Opening Tip

• The Washburn Ichabods will wrap up a brief two-game road trip at No. 24-ranked Fort Hays State on Saturday with a 4 p.m. tip.

• Washburn (14-4, 7-4 MIAA) had its three-game winning streak snapped at Nebraska-Kearney last time out in an 88-79 loss.

• The Ichabods have won the last five meetings over the Tigers.

• Fort Hays state is ranked No. 24 in the nation and coming off a double overtime  99-92 win over Emporia State on Thursday.

• The Tigers are 8-1 in home games this season with the lone loss coming against Northwest Missouri in an 88-74 setback.

• The Ichabods are 5-3 in games away from Lee Arena going 2-3 in true road contests.

 Bod Notes

• The Washburn Ichabods have won 513 games since becoming a member of the NCAA Division II ranks prior to the start of the 1989-89 season - which is the most by any member of the MIAA during that stretch.

• The Ichabods have hit at least one 3-pointer in 300 games enter the match up with FHSU. The last game the Ichabods did not hit a 3-pointer was Dec. 30, 2003 at Missouri Western.

• In giving up a 14-point lead in the loss to the Lopers, it marked the second time in Washburn's four losses this season they have let a double digit lead slip away. Washburn led Northwest Missouri by 19 last in the first half and lost 83-76. 

• Alex North recorded his sixth double double of the season, his third-straight and the eighth of his career with 16 points and a 13 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney. 

• The Ichabods have been outscored 212 to 139 in the four losses this season and have been outrebounded by an average of 6.8 per game. Overall Washburn has been outscored 89.5 to 72.8 in the four losses.

• Alex North went over the 550-point mark against Central Oklahoma. He has scored 577 points in 79 games averaging 7.3 a game including a 14.4 ppg average this season. He went over the 400-rebound total against Nebraska-Kearney entering the game with FHSU with 409.

• Jeff Reid went over the 600-point plateau as he now has 663 in his third season at Washburn and has averaged 8.6 ppg in 77 career games. He is averaging a career-high 10.2 ppg this season.

• Kyle Wiggins went over the 650-point mark at the Lopers. He now has 653 for his Washburn career averaging 8.5 ppg in 77 games including a team-high 14.7 ppg this season.

• Ichabod junior Christian Ulsaker will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken bone in his shooting hand in practice. He was averaging career-bests of 13.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He will apply for a medical redshirt as he played in only four games.

 Ichabods on Radio

Washburn games will be broadcast on KTPK 106.9 FM radio with Mark Elliott and Jake Lebahn calling the action. The game 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 

• is in his 35th season at the helm of the Ichabods.

• a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.

• is 754-308 overall.

• has 513 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 MIAA tournament championships.

• has led the Ichabods to 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances.

• in home games, he is 438-80 going 387-69 in Lee Arena.

• is second in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.

• his 754 coaching wins is 22nd in all-time NCAA coaches at all levels.

• 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.

Fort Hays State head coach Mark Johnson

• is 263-109 in his career, now in his 12th season at Fort Hays State. 

• Johnson became just the third coach in FHSU history to reach 200 wins in men's basketball on February 5, 2011 with a win over Washburn in Hays. 

• He joined Cade Suran (257) and Bill Morse (235) as the only coaches to reach 200 wins at FHSU. 

• Johnson is the second-fastest to 200 wins among the three, as Morse reached the mark in just 241 games, while Johnson did it in 285 games. 

• He is 10-7 against the Ichabods having lost five straight to Washburn.

 Ichabod Player Notes

#3 • Jeff Reid • Moved into 10th on the Ichabods' all-time 3-pointers made chart against Nebraska-Kearney hitting his 102nd of his career.

#4 • Andy Wilson • Ten of his 19 field goals this season have been 3-pointers.

#5 • Korey Fisher • Eleven of his 44 field goals this season have been from 3-point land.

#11 • Kyle Wiggins • All 18 of his points against the Lopers came on nine field goals.

#13 • Chris Deanes • Has eight offensive rebounds and 24 defensive rebounds this season.

#14 • Christian Ulsaker • Will miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury and will apply for a medical redshirt playing in only four games.

#15 • Evan Robinson • Has two rebounds this season.

#21 • Chris Davis • Has had at least one 3-pointer in four of the last five games and seven of the last nine overall.

#22 • Alex North • Has had double figure rebound totals in each of the last three games recording 10, 20 and 13 boards.

#24 • Stephon Drane • Team-high 13 blocks this season, adding two blocks in each of the last two contests.

#31 • Leon Flowers • Career-high seven rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney last time out with five defensive rebounds.

