> The Washburn Ichabods return to Lee Arena on Thursday for a match-up with the No. 19-ranked Missouri Southern Lions.
> Washburn (12-8, 7-4 MIAA) had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 59-56 loss at Central Missouri last time out.
> The Lions are 16-4 overall and 9-2 in the MIAA after falling at home in a 105-93 loss to Rogers State ending a 26-game homecourt winning streak for the Lions.
> The Ichabods and Lions met back on Dec. 7 in Joplin with the Lions taking a 90-83 win.
> The Ichabods have lost the last three meetings to the Lions in Lee Arena.
> The Ichabods were tabbed third in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Preseason Media Polls for the second year in a row which were released on Oct. 9 at the MIAA Basketball Media Day in Kansas City.
  > Tyler Geiman leads the Ichabods in scoring at 15.0 ppg as well as assists (5.8) and minutes (35.2) and he is tied for second in rebounds (6.0) after recording a carer-high 16 against Central Missouri last time out.
> Geiman has 127 3-pointers in his Washburn career … he is 11th on the all-time 3-point chart.
> Geiman's 352 career assists at Washburn and is now second all-time on the Ichabod chart … the Ichabod all-time leader is Jordan Canfield (1992-97) who had 756, which is second on the MIAA career chart.
>  Jalen Lewis is scoring 13.2 ppg while Drew Maschoff is scoring 11.1 ppg and Jonny Clausing is scoring 10.0 ppg.
>  Clausing leads the team in rebounds at 7.6 rpg (fourth in the MIAA) … he also leads the team in blocks at 2.1 per game which leads the MIAA and is also 19th in the latest national rankings and his total blocks is 16th overall nationwide.
> Rathen Carter is scoring 6.5 ppg with 2.2 rpg … he scored a career-high 18 points last time out against Central Missouri and had a previous career-best 14 against Lincoln the game before … since moving into a starting role five games ago, he is averaging 10.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
> Keven Biggs is scoring 6.4 ppg off the bench after starting the first 12 games of the season.
> Jace Williams is scoring 5.1 ppg while shooting 74 percent from the field since joining the team after the conclusion of football season playing 14 games this season.
> Tyler Nelson is scoring 4.6 ppg and Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 3.7 ppg.
> The Ichabods are currently ninth in the MIAA in field goal percentage at .452 and they rank sixth in field goal defense at .427.
> The Ichabods are currently eighth in the MIAA in scoring average at 73.9 ppg and they rank fourth in scoring defense at 68.1 ppg.
> The Ichabods are 13th in free throw percentage in the MIAA shooting 67 percent.
> During the last five minutes of games however the Ichabods are shooting 79 percent from the free throw line as a team  hitting 88 of 101 attempts … Jalen Lewis is 38 of 41 (93 percent) in the last five minutes of games this season and 48 of 53 ( 91percent) for his Washburn career.
> Tyler Geiman is third in the MIAA in assists (5.8 apg) and is second in the MIAA in minutes per game at 35.3 and is ninth in scoring while ranking 12th in rebounds and fifth in 3-pointers made per game.
  > The Ichabods are within two games of becoming the 10th team in NCAA Division II history to join the 1,600-win club.
Team              Years   W        L    Pct.
Central Wash.         118    1,752      960    .647
McKendree               111     1,719      951    .644
Central Mo.              114    1,716      988    .636
Northern St.             117     1,693     942    .642
William Jewell         121    1,656   1,219   .577
Drury                         111     1,636     921    .639
Fairmont St.              96     1,616      909    .639
Ky. Wesleyan           112    1,607     836    .660
Fort Hays St.           111     1,604     936    .632
Washburn                 114    1,598   1,083 .595
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
>  is 58-26 in his third season as the Ichabods' head coach and 91-56 overall in his fifth year as a head coach.
>  has led the Ichabods to two NCAA postseason appearances in both seasons at Washburn.
>  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 1-4 against Missouri Southern.
 
MISSOURI SOUTHERN HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE
> is in his fifth season as the head coach at Missouri Southern and has gone 117-57.
> served four seasons as an assistant and associate head coach.
> was named the head coach of the Lions on July 1, 2014.
> spent three years at the Barstow School in Kansas City where in 2010 his team went 22-4.
> was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 1999-2000 and was a third team All-Big 12 pick his senior season. He helped lead the Jayhawks to a Final Four appearance in 2002 and previously held the conference record for three pointers made in a career with 338.
> holds the Kansas record for three's made in a career and is second all-time in games started.
> is 6-1 against Washburn.
