Opening Tip

• The Washburn Ichabods will host Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on Schendel Court at Lee Arena.

• Washburn (15-5, 8-5 MIAA) is coming off a 79-74 win over Emporia State last time out.

• The Lopers are 10-10 and 6-7 in the MIAA and they are riding a five-game winning streak and they topped No. 23-ranked Fort Hays State 90-83 on Wednesday.

• The Lopers beat the Ichabods 88-79 on Jan. 30 in Kearney ending Washburn's three-game winning streak.

• The Ichabods are 11-1 in games at home while the
Lopers are 2-8 in road games this season.

 Bod Notes

• The Washburn Ichabods have won 514 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 302 games entering the match up with ESU. The last game the Ichabods did not hit a 3-pointer was Dec. 30, 2003 at Missouri Western.

• Alex North recorded his eighth double double of the season, his fifth-straight and the tenth of his career with 22 points and 13 rebounds against Emporia State. 

• The Ichabods have been outscored 246 to 187 in the second half of the five losses this season and have been outrebounded by an average of 14.2 per game. 

• Alex North hit 600 career points against Fort Hays State. He has scored 622 points in 81 games averaging 7.7 a game including a 15.2 ppg average this season. He went over the 400-rebound total against Nebraska-Kearney and his is entering Saturday's game with UNK with 434 career boards.

• Jeff Reid went over the 650-point plateau as he now has 683 in his third season at Washburn and has averaged 8.6 ppg in 79 career games. He is averaging a career-high 10.2 ppg this season.

• Kyle Wiggins went over the 650-point mark against the Lopers in the first meeting. He now has 686 for his Washburn career averaging 8.7 ppg in 79 games including 14.9 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 AM 580 WIBW 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 755-309 overall.

• has 514 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 439-80 going 388-69 in Lee Arena.

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

• his 755 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.

Nebraska-Kearney co-head coach Tom Kropp

• is in his 24th year as head coach at Nebraska-Kearney. Kropp (Nebraska-Kearney, '75) has notched a 45--232 (.662) mark at UNK. 

• is 1-2 against Washburn.

 Ichabod Player Notes

#3 • Jeff Reid • Is 11th in the MIAA in rebounding at 6.1 per game … his 2.2 offensive rebounds  per game is eighth overall.

#4 • Andy Wilson • Averaging 17.5 minutes, two rebounds, two assists and 0.5 steals per game in the last two.

#5 • Korey Fisher • Ten assists in the last three games.

#11 • Kyle Wiggins • Double-figure scoring in 18 of 20 games this season.

#13 • Chris Deanes • Has eight offensive rebounds and 25 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 • Averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the last two games.

#22 • Alex North • Has had double figure rebound totals in each of the last five games recording 10, 20, 13, 12 and 13 rebounds.

#24 • Stephon Drane • Team-high 14 blocks this season.

#31 • Leon Flowers • Has had seven-straight games with double figure scoring outputs averaging 14.8 ppg.

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

#34 • Jeremy Lickteig • Recorded his eighth block of the season against Fort Hays State.

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

 Last Time Out For The Ichabods

Washburn 79, Emporia State 74 • Feb. 5, 2014

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods led from start to finish snapping a two-game slide with a 79-74 win over Emporia State in the first edition of the Turnpike Tussle. Washburn returns to action on Saturday when they will host Nebraska-Kearney at 7:30 p.m.

The Ichabods (15-5, 8-5 MIAA) led by 13 with 4:26 to play after a lay up by Jeff Reid, but then the Hornets (14-9, 7-6 MIAA) would counter with a 12-2 run over the next 3:10 to cut the Washburn lead to three with 1:16 to play. Washburn then stretched the margin back to seven after four Ichabod free throws before the lead was back to five at 76-71 with 18 seconds to play.

After a free throw by Alex North, Washburn led by six with 14 seconds left, but a 3-pointer by Kaleb Wright cut the lead back to three at 77-74 with nine seconds remaining. North was fouled and hit two free throws to wrap up the five-point win.

Washburn scored the first seven points of the game before the Hornets cut the lead back to one at 9-8 with 15:57 to play in the first half as the Ichabods would lead by as many as 12 in the first half before taking a 36-31 lead into halftime.

The Hornets used an 8-2 run to cut the lead back to one at 40-39 with 16:02 to play. Washburn again pulled out to a seven point lead before the Hornets came back to trim the margin to 46-45. The Ichabods would then score the next 13 points going 9 of 11 from the free throw line after a Hornet technical stretching the lead to 14.

North led the Ichabods with his fifth-straight double double and eighth of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Kyle Wiggins had 20 points with six assists and five rebounds while Leon Flowers and Chris Davis each scored 10. 

