Tweet #wusports

Pregame
The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods will get their first true road test of the season when they will face St. Mary's (2-0) in the opening round of the Rattler Invitational in San Antonio, Texas on Nov. 23. Washburn (3-0) will then face Minnesota Duluth (1-1) on the second night of the event before returning home to take on Bellevue on Dec. 1. The Ichabods are coming off a 74-56 win over Rockhurst in Kansas City last time out. St. Mary's beat Concordia 69-66 on Nov. 19 and the Bulldogs topped Michigan Tech in their last game on Nov. 17 winning 70-58.

Opening Tip #1 - St. Mary's . . .
Game Notes: Washburn | St. Mary's
Date: Nov. 23, 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Arena: Bill Greehey Arena (3,800)
Radio: 94.5 WIBW FM
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through St. Mary's (Video)
Television: None
Live Stats: Through St. Mary's (Stats)
Twitter Updates: twitter.com/wusports
Series: WU leads 3-0

Opening Tip #2 - Minnesota Duluth. . .
Game Notes: Washburn | Minnesota Duluth
Date: Nov. 24, 2012
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Arena: Bill Greehey Arena (3,800)
Radio: AM 580 WIBW
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: None
Television: None
Live Stats: Through St. Mary's (Stats)
Twitter Updates: twitter.com/wusports
Series: WU leads 1-0

'Bod Quick notes
• This is the 107th season of Ichabod basketball.
• The Ichabods are ranked No. 2 in the NABC top 25 coaches poll and the coaches pick to win the MIAA this season.
• The Ichabods have not trailed at all this season in any of their three games.
• The Ichabods and St. Mary have not played since Dec. 18, 2007 with the Ichabods winning 77-75 in San Antonio. The other two meetings were played on neutral courts in the series.
• Washburn and Minnesota Duluth have played only once and the Ichabods won 59-55 on March 14, 1989 in Kansas City in the second round of the NAIA National Championship tournament in Kemper Arena.

Ichabods on radio
Washburn games from Texas will be broadcast on 94.5 FM on Friday night and on Saturday night the game will be carried on AM 580. Jake Lebahn will be handling the play by play duties both nights. Both nights will also be streamed live on the wusports.com website by following the listen live links on the men's basketball schedule page.

The coaches
Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman
• He is in his 34th season at the helm of the Ichabods.
• Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman is a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.
• He is 724-296 overall.
• He has 483 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA, the most of any conference school since the 1989-90 season.
• Has led the Ichabods to 12 MIAA regular season titles and a MIAA-coaching tops of five postseason tournament championships.
• He has led the Ichabods to 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances.
• In home games, he is 419-77 going 365-66 in Lee Arena.
• He is second in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.
• His 724 coaching wins is 25th in all-time NCAA coaches at all levels.
• He led the Ichabods to the 1987 NAIA National Championship and a 2001 NCAA National game, which was later vacated by Kentucky Wesleyan.
• Chipman played for legendary coach Jack Hartman earning two letters.
• He is 3-0 against St. Mary's and 1-0 against Minnesota Duluth.

St. Mary's head coach Jim Zeleznak . . .
• is in his eighth season as the head men's basketball coach at St. Mary's University after serving as the assistant coach to legendary coach Buddy Meyer for 27 years.
• has recorded a 120-68 overall record.

Minnesota Duluth head coach Matt Bowen . . .
• Matt Bowen, is the reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Coach of the Year, officially signed on as the new University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball head coach on May 4, 2012.
• He became the 16th head coach in the 82-year history of the Bulldog program and just the third since the 1984-85 season.
• He succeeded Gary Holquist, who stepped last April after 14 seasons to take over as UMD's Athletic Development Director.
• He led Bemidji State last season to a 22-9 overall record winning the NSIC title after they were picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll.
• He is 1-1 in his first season as the Bulldogs' head coach and 65-103 in his eighth season overall as a head coach.