#32 • Dalton Abel • Scored first three points of the season hitting a 3-pointer against Missouri Southern.

#34 • Jeremy Lickteig • Recorded his seventh block of the season against Northeastern.

#42 • Colton Anderson • has at least one rebound in each of the last four games played.

 Last Time Out For The Ichabods

Nebraska-Kearney 88, Washburn 79 • Jan. 30, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Washburn Ichabods let a 10-point halftime advantage slip away as they had a their seven-game winning streak over the Lopers snapped in an 88-79 loss at Nebraska-Kearney. 

The Ichabods (14-4, 7-4 MIAA) led by 10 at the break at 39-29 after hitting 17 of 38 attempts for a 45 percent clip including 5 of 12 3-point attempts. The Ichabods gained the 10-point cushion after going on a 22-5 run over a 5:53 period of the first half breaking an 18-18 tie. Jeff Reid scored eight points including back-to-back 3-pointers during the spurt to lead the Washburn attack.

To open the second stanza, the Lopers (8-10, 4-7 MIAA) came out on a 9-2 run trimming the Ichabod lead back to three at 41-38 with 16:48 to play.

The Ichabods increased their lead to six after a 3-point play by Alex North at 44-38 with 15:57 to play and would lead by six again at 54-48 with 10:53 to play after a 3-pointer by Chris Davis. The Lopers responded with an 8-0 run to take a 56-54 lead after back to back 3-pointers by Thomas Delquan.

The Lopers stretched their lead to six at 73-67 with 3:38 to play and then to seven with 2:55 to play. Washburn cut the lead to six at 77-71 with 1:59 to play on a couple of free throws by Leon Flowers, but UNK answered with a 3-pointer with 1:32 left pushing the lead back to nine and the Ichabods would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.

Reid led four Ichabods in double figures with 19 points and Kyle Wiggins scored 18. Flowers added 15 and North recorded his third straight double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Five Lopers reached double led by Connor Beranek and Mike Dentlinger with 21.

Washburn was outscored by 19 in the second half as the Lopers put up 59 points in the frame.

Washburn finished shooting 15 of 31 in the second half, but hit only 2 of 9 3-pointers going 8 of 13 from the free throw line. The Lopers were 17 of 26 in the second half hitting 6 of 11 3-pointers while connecting on 19 of 26 free throw attempts after only going 2 of 5 in the first half.

 Nebraska-Kearney Leftovers

• The Ichabods fell to 5-13 in all-time meetings in Kearney.

• Jeff Reid had a career-high three blocks and a career-high 14 field goal attempts.

• Leon Flowers had a career-high seven rebounds and a career-high 15 field goal attempts.

• Washburn now leads the all-time series with the Lopers 17-16.

   
 About Fort Hays State

• Fort Hays State is 17-3 overall, 8-3 in the MIAA and ranked No. 24 in the NABC poll.

• They have won nine straight games since suffering their only home loss of the season against NWMSU. 

• Craig Nicholson leads the team with 17.9 ppg and 8.0 assists per game while recording 3.1 rebounds per game. He also leads in steals

• Dwayne Brunson is the second-leading scorer and leading rebounder for the Tigers at 17.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. 

 Series History With Fort Hays State

• Washburn leads the all-time series 88-66 and Saturday's meeting will be the 157th in between the two schools. 

• The Ichabods have won the last five in the series.

• The series is the third-most played for Washburn behind Emporia State (203) and Pittsburg State (173). 

• Washburn is 17-5 against the Tigers in Lee Arena. 

• Fort Hays State is 4-2 against WU in overtime games. 

• The teams have only met once in the MIAA Tournament with the Ichabods winning 67-54 in the MIAA Tournament semifinals on March 3, 2012 in Kansas City. 

 Last Time Out for Fort Hays State

Jan. 30, 2014 -- The 24th-ranked Tiger basketball team pulled out an epic double-overtime battle against Emporia State on Thursday evening (Jan. 30) in Hays by a score of 99-92. The Tigers moved to 17-3 overall and 8-3 in the MIAA, pulling into a tie for third place in the MIAA standings with Central Missouri, while Emporia State dropped to 14-7 overall and 7-4 in the MIAA.