Terrence Moore led the Hornets with a game-high 28 points and Kaleb Wright had 20.

Washburn dominated on the glass with a 45 to 24 rebounding advantage adding 18 offensive rebounds. Washburn finished 41 percent from the field going 24 of 59 overall while the Hornets finished at 48 percent hitting 29 of 60 overall with a 56 percent average in the second half going 15 of 27. Washburn was 25 of 33 in the game from the free throw line while the Hornets were 11 of 18.

 Emporia State Leftovers

• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 105-99. 

• Chris Davis had a career-high six rebounds against the Hornets.

• The eight free throws made by Alex North tied a career high.

• Kyle Wiggins' 17 field goal attempts tied a career high.

• Washburn improved to 11-1 at home with the win.

 About Nebraska-Kearney

• UNK has five players averaging in double figures: Connor Beranek (18.2 ppg), Ethan Brozek (15.9 ppg), Mike Dentlinger (14.9 ppg), Tyler Shields (10.9 ppg) and Davion Pearson (10.6 ppg).

• Beranek, who currently ranks fourth in the MIAA in scoring, also averages 6.7 rebounds per game to rank seventh in the conference. He also leads the Tigers with 19 blocks.  

• As a team, UNK averages 80.1 points and shoot 49 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from the 3-point line (132-372) and 72 percent from the free throw line (361-504).

• UNK's opponents are averaging 80.8 points and shooting 49.1 percent from the field (561-1143).  

 Series History With Nebraska-Kearney

• Washburn leads the all-time series 17-16 with the Ichabods winning the last seven of the last eight meetings.

• The Ichabods have won four of the last five in Kearney and six of the last seven overall.

• All-time in games in Kearney, the Ichabods are 5-13 after losing the first 11 times they played there.

• Washburn leads 12-3 in games played in Topeka.

 Last Time Out for Nebraska-Kearney

Feb. 5, 2014 -- earney, Neb. – Sophomore Ethan Brozek and freshman Kevin Dineen had a career-high point totals, and sophomore Connor Beranek hit some big late shots, to help Nebraska-Kearney upset No. 23-ranked Fort Hays State, 90-83, Wednesday night at the Health & Sports Centers.

 Winners of five straight for the first time in three years, UNK (10-10, 5-7) also stops a seven game losing streak to the rival Tigers (18-4, 9-4).

Leading nearly the entire way, the Lopers shot 60% from the field to open up a 33-19 lead 14 minutes into the game.  Both Beranek (Ravenna) and Dineen (Creighton Prep) hit two threes during this stretch. 

However, Hays cut the deficit to seven by the break and then neither team could hit the broad side of a barn. At the 9:47 mark of the second half, the clubs had combined for 21 points on 9 of 33 shooting.

Having its advantage whittled down to four, UNK saw Dineen shot fake a Tiger and hit a three from the left corner to make it 57-50 with 6:51 left.  

The two teams then literally didn't miss over the final 5:25, the Lopers going 7 of 7 from the field (1 of 1 threes) and Hays sinking 10 of 12 shots (5 of 6 threes). The teams also combined to go 19 of 19 at the line.

Beranek's buckets in this run included a deep three, a jump stop fade way late in the shot clock and a thunderous dunk 16 with seconds left to cap the scoring.

The athletic Brozek had the other four baskets, all on drives to the hoop. He finished with 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting and a 6 of 7 effort at the line. As a team, UNK sunk 23 of 25 freebies (92%), its best effort of the year.

Thanks to three big swats by Brozek, Kearney also tied a season-high in blocks with seven.

Dineen tallied 13 by going 3 of 7 from behind the arc with Beranek at a team-best 25 points on 9 of 12 (3 of 4 threes) shooting. This was his best offensive output since going for 40 on Dec. 20th vs. Lindenwood.

He also had a team-high seven boards with junior point Davion Pearson (Las Vegas, Nev.) supplying eight dimes, six points and two steals.

Thanks to its late surge, Hays had six in double figures, led by reserve guard James Fleming (16). Sophomore guard Craig Nicholson (18.1 avg.) was greatly limited by Pearson throughout the night as he had nine of his 14 in the last five minutes.

 Last Meeting With Nebraska-Kearney

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.

 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 1465-979-4 (.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 514-228.

• 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 388-69 (.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 take on Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Feb. 13 and Northeastern State on Feb. 15 in Tahlequah before wrapping up the regular season home slate with Fort Hays State on Feb. 19. Washburn will wrap up the regular season with road contests at Emporia State on Feb. 22 and at Pittsburg State on March 1.