• The Washburn Ichabods are back on the road facing Missouri Southern on Thursday in Joplin, Mo. looking for their third win in a row.
• The Ichabods (8-6, 5-3 MIAA) defeated Missouri Western last time out on Jan. 8 in Topeka in a 76-64 victory winning for the fourth time in their last five games.
• The Lions (8-4, 4-1 MIAA) are coming off a 72-71 win over Northeastern State on Jan. 11 in Tahlequah after trailing by as many as nine points in the second half scoring the go-ahead bucket with 35 seconds to play.
• The Lions have only played two games since Dec. 18 (81-66 win over Lincoln) and Tuesday's game with Northeastern State after having their games with Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri rescheduled due to Covid protocols.
• The Ichabods lead the series with Missouri Southern 49-36 with the Lions winning the last meeting on Feb. 25, 2021 in Joplin in an 89-80 win. Overall the Lions have won five of the last six meetings.
• The 2021-22 season marks the 117th season of Ichabod basketball.
• Washburn was picked second both the MIAA Coaches and Media preseason polls. • Jalen Lewis leads the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg hitting 34 of 84 3-pointers.
• Michael Keegan is scoring 10.9 ppg with team-highs of 6.3 rebounds per game, 1.2 blocks per game and 1.6 steals per game … he is averaging 7.9 rpg in MIAA play … he leads the MIAA in blocked shots, ranked seventh in the MIAA in rebounds, 10th in steals and 14th in minutes played.
• Tyler Geiman is averaging 10.4 ppg with 5.4 rpg and 6.3 apg in seven games this season … Geiman went over the 600 assist plateau against Missouri Western and he needs eight more rebounds to reach 600 rebounds in his career … Geiman is also ranked second in the NCAA D2 ranks in active assists with 602 and 12th in assist average at 4.9.
• Tyler Nelson is scoring 10.5 ppg with 2.0 rpg and 2.5 apg in two games playing an average of 25 minutes a game.
• Jeremy Harrell is fifth on the team in scoring at 8.9 ppg in 16.9  minutes per game averaging 9.3 ppg in MIAA play.
• Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 8.6 ppg with 2.3 rpg and has raised his scoring to 9.4 ppg in conference play.
• Levi Braun scoring 6.6 ppg and 7.4 ppg in MIAA play and has hit 16 of 35 3-point field goals in conference play.
• Tyler Geiman became the 26th member of Washburn's 1,000-point club and his career point total stands at 1,465 points in 122 career games, which is ninth all-time on the Ichabod chart … next on the chart is Dan Buie who scored 1,484 in two seasons from 1995-97 … Geiman's 213 career 3-pointers is third all-time at Washburn and his 579 career 3-point attempts is second behind Shannon Kruger's 584.
• Jalen Lewis is currently 15th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart with 1,226 career points in 102 career games … Lewis also became only the sixth Ichabod to go over the 200 made 3-pointers mark now sitting with 231 which ranks second behind all-time leader Shannon Kruger who hit 242 in 122 games.
• Michael Keegan tied a career-high with 12 field goal attempts against Missouri Western.
• Jalen Lewis had a career-high 12 3-point field goal attempts against Missouri Western.
• Andrew Orr had career-highs of three free throw makes and four attempts against the Griffons.
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
•is 90-44 in his fifth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 123-74 overall in his eighth year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to three NCAA postseason appearances in four full 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 2-5 against Missouri Southern.
 
MISSOURI SOUTHERN HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE
• is in his eighth season as the head coach at Missouri Southern going 145-75.
• 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 9-2 against the Ichabods. • Missouri Southern (8-4, 5-1 MIAA) has won its last two games after defeating Northeastern State 72-71 on Jan. 11 in Tahlequah.
• The Lions are playing on their third game since Dec. 18 against the Ichabods.
• RJ Smith leads the team in scoring at 20.5 ppg while Stan Scott is scoring 15.0 ppg. Winston Dessesow is scoring 13.2 ppg and Christian Bundy is scoring 11.9 ppg. Smith also leads the team in rebounding at 9.5 per game. Bundy is averaging 1.1 blocks per game.
• The Lions are averaging 75.2 ppg while allowing 76.9 ppg.
