd (9.9) #BeStrongWithTheBall
• Ichabods is second inthe MIAA in rebounding defense at 31.1 rpg #Boards
• Washburn is first in the MIAA in offensive rebounds at 13.4 rpg #SecondChances
• Will McNeill is second in the MIAA in scoring and 17th in rebounding (19.6 ppg/5.3 rpg) #HeIsAGuardPeople
• Alex North is 16th in the MIAA in rebounding at 5.6 per game #GlassMan
• Bobby Chipman is 15th in the MIAA in rebounding at 5.7 rpg #Boards
• Martin Mitchell is 10th in the MIAA in scoring #ScoringWithWill
• Will McNeill is 3rd in the MIAA in FG % at .490 (102 of 208) #SelectiveShooting
• North is 9th in the MIAA in FT percentage .795 #Pure
• Will McNeill leads the MIAA in steals at 2.9 per game #QuickHands

Ichabod Player Notes
#4  • Jared Henry  • G • 6-1 • 170 • So. • Tied career-high with 5 points against Missouri Southern
#5  • Jeff Reid  • G • 6-6 • 190 • So. • 11 off 22 from the field in the last six games
#10  • Will McNeill  • G • 6-1 • 190 • Jr. • 129 career steals 5th on all-time chart (156 - Jordan Canfield)
#11  • Kyle Wiggins  • G • 6-2 • 165 • Fr. • Seven of 13 from the field in the last five games (3.4 ppg)
#12  • Martin Mitchell  • G • 6-0 • 185 • Jr. • At least one 3-pointer in eight straight games
#14  • Christian Ulsaker  • F • 6-5 • 190 • Fr. • Season-high 8 field goal attempts against MSSU scoring seven points
#15  • Mitch Allen  • G • 5-9 • 165 • Jr. • 16 of 17 field goal attempts have been from 3-point range
#20  • Bobby Chipman  • F • 6-8 • 210 • Jr. • Seven rebounds tied for team lead against MSSU
#21  • Joseph Smith  • F • 6-9 • 235 • Jr. • Career-high 12 points against MSSU last time out
#22  • Alex North  • F • 6-6 • 210 • So. • Eleven of 23 from field in last four games (10.2 ppg)
#24  • Zack Riggins  • F • 6-6 • 230 • RS-Jr. • Three blocks in the last three games

Ichabod Basketball HIstory
Washburn is 1,414-978 (.590 in 2,392 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 465-208 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 357-65 (.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
After facing the Gorillas, the Ichabods will return home to face Emporia State on Jan. 14 in the Turnpike Tussle in Lee Arena before hitting the road again to play at Lincoln on Jan. 18 wrapping up the first half of the MIAA season.