  CENTRAL MISSOURI 59 (9-11, 4-7 MIAA)
WASHBURN 56 (12-8, 7-4 MIAA)
FEB. 1, 2019
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods jumped out to an early lead but could not hold on in a game that saw 50 combined fouls in a 59-56 loss at Central Missouri on Saturday snapping the Ichabods' four-game winning streak.
With the Ichabods trailing by three with eight seconds left, Washburn (12-8, 7-4 MIAA) was unable to get a shot off down the stretch as taking the three-point loss in a game that saw all points for both teams after the 6:04 mark of the game come at the free throw line.
In the opening half, the Ichabods led by as many as 15 at 23-8 over Central Missouri but went cold from the field not hitting a field goal the final 5:09 of the frame. The Mules finished the half on a 12-1 run going 5 of 6 from the field while the Ichabods were 0 of 6 from the field, 0 of 5 from deep and 1 of 4 from the free throw line as the Mules cut the lead to two at the break. Washburn also committed nine turnovers in the first half going 10 of 27 from the field.
The Ichabods after being down by four in the second half at 53-49 went on to take a 55-53 lead with 2:35 to play but was outscored the rest of the way by the Mules 6 to 1 the final 1:13 of the game as the Ichabods missed eight of their final nine shots from the field.
Rathen Carter led the Ichabods scoring 18 points setting a career high while Tyler Geiman has 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for his fifth double double of the season adding five assists.
Washburn finished 10 of 18 from the free throw line while Central Missouri connected on 19 of 29 attempts. Washburn was whistled for 27 fouls while the Mules had 23. The Ichabods committed 16 turnovers leading to 14 Mule points. The Ichabods had a 42 to 35 advantage on the glass. Washburn finished the game 19 of 53 from the field and 8 of 28 from deep while the Mules were 17 of 49 overall and 6 of 16 from 3-point range.
  > The Lions are 16-4 this season and 9-2 in the MIAA after falling 105-93 to Rogers State on Feb. 1 in Joplin snapping a 26-game homecourt winning streak.
> Cam Martin leads the team in scoring at 21.4 ppg with 9.2 rebounds a game …he is 109 of 139 from the free throw line and has hit 19 of 57 3-pointers.
> Elyjah Clark is scoring 12.5 ppg with 5.6 rpg and Kinzer Lambert is averaging 12.0 ppg.
> As a team the Lions are averaging 84.9 ppg while allowing 81.7 ppg holding opponents to .427 shooting.
> The Lions are 5-3 in away games this season and 2-0 in neutral site games.
  > Thursday's meeting will be 83rd between these two schools in a series that dates back to 1968-69.
> Washburn leads the all-time series 48-34.
> The Ichabods have lost eight of the last nine in the series.
> Washburn is 25-19 in MIAA games against the Lions and 10-15 on the road against MSSU since joining the league in 1989-90.
> 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 29-11 overall and 22-8 in games played in Lee Arena.
> The teams have met three times 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., and March 16, 2019 in Maryville, Mo. with the Lions winning 101-100.
> The 110-73 win by the Lions over the Ichabods in Joplin on Dec. 7, 2013 was the largest defeat suffered by an Ichabod team since joining the NCAA Division II ranks.
  WASHBURN 83 (4-4)
MISSOURI SOUTHERN 90 (7-1)
Jan. 7, 2019
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Washburn men's basketball fell 90-83 to No. 15 Missouri Southern on Sat., Dec. 7. The Ichabods are now 4-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Tyler Geiman led the Ichabods with 23 points shooting 5 for 7 from the 3PT line.
Washburn took off at the start of the game leading 15-8 after the first five minutes of the game. Drew Maschoff lead the team in scoring in the first half with eight points scoring the first seven points for the Ichabods.
In the last five minutes of the first half, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to take the lead over Washburn. At the end of the first half, Washburn trailed by 4 to the Lions, 43-39.
Washburn started off the second half cold, until Maschoff scored the first points for the team three minutes into the game. Lions increased their lead to 70-51 over the Ichabods with 12 minutes left in the game.
With three minutes left in the game, Jalen Lewis scored a 3PT shot that started the Ichabods come back. Trailing by 13 points, the Ichabods scored 14 points in three minutes. The last minute push was not enough, and the Ichabods fell to the Lions by seven points.
Geiman was the leading scorer for the Ichabods and of the game, along with dishing out four assists. Maschoff scored 12 points for the team. Jonny Clausing snatched 12 rebounds for the team. Jalen Lewis scored 13 points for the Ichabods and was 3 for 5 from the 3PT line.
  >  The Ichabods are 1598-1083-2 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 617-284 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
>  The Ichabods have recorded 28 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.
  >  The Ichabods are 453-92 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
>  The 2019-20 season marks the 36th 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.
  >  The Ichabods will face Pittsburg State on Feb. 8 in Lee Arena at 3 p.m.