ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Back in the win column and back up against the Ichabods, Griffon Men's Basketball will travel to Topeka, Kansa, for a rematch with Washburn on Wednesday inside Lee Arena.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon MBB (14-6, 8-6 MIAA) will be broadcast on KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and analyst Rob Edmisson on the call. The games will air on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream. 
 
Games are also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western is tied with Pittsburg State and Rogers State for fourth place in the MIAA standings. Western beat both team's earlier this season.
• Western's 3-point defense is holding teams to 28.5%, good for first in the MIAA and second in NCAA Division II. 
• The Griffons are the third-best rebounding team in the conference, pulling down 36.2 rebounds per game. They are also third with 26.9 defensive rpg.
• Thanks to a rebounding margin of 4.4, MWSU is third in the MIAA.
• With 80 blocked shots, MWSU is third in the MIAA.
• Senior forward JaRon Thames is eighth in the MIAA with 15.8 ppg. 
• Thames is also fourth in the conference in field goals made with 124. His clip of 53% ranks 10th. Junior guard Taye Fields is 14th at 50.3%. 
• With 728 minutes played, Thames is ninth in the MIAA.
• Fields is second in the MIAA with 197 boards and 9.4 rpg, ranking him 17th and 21st in each category throughout DII.
• Fields also leads the MIAA with 60 offensive rebounds and 2.9 per game.
• Junior guard Julius Dixon is tied for 10th in the MIAA with 36 threes made. Senior guard Reese Glover is tied for 12th with 34 threes.
• Glover needs eight threes to hit 300 for his career, which would make him just the fifth player in MIAA history to do so.
• Fields is sixth in the MIAA with 84 assists. His 4.0 assists per game tie him for fifth as well.
• With 27 blocks, junior forward Kiani Saxon is sixth in the MIAA. Fields is eighth with 22 rejections.
• Fields achieved his third consecutive double-double against Nebraska Kearney, his sixth of the season and the 17th of his career.

2/7 - SCOUTING WASHBURN | 7:30 PM
Placed third in the conference, Washburn (14-7, 10-5 MIAA) is coming off a tough 75-66 loss at Northeastern State from last Saturday. While the Ichabods are just 4-6 on the road, they are 9-0 in Lee Arena, making them and Northwest Missouri State the only teams in the MIAA with undefeated home records. In fact, Washburn's last loss inside Lee Arena was at the hands of the Bearcats on Feb. 14, 2023.

Who to Watch
Junior forward Andrew Orr sets the pace for the 'Bods, averaging 13.5 ppg to place him 17th in the MIAA. Sophomore guard Sam Ungashick is right behind him in 20th place with 13.3 ppg. Defensively, Ungashick can also be sneaky, swiping the fifth-most steals in the MIAA with 32 this season.

Sophomore forward Brady Christiansen is a frequent visitor on the glass, averaging the fourth-most rebounds per game with 7.4. He's also tied for second in the MIAA with 2.5 offensive rpg. 

Head Coach
In season No. 7 as Washburn, Brett Ballard is 132-71. In his overall career, he is 165-101. Since joining Washburn in 2017, he is 10-6 vs. MWSU, 6-4 vs. Head Coach Will Martin and 5-1 when the Griffons visit Topeka.
 
Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
With Wednesday serving as the 106th meeting between the two schools, Washburn leads the series 61-44. The Ichabods are also 34-15 in Topeka when taking on MWSU. Coach Martin is 4-6 vs. Washburn and 1-2 in Lee Arena.

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Squaring off earlier this season on Dec. 16, Washburn defeated MWSU 83-77 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Thames led the Griffons with 16 points, and Fields led all players with 15 rebounds. Ungashick scored a game-high 26 points, making up for Orr's 2-of-11 from the field and seven-point showing. While Western shot 56.6% from the floor, Washburn won the rebounding battle 36-30, offensively outrebounding MWSU 16-3. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MBB HISTORY
Feb. 7 | Box Score
Back in 2015, the Griffons took down the MIAA-leading Lindenwood Lions 67-58 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. While Lindenwood was limited to 34.5% shooting, Cortrez Colbert led everyone with 23 points. He was complemented by Cole Clearman's 13-point effort, which was aided by a 3-of-5 performance from downtown.