Down by two at halftime and trailing the majority of the second half, FHSU pulled within two three times before a Craig Nicholson 3-point field goal with 6:36 tied the game for the first time since the 5:28 mark in the first half. ESU pulled back in front, but Nicholson finally pushed the Tigers into the lead on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1:50 to go. A Kaleb Wright 3-point field goal with 18 seconds left pushed ESU back in front by two, but Craig Nicholson hit a layup with 11 seconds to tie the game again. Wright missed a long 3-point attempt before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

The first overtime was a see-saw battle with neither team taking a lead of more that two points. ESU led by two five times, while FHSU led by two once. A pair of Dwayne Brunson free-throws knotted the game up for the 14th time with 46 seconds remaining. ESU turned the ball over and FHSU had the last possession of the period, but James Fleming couldn't get a layup attempt to drop at the buzzer, allowing a second overtime.

The teams traded blows once again in the second period of extra time. Achoki Moikobu was the story of the second overtime for FHSU as he buried two huge 3-point field goals. With ESU leading by three early, he calmly knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game with 3:04 to go. Later with ESU leading by two, Nicholson found him in the left corner to bury his second three of the second overtime, giving FHSU a one-point advantage. FHSU would not let go of the lead from there. Nicholson picked up another 3-point play driving to the basket on the next Tiger possession with 50 seconds remaining, extending the lead to four at 95-91 (FHSU largest lead of the game at that point). Moikobu and Nicholson closed out the game, going 4-of-4 at the free-throw line between the two of them inside the final 35 seconds.

Nicholson stepped up for a career-high 36 points, shooting 11-of-16 from the field, 1-of-1 beyond the 3-point line, and 13-of-19 at the free-throw line. He also dished out a team-high six assists. Brunson finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. Moikobu added 15 points, including a perfect 3-of-3 effort beyond the 3-point line.

Wright led ESU with 30 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Paul Bunch had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Terrence Moore had 20 points and Jordan Tyler had 10.

 Last Meeting With Fort Hays State

Feb. 21, 2013 -- TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods only hit one 3-pointer all night long but it put the Ichabods' up 66-62 with 4:54 to play as Washburn topped Fort Hays State sweeping the regular season series winning its fifth-straight over the Tigers in a 76-70 win on Schendel Court at Lee Arena. 

Leon Flowers 3-pointer put an end to the 0-5 shooting for the Ichabods (18-6, 11-5 MIAA) from deep as the Tigers (17-7, 11-5 MIAA) were 10 of 21 from behind the arch. After Flowers' 3-pointer, Bobby Chipman scored a lay up putting Washburn up 68-62 with 4:04 to play, but the Tigers responded with one of their 10 3-pointers on the night to cut the lead to three on Caron Konrade's long shot. Will McNeill answered with a fade away jumper in the paint putting Washburn back up five, but two free throws by Lance Russell pulled the Tigers back within three at 70-67.

McNeill was fouled and hit both free throws as Washburn went back up five at 72-67 with 35 seconds left. The Tigers hit one free throw to get within four points at 72-68 but Zack Riggins hit two free throws with 24 seconds left and Will McNeill hit two more after an intentional foul on a break away giving the Ichabods the six-point cushion and the season series with the Tigers snapping their seven-game winning streak.

McNeill led the Ichabods with 28 points going 10 of 12 from the free throw line adding five rebounds and four steals. Chipman recorded his second-straight double double and the sixth of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Riggins and 12 points and five rebounds and Joseph Smith scored 12 off the bench with two blocks.

Ben Conguista led the Tigers with 20 points going 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Konrade had 15 on 4 of 8 3-point shooting. Craig Nicholson had 11 points and five assists.

Washburn led by four at the break 35-21 shooting 48 percent from the field as they finished 26 of 56 for the game at 46 percent. The Tigers were 23 of 49 for the game for a 47 percent clip. Washburn finished 23 of 30 from the free throw line and the Tigers were 14 of 18 and held a 30 to 28 advantage on the glass. Washburn also turned 19 Tiger turnovers into 20 points and the Ichabods also outscored the Tigers 28 to 10 in the paint.

 Ichabods in the national rankings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Ichabods fell out of the rankings after the loss to Missouri Southern and received votes in the last two weeks worth of polls, but fell completely out after the loss to Northwest Missouri. 

? Ichabod basketball history

• The Ichabods are 1464-978-4 (.591) all-time in the 109th year in the program's history.

• Washburn is the eighth-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.

• Washburn is the winningest MIAA program since the 1989-90 season with an overall record of 513-227.

• The Ichabods have recorded 25 20-win seasons and they have one 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season.

• Washburn has won 21 conference championships including 10 MIAA titles.

• Washburn has received 12 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.

? Home sweet home

• The Ichabods are 387-69 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.

• The 2013-14 season marks the 29th 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

• Washburn will face Emporia State in the first of two Turnpike Tussle meetings this season on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Lee Arena.