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Starting introductions
The Washburn Ichabods will be in search of their sixth-straight win on Wednesday night in Joplin, Mo., when they will face the Missouri Southern Lions at 7:30 p.m. in the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. Washburn (18-6,12-4 MIAA) is coming off a 67-65 win over Southwest Baptist while the Lions (20-5, 12-5 MIAA) topped Emporia State 61-57 on the road. The Ichabods are a half-game up on the Lions in the MIAA race sitting in second place in the conference standings. The Lions are tied for third with Central Missouri in the conference race. Northwest Missouri leads the conference with a 13-3 record. After Wednesday's game with the Lions, Washburn will return home for a 3 p.m. match up with Pittsburg State as part of the MIAA Television Game of the Week in Lee Arena.

Game Quick Facts . . .
Game No. 25 - Washburn (18-6, 12-4 MIAA) at Missouri Southern (20-5, 12-5 MIAA)
Game Notes: Washburn | Missouri Southern
Date: Feb. 15, 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Arena: Leggett and Platt Athletic Center
Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through America One
Television: None
Live Stats: Through mssulions.com
Media Stats: not available
Washburn Head Coach: Bob Chipman (Kansas State, 1973) - 714-294, 33rd season
Missouri Southern Head Coach: Robert Corn (Missouri Southern, 1978) - 373-280, 23rd season at MSSU
Series History / Streak: WU leads 46-25 / WU - 1
Last Meeting: WU won 67-49 on Jan. 7, 2012 in Topeka


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 714-294 (.707) overall and he has 472 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 415-77 (.840) record going 362-66 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 39-21 against the Lions.
Missouri Southern head Robert Corn is in his 23rd season as head coach at Missouri Southern and has guided the Lions to 18 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Postseason Tournament berths (13 straight) and three trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The 1999-00 Division II Bulletin National Coach of the Year, he holds a career record of 373-280 (.566) at Southern, and is the winningest head coach in Lions basketball history. A 1978 graduate of Southern, he has led Southern to eight 20-win seasons. He is 17-26 against the Ichabods.

Last time out for the Ichabods • WU 67, SBU 65 • 2/11/12
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods held on for a two-point win over Southwest Baptist as a Bearcat 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out as the Ichabods won their season-best fifth-straight game in a 67-65.
The Ichabods led by eight at 66-58 with 2:41 remaining in the game after a pair of free throws by Will McNeill, but on SBU's next possession, McNeill was whistled for his fifth foul with 2:07 to play and went to the bench. Robson Memnon hit a jumper with 1:51 left to cut the lead to six. The Ichabods came up empty on their next possession and SBU's Ricky Odige hit a lay up with 55 seconds left cutting the lead to four. After an Ichabod turnover, Kyle Sloan hit a 3-pointer from the win cutting the Ichabod lead to one at 66-65 with 43 seconds remaining.
Southwest Baptist (16-10, 9-8 MIAA) fouled Martin Mitchell and he hit the second of two free throws pushing the Washburn lead back to two at 67-65 with 41 seconds to play. SBU missed a lay up on its next possession, but Washburn committed a turnover with 10 seconds left. Odige's 3-pointer from the wing hit the back of the iron and the buzzer sounded with Washburn hanging on for the two-point win.
Washburn went the final 3:13 of the game without a field goal, but were three of four from the free throw line the remaining of the game.
The Ichabods trailed 35-34 at the half after SBU shot 55 percent in the first half hitting 12 of 22 shots from the floor while going 5 of 13 from 3-point range. Washburn was 13 of 27 from the field in the first haf for a 48 percent clip. There were 13 lead changes in the first 20 minutes as neither team led by more than five. The Ichabods led by nine in the second half at 59-50 with 8:45 to play in the game after a jumper by Alex North.
McNeill led the Ichabods with 17 points with 11 coming in the second half before fouling out. He was 9 of 10 from the free throw line and collected five assists with three steals. McNeill broke the junior class records for steals in a season with 63 breaking the previous record of 61 set during the 1985-86 season. For his career McNeill has recorded 152 which is five shy of breaking Jordan Canfield's career record of 156 set from 1992 to 1997.
Mitchell finished with 15 and Jeff Reid scored 13 while North pulled down a game-high six rebounds. The Ichabods outrebounded SBU 30 to 26 collecting 12 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second chance points. Washburn also forced 19 SBU turnovers accounting for 22 points off turnovers.
Memnon led four SBU players in double figures with 18 points. Ryan Dougherty scored 14 before fouling out.     

