Opening Tip

• For the second game in a row the Ichabods will take on one of the top scoring teams in the league as Washburn will take on Pittsburg State on the road Saturday in John Lance Arena at 3:30 p.m. Like the meeting with Missouri Southern, this will be the only regular season meeting between the two teams.

• The Ichabods and the Gorillas are averaging 86.1 ppg which is tied for third in the MIAA.

• Washburn is 13-4 and 6-2 in the MIAA coming off an 89-86 loss at Missouri Southern last time out.

• The Gorillas are 14-4 overall and 7-2 in the league after whipping Emporia State 90-66 on Wednesday.

• The Ichabods and the Gorillas share two non-conference opponents from their trip to Las Vegas in West Texas A&M and Indianapolis … Washburn topped Indianapolis 97-81 while Pitt State won 89-76 and both teams lost to West Texas A&M with Washburn falling 98-93 in overtime and PSU lost 93-80.

• The Gorillas also boast two of the top three scorers in the league with Grant Lozoya at 24.1 ppg and Donovan Franklin at 21.9 ppg.

• Washburn received votes in the latest NABC poll and was ranked No. 15 in the latest D2SIDA/Media poll on Jan. 22. 

• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 19.1 ppg which is sixth in the MIAA rankings … in MIAA games Blake is averaging 19.6 ppg.

• David Salach is averaging 12.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg after scoring a career-high 24 points against Fort Hays State … Salach also leads the MIAA in blocks at 1.4 per game.

• Jalen Lewis is averaging 9.6 ppg off the bench and he is 15th in the MIAA in 3-point field goals made per game with 2.0 … he scored a career-high 20 point against Missouri Southern … in MIAA games he has upped his average to 10.8 ppg hitting 21 of 42 3-point attempts and his 34 3-pointer made this season lead the team and is fifth on the Ichabod freshman chart needing five more to pass former Ichabod and PGA professional Gary Woodland.

• Tyas Martin is scoring 9.4 ppg while Devyn Wilson is averaging 7.9 ppg off the bench with 2.9  rebounds and in MIAA action he is scoring 8.4 ppg with 3.5 rpg. 

• Tyler Geiman is scoring 7.8 ppg as well as dishing out 5.5 assists per game, which is second in the MIAA behind Northwest Missouri's Trevor Hudgins who has 5.9 per game … Geiman  has 50 assists and nine turnovers in MIAA play and he scored a career-high 19 points against Missouri Southern.

• Sevon Witt is scoring 7.7 ppg with 3.2 rpg overall but in MIAA play he is averaging 9.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg.

• Will McKee is averaging 7.4 ppg while pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game which is 15th in the MIAA.

• Javion Blake has scored 1,523 career points placing him seventh all-time at Washburn … next on the list is Ewan Auguste who scored 1,636 points from 1997 to 2001 … Blake's 172 career 3-point field goals is seventh on the all-time chart … he has played 3,215 career minutes which is third at Washburn.

• David Salach has 100 career blocks which is tied for second all-time at Washburn with Ewan Auguste.

 Bod numbers

• 50 and 9 -- The number of assists and turnovers by Tyler Geiman during the season in MIAA games

• 86.1 WU is third in the MIAA in scoring offense

• 74.1 WU is ninth in the MIAA in scoring defense

• .423 WU is second in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage

• +5.3 WU is third in the MIAA in rebounding margin

• 3.88 WU is leading the MIAA in blocks

• 17.71 WU is leading the MIAA in assists

 Coaches

Washburn Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard …

• is 35-14 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 68-44 overall in his fourth year as a head coach.

• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2017 after spending the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Wake Forest basketball program after working under head coach Danny Manning 2014-17 seasons and at the University of Tulsa during the 2012-14 seasons.

• he helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season following the 2016-17 season. 

• while at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane played in the postseason both years, including earning a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Tulsa also participated in the 2013 CBI, finishing that season with a winning record of 17-16 overall.