Last time out for the Ichabods • #2 Washburn 74, Rockhurst 56 • 11/20/12
 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The No. 2 Washburn Ichabods led from start to finish for the third-straight game picking up 74-56 win over Rockhurst in the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
 Both team shot over 46 percent in the first half as the Ichabods hit 14 of 30 shots from the field compared to 9 of 19 by the Hawks but the Ichabods forced Rockhurst into 15 first half turnovers leading to 20 points. Washburn also had a 20 to 13 advantage on the glass including 11 offensive rebounds.
 The Ichabods led by five at 26-21 with 3:47 to play in the opening stanza, but Washburn finished the half on a 14-2 run taking a 40-23 lead into the break.
 In the second half the Ichabods led the Hawks by no less than 15 points and would lead by as many as 24 before taking the 18-point win.
 Will McNeill led the Ichabods with 21 points going 8 of 12 from the field with seven rebounds and four steals. Kyle Wiggins scored 15 making his first start of the season and Christian Ulsaker scored 10 points off the bench. Bobby Chipman led the Ichabods with eight rebounds adding eight points.
 James Robinson scored 12 points to lead Rockhurst.
 The Hawks outshot the Ichabods from the field finishing 22 of 45 at 49 percent while the Ichabods were 26 of 57 for a 46 percent average. Washburn did force the Hawks into 23 turnovers leading to 25 Ichabod points. Washburn finished with a 36 to 29 advantage in rebounds collecting 17 offensive rebounds.
 
Series history with St. Mary's
• Friday's meeting will be the fourth in the all-time series and Washburn leads 3-0.
• The teams have not played since the Ichabods beat St. Mary's 77-75 in San Antonio on Dec. 18, 2007.
• Washburn also won 79-71 on De. 19, 2003 in Las Vegas and 81-70 on March 13, 2004 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Stephenville, Texas.

About St. Mary's
• St. Mary's is 2-0 this season with wins over Incarnate Word (94-87 on Nov. 14) and Concordia (69-66 on Nov. 19).
• The Rattler's return three starters off last season's 19-9 team.
• Kevin Kotzur (19.5 ppg) and Daryell Taylor (18.5 ppg) lead the team in scoring.
• Kotzur also leads with 10.5 rpg.

Last Time out for St. Mary's
 SAN ANTONIO — It wasn't easy — nor was it always pretty — but the St. Mary's men's basketball team got past Concordia (Texas) on Monday.
With their outside shot having fallen ice cold, the Rattlers turned to their familiar force down in the paint, as center Kevin Kotzur had 26 points and 11 rebounds to fuel a 69-66 win over the Tornados in the Rattlers' home opener.
A pair of missed free throws in the final seconds left Concordia with a chance to tie it at the end of regulation, but they were unable to get off a shot after in-bounding the ball with about three seconds left before 527 fans at Bill Greehey Arena.
Early on, it never looked like it would be that close late. St. Mary's (2-0) took a 17-point lead with 2:29 left in the first half, but Concordia chipped it down to nine at the break.
With the Rattlers unable to hit from outside, going 0 for 7 less than a week after setting a program-record in single-game 3-point shooting percentage in an 11-for-15 effort against Incarnate Word, St. Mary's struggled to put away the Tornados. The Rattlers also committed 23 turnovers, adding to their frustration against a Concordia team that forced the issue defensively under coach Stan Bonewitz, the son of St. Mary's Hall of Fame basketball/baseball player Stan Bonewitz.
Still, coach Jim Zeleznak's squad found a way to prevail. Kotzur (Sr., La Vernia, Texas) posted his second double-double in as many games and moved five points away from matching Anthony Houston (1,498 points) for the No. 7 spot on St. Mary's all-time scoring chart. He also shot 10 for 11 from the floor — but he didn't do it alone. Fred Wilson (Jr., Seattle) hit double figures for the first time as a Rattler with 11 points, while Daryell Taylor (Sr., Houston), the reigning Heartland Conference Player of the Week, added 10. Brad Hubenak (Sr., Kennesdale, Texas) also pitched in eight key points off the bench.

Last meeting with St. Mary's
(Dec. 18, 2007) SAN ANTONIO – The Ichabods held the lead for most of the game and then nearly let it slip away before holding on for a 77-75 win over St. Mary's in the final game of the River City Classic Tuesday night.
No. 25 Washburn goes into the holiday break 8-1 and a winner of eight straight. The Ichabods will resume action January 2 in their MIAA opener at Missouri Western.
Brady Sisk was 5 of 5 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line for a team-high 17 points. Mario Scott, Angel Santiago and Grant Hargett also broke double figures with 12 points each.
The Ichabods shot 50 percent on the night, making at least half of their shots for the third straight game. They were 61 percent in the opening half but cooled down with just a 38 percent effort in the second half. They were 50 percent from 3-point range and 69 percent from the free throw line on the night.
Sisk and Paul Byers led the Ichabods with six rebounds each and Santiago had a team-high six assists.
After breaking an 8-8 tie with a jumper from Grant Hargett at 14:49, the Ichabods led the rest of the way. They built a double-digit lead in the final minutes of the opening half and then went into halftime up 12 at 48-36.
A three-point play from James Williams gave WU its biggest lead of the night at 15, 2:32 into the next half. The Rattlers cut it down to six at 60-54 at 9:56 and then down to four near the five minute mark. They made it a three-point game at 72-69 with 1:52 to play but Santiago answered with a 3-pointer.
Rod Bellard hit a 3 and was fouled. He made the free throw and the four-point  play cut the lead to two. With just 11 seconds on the clock on WU's next possession, Meile was fouled and he made both his free throws to give WU a four-point lead again. The Rattlers then hit a harmless jumper at the buzzer.