• The Lions have been outscored 448 to 394 in the first half of games this season. (Jan. 8, 2022) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team ushered in the 2022 calendar season with a 76-64 win over Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon in Lee Arena. Washburn will be back in action on Thursday at Missouri Southern starting a two-game road trip wrapping up with Pittsburg State on Jan. 15. 
The Ichabods trailed 5-0 to start the game but a 14-2 run over the next 3:15 pushed Washburn up 14-7 as the Griffons led for only 1:53 of the game as the Ichabods took a 40-25 lead into the break as Jalen Lewis connected on one of his six 3-pointers on the day to end the first stan• a scoring.
In the second half the Ichabods (8-6, 5-3 MIAA) would lead by as many as 20 in the second half with 14 minutes to play over the Griffons (8-8, 4-4 MIAA) who would cut the lead back down to nine with 1:22 to play after a 14-5 run but it would be as close as Missouri Western would get in the 12-point win for the Ichabods in their third-straight win over the Griffons.
Lewis, who scored 20 points in the first half, led all scorers with 25 points going 6 of 12 from deep. Michael Keegan had 14 points and Tyler Nelson had 10 off the bench. Tyler Geiman had seven points with eight assists and six rebounds. He also became the second Ichabod in program history to go over the 600-assist plateau joining Jordan Canfield who finished with a school-record 756 assists.
JaQualon Mays led the Griffons with 23 points and Will Eames had 15.
Washburn finished 26 of 67 from the field while hitting 12 of 29 shots from 3-point range and 12 of 18 from the charity stripe. The Griffons were 24 of 59 and 8 of 27 from 3-point range going 8 of 13 from the line.
  • Thursday's meeting will be 86th between these two schools in a series that dates back to 1968-69.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 49-36 … the Ichabods have averaged 78 points a game against the Lions in the 84 previous meetings.
• Washburn is 30-12 against the Lions in home games and 18-21 in road contests.
• 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 Lee Arena, the Ichabods are 23-8.
• 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. (March 13, 2021) JOPLIN, Mo. – The No. 25 ranked Washburn Ichabods fell to Missouri Southern, 89-80, on Thursday night at Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.
The Ichabods opened scoring as Tyler Nelson sank a three-pointer 30 seconds into the game to give Washburn an early 3-0 lead. The Lions answered a short 15 seconds later to make the score 3-2. For the rest of the first half, Washburn and Missouri Southern wrestled back-and-forth for possession as the score was tied nine times and the lead changed twice. The Lions had their largest lead (34-27) with 6:58 left in the half. The Ichabods extended their lead to 47-40 with 55 seconds on the clock, but the Lions continued to fight back, ending the first half with Washburn leading Missouri Southern, 47-44.
Washburn held on to its lead for the first few minutes of the second half until Missouri Southern tied the score up at 54 at the 16:50 mark. Another back-and-forth battle ensued in the next six minutes in which the Lions tied the score two more times and the Ichabods regained their lead twice more. Missouri Southern took their first lead (67-64) in the 11th minute. Washburn regained a 74-73 lead with a Connor Deffebaugh dunk with 7:12 left on the clock. Missouri Southern regained the lead with 4:31 on the clock to take a 77-76 lead. This one-point deficit would be the closest the Ichabods were for the rest of the game as the Lions went on a 12-4 run in the last four minutes, leading Washburn to a 89-80 loss to Missouri Southern.
Nelson scored a career-high 25 points with seven rebounds. He was 10-for-18 from the field on the night. Tyler Geiman followed closely behind with 21 points and a team-high six assists and two steals.
Cam Martin led the Lions with 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
Washburn scored 14 points off Missouri Southern's turnovers, as the Lions countered with eight points off Ichabods turnovers. Washburn scored 19 points off the bench and Missouri Southern countered with 15 points.
  • The Ichabods are 1629-1103-2 all-time in the 117th 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 647-300 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 29 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 15 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  •  The Ichabods are 471-98 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•  The 2021-22 season marks the 38th season of play in Lee Arena.
•  The Ichabods are 37-1 all-time in home openers.
•  The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • Washburn will be on the road again on Saturday at Pittsburg State before returning home to face No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri on Monday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.