• before joining Manning at Tulsa, Ballard spent two seasons as the head basketball coach at Baker University going 33-30 overall, including a 21-12 mark in his final season at the helm in 2011-12. 

• prior to taking over the head coaching position at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at Kansas, his alma mater. 

• he played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College in his hometown of Hutchinson, Kan. In his two seasons as a Jayhawk, the team reached the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and appeared in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.

• he earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003 earning an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior for his efforts in the classroom.

• is 0-1 against Pittsburg State.

Pittsburg State head coach Kim Anderson …

• is in his second season leading the Gorillas. He has a 31-17 record. 

• Anderson (Missouri, '79) became the Gorillas' 15th all-time head coach on Apr. 10, 2017, after coaching three seasons at his alma mater – the University of Missouri.

• has a 332-179 (.648) record in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship as head coach at the University of Central Missouri as well as two more Division II Final Four appearances (2007, 2009) while compiling a 274-95 (.743) record at the school.

• led UCM to seven trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and seven 20-win seasons.  In his final season with the Mules he guided the squad to a 30-5 overall record and the D2 national title.

• his Mules' teams captured six MIAA regular season titles (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and four MIAA Tournament titles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2013).

• was selected the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2010, and the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2014..

• is 16-11 against Washburn going 1-0 at Pittsburg State and 15-11 at Central Missouri.

 About Pittsburg State

• The Gorillas are 14-4 and 7-2 in the MIAA after topping Emporia State last time out 90-66.

• PSU is a perfect 9-0 at home this season going 2-2 in road games and 3-2 in neutral site games.

• Grant Lozoya leads the team in points (24.1 ppg), rebounds (6.5 rpg) and assists (3.0 apg).

• Donovan Franklin is second on the team in scoring at 21.9 ppg and has led the Gorillas in scoring in five straight games averaging 26.4 ppg during the stretch including a 32-point effort at Central Oklahoma.

• Pitt State is tied for third in the MIAA in scoring at 86.1 ppg with the Ichabods.

 Series history with Pittsburg State

• Saturday's meeting will be the 181st between these two schools in a series that dates back to the first meeting on Feb. 19, 1920.

• The two games on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 of 1920 were both played in Topeka inside an empty Thomas Gymnasium because of a flu outbreak in Topeka.

• Washburn leads the all-time series 102-78.

• The Ichabods have won the last 15 of the last 19 meetings including eight of the last 11.

• The Ichabods are 31-3 in Lee Arena against PSU and 33-16 against the Gorillas in MIAA play. The home team is 33-10 in the last 43 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 26-31 in Pittsburg while going 10-12 in Pittsburg since becoming a member of the MIAA.   

• In Topeka, Washburn leads 69-22 all-time.

 Last Meeting with Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State 76, Washburn 74 -- Jan. 20, 2018

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team had its 12-game winning streak come to an end in a 76-74 loss at Pittsburg State. Washburn falls to 14-4 and 8-1 in the MIAA. 

A 3-pointer by Jabari Antwine with five seconds to play put the Gorillas (11-7, 4-5 MIAA) up 76-74 and after a timeout Washburn's half court attempt came up short.

Washburn trailed by as many as 13 in the first half at 35-22 with 4:50 to go, but scored 10-straight points cutting the lead to three and would eventually tie the game on a Tyas Martin 3-pointer knotting the score at 38-38.

In the second half, Washburn opened the frame on a 9-1 run and built a lead of nine with 11:12 to play in the game. With Washburn leading 64-58, the Gorillas went on an 11-2 run over the next 2:47 to take a one point lead at 67-66.

A Cameron Wiggins 3-pushed Washburn back up 69-67 with 4:39 to go and the Ichabods would go up five at 73-68 with 2:35 to play, but the Gorillas closed the game on an 8-1 run for the comeback win hitting all three field goal attempts including two 3-pointers while the Ichabods were 0-2 from the field during the same stretch with the only points on a Brady Skeens free throw with 1:12 to play.