Series history with Minnesota Duluth
• The teams have only met once and not since an NAIA National Tournament second round game in Kansas City on March 14, 1989 with the Ichabods taking the win 59-55.

About Minnesota Duluth
• The Bulldogs are 1-1 this season winning 70-58 topping Michigan Tech.
• Jake Hottenstine leads the team with 17.0 ppg and Brett Ervin is scoring 16.0 ppg.
• They are averaging 65.6 ppg while allowing 62.6 ppg.
• 15 of their 46 field goals are 3-pointers this season.

Last time out for Minnesota Duluth
Junior center Brett Ervin paved the way with 20 points for the University of Minnesota Duluth Saturday, as the host Bulldogs (1-1 overall) defeated Michigan Tech University (1-2), 70-58, giving Matt Bowen his first UMD head coaching victory
UMD, which led wire-to-wire, jumped ahead of the Huskies early with an 18-4 run to start the game. The Bulldogs hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot a combined 52 percent from the field.  They also held the Huskies to 31 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes and built a 36-26 lead at the break.
The UMD advantage remained stubborn in the second half, but Michigan Tech did cut the lead to three just inside the 10-minute mark.  A flurry of UMD baskets, however, restored the double-digit lead and ended all hope for the Huskies.  Senior guard Jake Hottenstine contributed six of his 12 points in the second half, helping keep Michigan Tech out of reach. The Bulldogs hit their free throws down the stretch, preserving their first win of the young 2012-13 season.

Bod bits
• Will McNeill was named a preseason All-American by the Basketball Times. He is the first Ichabod to receive preseason All-American honors since Travis Robbins prior to the 2004-05 season.
• The Ichabods have not trailed this season in any of their three games.
• The Ichabods are +9.3 on the boards this season in two games.
• Three different Ichabods set or tied career-highs in points against Bethany (Dalton Abel, Martin Mitchell and Leon Flowers).
• The three freshman on the Ichabod roster (Khai Hutchinson, Evan Robinson and Colton Anderson) are all redshirting this season.
• Zack Riggins had a career-high three steals against Rockhurst.
• Making his first start in place of the injured Alex North, Kyle Wiggins scored a career-high 15 points going 6 of 10 from the field hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts in 25 minutes of play.
• Washburn's all-time steals leader had four steals in a game for the 15th time in his career against Rockhurst.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the Ichabods
• The Ichabods led for 39:43 of the game against Rockhurst, 39:49 of the game against Bethany, 39:40 of the game against Peru State in their three games this season #Domination
• That translates to 98.3 percent of the season #MathFact
• Will McNeill is 11th on all-time scoring chart with 1,212 points #Buckets
• He needs four points to pass Jemi Johnson for 10th #TopTen
• Bobby Chipman's 184 3-point attempts is 25th in school history #FromWayDowntown
• Will McNeill's 332 free throw attempts is sixth at Washburn #GetToTheLine
• He needs seven to pass Ryan Murphy for fifth on the list #GoodCompany
• Will McNeill's 175 career steals is first at Washburn #NoBodyInFrontOfHim
• The MIAA record for career steals is 383 by Eddin Santiago #FastHands

Ichabod Basketball HIstory
• Washburn is 1,434-969-2 all-time in 2,405 games played
• The 2012-13 season is Washburn's 107th of basketball.
• Washburn is the ninth-winningest program in NCAA Division II history.
• The Ichabods are 483-212 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most wins by any program in the MIAA since the 1989-90 season.
• Washburn has won ten MIAA regular season championships and 21 conference championships in school history.
• The Ichabods previously won the MIAA regular season championship in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2012.

Home sweet home
• The Ichabods are 366-66 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2012-13 season marks the 28th season of play in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.

Up Next
The Ichabods will return home to face Bellevue on Dec. 1 and then open MIAA play on Dec. 6 against Southwest Baptist in Topeka.