Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will open up a two-game homestand Wednesday night as the Lions play host to Washburn University in a huge MIAA matchup between the league's two hottest teams. Tip off from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is slated for 7:30 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (11-6, 6-2 MIAA) vs. Washburn (13-3, 7-0 MIAA)
Date: January 17, 2018
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Robert Corn Court/Leggett & Platt Athletic Center
Series Record: Washburn leads 47-31
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (67-41 overall/at MSSU - 4th year). Brett Ballard (46-33 overall/13-3 at Washburn)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - Fox Sports Joplin - 101.3, 103.5 FM, AM 1560 KXMS 88.7 FM
Internet Audio: http://www.mssulions.com
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/mssu/mbball
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
Washburn holds a 47-31 lead in the series, but Southern has won 15 out of the last 19 games. The series is tied 18-18 in games played in Joplin, and Washburn holds a 29-11 vs. MSSU in Topeka. The Lions lead 2-1, on neutral floors.The Lions have had few winning streaks in the series. The longest, five games, is the current streak and also spanned the years of 2007-09. The Ichabods won 11-straight from February 1984 through February 1989. Missouri Southern's most convincing victory was 37 points, 110-73, in 2013-14. Washburn's largest victory margin was 38 points, 94-56, and came in the 88-89 season.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
CJ Carr ranks 21st in total steals and 29th in total assists, while ranking 26th in assists per game and 27th in steals per game. Elyjah Clark ranks sixth nationally in three's per game, while ranking 19th in three point percentage, 22nd in three point attempts and 29th in total three's made.
MIAA Individual Leaders
Carr leads the MIAA in assists per game, steals per game, total assists and total steals, while Clark leads the league in total three's made, and ranks second in three point attempts and three point percentage.
MIAA Team Leaders
The Lions rank second in the MIAA in scoring, three pointer per game and total three pointers made, while ranking third in three point percentage.
Freshman of the Year
Elyjah Clark was the MIAA Freshman of the Year last season. His is the sixth Lion in the history of the program to earn that honor, joining Carlos Newberry (96-97), Carlos Escalera (99-00), Skyler Bowlin (07-08), Jason Adams (08-09), and Marquis Addison (10-11).
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 159-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Home Sweet Home
Missouri Southern can count on some of the best fan support in Division II. The Lions rank 10th nationally in home attendance this season, averaging 1,440 n fans per game. That number is fourth in the MIAA.
Super Tuesday
The Lions won their first game of the year on a Tuesday night against Randall. In Jeff Boschee's tenure, the team is 5-0 on Tuesdays.
Three's Company
The Lions shattered the previous MSSU school record for three pointers in a game against Randall as Southern made 20 three pointers against the Saints. The previous record of 15 was set in 2003 against St. Gregory's.
Holy Points Batman
The Lions scored 110 points in a win over Randall. The 110 points were the most the team has scored since they scored 113 against Southwest Baptist in 2014.
Northwest Non-Norms
Northwest Missouri came into the game with the Lions giving up 58.1 points per game and Southern scored 81 points against the Defending National Champions. The Bearcats also had averaged eight turnovers per game, while the Lions forced 11 Northwest miscues.
Comeback Kids
The Lions trailed by as many as 15 points with eight minutes left in the first half against Northwest Missouri, but closed the half to trail by just three. Southern eventually led by ten twice in the second half and won by six points. Against Missouri Western, the Lions trailed by nine midway through the second half before making the comeback.
CJ Taketh and Giveth
CJ Carr leads the MIAA in both steals and assists this season, while ranking 27th and 26th nationally in both those categories.
Clutch Free Throw Shooting
Southern was clutch at the charity stripe when it counted against Northwest Missouri. The Lions made 13-14 free throws in the final minute against the Bearcats.
High Scorer
CJ Carr scored 27 points against Northwest Missouri and that mark is the most points allowed to a single opposing player this year by the Bearcats.
Late Scoring
The Lions and Northwest Missouri combined to score 25 points in the final minute of the game.
Player Of The Week
For the second-straight week, the Lions have the MIAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week as Elyjah Clark was the MIAA Co-Player of the Week this week.
Taking Down The Best ... Again
Northwest Missouri lost the final game of the 2015-16 season to eventual National Champion Augustana in the finals of the Central Region Championship. The Bearcats, since then, are 47-2 in their last 49 games, including the 2016-17 National Championship. Both losses have come at the hands of the Lions at home inside Leggett & Platt.
New Career High
Elyjah Clark set a new career high in scoring against Lindenwood this week. He scored 28 points on 6-10 from the field, 6-9 from long-range and 10-10 from the free throw line.
We're Going Streaking ... Not To The Quad
The Lions are in the middle of a five-game winning streak. That streak matches the five-game streak in the 2014-15 season and is the second-most since the 2013-14 season when the team won 10 in a row.
College Teammates
Jeff Boschee and Washburn head coach Brett Ballard were college teammates at the University of Kansas from 2001-2003.
Streaky Stats
During this five-game winning streak, the Lions are out scoring their opponents by a margin of 16 per game and are shooting 48 percent from the field and long-range.
Lions On The Radio
The majority of the Lions games this season can be heard on the Missouri Southern Radio Network in Joplin. Southern is partnering with Fox Sports Joplin, the Lions can be heard on 101.3 FM, 103.5 FM, 88.7 FM and AM 1560.
Lions on TV
All Missouri Southern conference home games will be brought to you live this season courtesy of KGCS TV in Joplin. Fans can catch the action over the air live on Digital Channel 22 as well as on local cable systems.
Up Next
Southern will continue its home stand Saturday as the Lions play host to Emporia State at 3:30 pm.