Skeens became the 25th Ichabod to reach the 1,000-point mark leading the Ichabods with his 30th career double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds adding three blocks going 8 of 11 from the field. David Salach scored a season high 14 points and Javion Blake scored 10 with six assists. Antwine led the Gorillas with 18 points.

Washburn finished 30 of 66 from the field (46 percent) while the Gorillas were 27 of 62 (44 percent). Washburn outrebounded Pitt State 41 to 38.

 Last time out for the Ichabods

Missouri Southern 89, Washburn 86 -- Jan. 23, 2019

JOPLIN, Mo. –Washburn started out cold and had an icy stretch in the second half as they let a 14-point lead slip away after trailing by as many 13 in the first half in an 89-86 loss at Missouri Southern. 

With Washburn holding a 66-52 lead with 12:25 to go, the Lions would go on a 21 to 7 run over the next 5:38 as MSSU tied the score at 73 with 6:47 to go. Washburn was 2 of 8 during the run and the Lions were 5 of 7 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line. Overall the Lions were 27 of 28 from the free throw line including a 21 of 21 performance in the second half.

A 3-pointer by Devyn Wilson tied the score at 80 with 2:57 remaining, but the Lions answered with a 3 of their own with 2:33 left.  The Ichabods cut the lead to one on three different occasions in the final two minutes, including 87-86 with five seconds to go but the Lions hit another pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from the top of the key by the Ichabods as time expired missed as the Lions picked up the three-point win.

The Ichabods (13-4, 6-2 MIAA) got out to a frigid start from the field missing their first eight shots from the field falling behind 9-0 and eventually 17-4 with 13:40 to go in the frame. But Jalen Lewis entered the game and jump started his own personal 15 to 5 run over the Lions hitting five straight 3-pointers cutting the lead to 22-19 with 10:20 to go.

It was Tyler Geiman's turn next from deep as he broke a 35-all tie with 3:18 to go with back to back treys of his own putting Washburn up 38-37 as the Ichabods would lead by as many as five at 44-39 with under a minute to go before taking a 45-41 advantage into the break.

Lewis led the Ichabods with a career-high 20 points hitting 6 of 8 3-pointers going 7 of 10 overall from the field and Geiman had a career-best 19 hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers. Javion Blake scored 15 and Tyas Martin had 10.

Kinzer Lambert to lead the Lions (15-4, 6-3 MIAA) and Cam Martin had a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Washburn finished 32 of 70 from the field hitting 13 of 24 3-pointers and was 9 of 12 from the free throw line. The Lions were 26 of 51 overall hitting 10 of 20 3-pointers and missing only one free throw in the game connecting on 27 of 28.

The Lions held a 35 to 30 advantage on the glass and turned the ball over 14 times in the game while the Ichabods only committed six.

 Regional Rankings - as of Jan. 23

School Record Pts. LW

1 Northwest Missouri (5) 17-0 50 1

2 Washbur• 13-3 44 3

3 Northern State 14-4 35 2

T4 Southern Nazarene 15-3 29 6

T4 Wayne State 14-4 29 5

6 Missouri Souther• 14-4 28 4

7 Southern Arkansas 14-2 16 9

8 Sioux Falls 13-5 15 7

9 Pittsburg State 13-4 10 10

10 St. Cloud State 13-5 5 RV

Also receiving votes:  Lincoln (Neb.) - 3; Fort Hays State - 1

 Ichabod basketball history

• The Ichabods are 1,575-1,072-2 all-time in the 115th year in the program's history.

• Washburn is the 10th-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 596-277 since joining the conference and the NCAA.

• The Ichabods have recorded 27 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 442-87 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.

• The 2018-19 season marks the 34th 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 returns home to Lee Arena hosting Lincoln on Jan. 31 and Lindenwood on Feb. 2.