About Missouri Southern
The Lions are 20-5 this season and 12-5 in the MIAA. The Lions are currently ranked No. 19 in the NABC top 25 poll and were ranked as high as No. 1 prior to a loss to Missouri Western. Keane Thomann is averaging 21.6 ppg to lead the Lions while Jason Adams is scoring 18.3 ppg. Thomann is averaging a team-high 8.2 rpg. Overall the Lions are averaging 82.8 ppg while allowing 72.0 ppg. They have attempted 39 more free throws than their opponents have this season and are +4.0 on the glass in rebound margin. The Lions are 9-1 in home games this season with the lone loss coming to Central Missouri 81-68 on Jan. 25.
 
Series history with Missouri Southern
Wednesday's meeting will be the 72nd between these two schools in a series that dates back to 1968-69. Washburn leads the all-time series 46-25.  Washburn is 23-12 in MIAA games against the Lions and 9-10 on the road against MSSU since joining the league in 1989-90. The Ichabods have lost five in a row on the road to the Lions with their last win coming in Joplin on Jan. 21, 2006 in a 60-56 win. The two teams have met at least once a year since 1976-77. The Ichabods are 3-2 against the Lions in the MIAA Tournament. In games played in Topeka, the Ichabods are 28-8 overall and 21-5 in games played in Lee Arena. The teams have met twice in the NCAA Tournament - on March 10, 2000 when the Lions picked up a 79-73 overtime win in Joplin and on March 12, 2011 when the Lions topped the Ichabods in overtime again 82-79 in Edmond, Okla.  
 
Last meeting with Missouri Southern • WU 67, #14 MSSU 49 • 1/25/12
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 second 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.     

Last time out for Missouri Southern • #19 MSSU 61, ESU 57 • 2/11/12
(Feb. 11, 2012) – (MSSU Media Relations) -- Emporia, Kan. -- After trailing by as many as six with under eight minutes to go in the game, the No. 19 Missouri Southern men's basketball team closed the game out on a 16-6 run to take out Emporia State on the road tonight.
With the win, Southern (20-5, 12-5 MIAA) wins its 20th game for the 15th time in the program's history and the eighth time in coach Robert Corn's tenure.
The Lions were led in scoring by Keane Thomann as the big man poured in 28 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Jason Adams scored 14 points and added seven rebounds.
Emporia (8-14, 4-12 MIAA) had three score in double figures led by 17 points from Antonio DiMaria.
Both teams traded leads in the first half, before the Lions broke open a seven-point advantage (20-13) on a jumper from Thomann with 10:38 to go in the half. The lead was nine (26-17) after a pair of free-throws from Adams with 7:18 left, but a 5-0 run by the Hornets made the score 36-33 at the half.
The Lions led by nine (42-33) early on in the second half after a free-throw from Thomann with 18:21 to go in the game. But Southern went cold and the Lions were scoreless for the next six minutes as Emporia got back into the game and a pair of free-throws from Tola Lawal with 11:25 to go gave ESU a 45-44 lead. Emporia led by as many as six with 7:58 to go in the game before the Lions closed the game on a 16-6 run and put it away.
Southern shot its lowest field goal percentage of the season tonight (35.6), but defensively  held the Hornets to just 32 percent shooting, including 28 in the second half. The Lions out rebounded ESU 41-38 and held a 28-16 advantage in the paint.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the ichabods
• In Washburn's wins the Ichabods are -99 in turnovers, the losses they are -2 compared to their opponents #GoodHandsTeam
• The Ichabods are 21 of 100 (.210) from 3-point range in their four losses #Ouch
• Washburn is shooting 101 of 276 (.376) from 3-point range in the wins #MuchBetter
• Opponents are 44 of 125 (.352) from 3-point range in Washburn's losses #DefendTheLongBall
• Will McNeill (20.7 ppg) is the only Ichabod averaging double figures in the WU losses #NeedScoringHelp
• Washburn is second in the MIAA in scoring defense at 62.0 ppg #TenaciousD
• Washburn leads the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage at .395 #PressureD
• Washburn is third in the MIAA in free throw percentage at .730 (383-525) #AntiShaq
• The Ichabods are second (9.3) in the MIAA in steals per game #GoodHands
• Washburn is leading the MIAA in turnover margin (+4.2) #TakingCareOfTheRock
• The Ichabods are third in the MIAA in rebounding defense at 31.5 rpg #Boards
• Washburn is second in the MIAA in offensive rebounds at 13.1 rpg #SecondChances
• Will McNeill is second in the MIAA in scoring and 13th in rebounding (20.0 ppg/5.5 rpg) #HeIsAGuardPeople
• Alex North is 17th in the MIAA in rebounding at 4.9 per game #GlassMan
• Bobby Chipman is 10th in the MIAA in rebounding at 5.8 rpg #Boards
• Will McNeill is third in the MIAA in FG % at .488 (1661 of 330) #SelectiveShooting
• Alex North is eighth in the MIAA in FT percentage .803 (49 of 61) #LineTime
• Will McNeill leads the MIAA in steals at 2.6 per game #QuickHands
• Bobby Chipman is eighth in the MIAA in blocked shots with 0.8 per #RejectionCity
• Martin Mitchell is seventh in the MIAA in assists with 3.3 per game #DishingTheBall
• Will McNeill needs 25 points to reach 1,000 for his career #WhenNotIf
• Will McNeill's 133 free throw attempts this season is fourth on the junior class record chart #gettingtotheline
• Will McNeill's 166 free throw attempts this season is sixth on the junior class record chart #gettingtotheline

Three . . . Dot . . . Thoughts . . .
Will McNeill is the only MIAA player to have make at least 100 free throws (133) and have no one has more than 107 (McNeill has 166 attempts) … Will McNeil is looking to become the first Ichabod to go over the 1,000-point mark since Travis Robbins completed the task during the 2004-05 season toward the end of his two-year Ichabod career finishing with 1,050 … McNeill currently sits at 975 points in his junior season … the last Ichabod to reach 1,000 points in their third year was Ryan Murphy during his junior season of 2001-02 en route to 1,654 career points … the 12 MIAA wins this season for the Ichabods is the most since they recorded 14 en route to an MIAA Championship in 2005 … Washburn's next win would be its 19th this season and be the most since recording 24 during the 2004-05 season.

Ichabod Player Notes
#4  • Jared Henry  • G • 6-1 • 170 • So. • Had five points and five rebounds in first meeting with MSSU
#5  • Jeff Reid  • G • 6-6 • 190 • So. • Averaging 9.6 ppg hitting 9 of 20 3-pointers in last 5 (2 as a starter)
#10  • Will McNeill  • G • 6-1 • 190 • Jr. • 481 pts is tied for 10th on WU career junior chart / 63 steals a record
#11  • Kyle Wiggins  • G • 6-2 • 165 • Fr. • Four of nine from the field in the last three games (4.7 ppg)
#12  • Martin Mitchell  • G • 6-0 • 185 • Jr. • Averaging 13.5 ppg in last two games (11 of 16 from the field)
#14  • Christian Ulsaker  • F • 6-5 • 190 • Fr. • Had seven points and three boards in first meeting with MSSU
#15  • Mitch Allen  • G • 5-9 • 165 • Jr. • Has hit 30 career 3-pointers (30 of 88 attempts)
#20  • Bobby Chipman  • F • 6-8 • 210 • Jr. • Averaging 9.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg with 6 blocks in last five games
#21  • Joseph Smith  • F • 6-9 • 235 • Jr. • Career-high 12 points in 1st meeting with MSSU
#22  • Alex North  • F • 6-6 • 210 • So. • Led team with 6 rebounds last time out against SBU
#24  • Zack Riggins  • F • 6-6 • 230 • RS-Jr. • Six of 14 from the field in the last three games

Ichabod Basketball HIstory
Washburn is 1,422-980 (.590 in 2,402 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 473-210 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most since the 1989-90 season in the MIAA.
n Home sweet home . . . the Ichabods in Lee Arena
The Ichabods are 362-66 (.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 Wednesday's game with Missouri Southern, the Ichabods return home for a 3 p.m. match up with Pittsburg State as part of the MIAA Television Game of the Week. Washburn will then travel to face Emporia State in the Turnpike Tussle before wrapping up the regular season against Lincoln on Feb. 25 in Lee Arena. The MIAA Tournament will start on Thursday, March 2 in Kansas City.