Complete Game Notes (updated 1/15/08 with new national rankings)

Lady Blues looking to rebound from second loss of the season at Fort Hays State on Wednesday . . . 
The No. 8 ranked Lady Blues will look to rebound from a 50-45 loss at Northwest Missouri, which snapped their five-game winning streak, at Fort Hays State on Jan. 16 in Hays, Kan. The Lady Blues are 11-2 this season and currently in a three-way tie for second in the conference race with a 3-1 MIAA record.  The game will also be head coach Ron McHenry's second attempt at recording win No. 200 on the Lady Blues' bench. The Lady Tigers are 7-6 this season sporting a 1-3 conference mark. The Lady Tigers fell at Southwest Baptist 81-67 last time out. Following the game with Fort Hays State, the Lady Blues will return home for the first time in two weeks to play host to Truman at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 19.

Quick Facts
Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 33-25
Streaks: WU has won the last eight in the series
Last Meeting: WU 68-48 in Hays
Last WU win: same
Last FHSU win: 62-67, 12/3/94 in Topeka
Worth noting: The Lady Blues are 27-10 following a loss under eighth-year head coach Ron McHenry and 1-0 following a loss this season.
Matchup: Washburn (11-2, 3-1 MIAA) at Fort Hays State (7-6, 1-3 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 16
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Hays, Kan. - Memorial Coliseum (6,814)
Radio: AM 580 WIBW / Topeka with play by play with Mark Elliott and Bruce Steinbrock
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through themiaa.tv ($5.50)
Live Stats: none available
Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 199-39 (.836) in his eighth season - McHenry is 3-0 against Fort Hays State.
Annette Wiles is 131-80 in her eighth season at FHSU and 195-132 in her 15th season as a head coach. She is 0-4 in her career against WU going 0-3 at FHSU and 0-1 at Bethany.
Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 4 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Poll.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game with Central Missouri will be broadcast live on AM 580 WIBW with Mark Elliott calling the action and Bruce Steinbrock providing color commentary. The games will also be streamed live online by clicking the live audio button under Lady Blues Basketball on the WU web site at www.wusports.com by clicking the live audio link under Lady Blues Basketball.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 199-39 (.836) record overall and 100-27 (.787) record in the MIAA with four MIAA regular season championships from 2003-06 and the 2005 NCAA National Championship. He was named the Lady Blues head coach prior to the 2000-01 season. He is second among active women's NCAA Division II Coaches in winning percentage. McHenry was named the MIAA's Coach of the Year in 2005 and in 2006 and the Division II Bulletin National Coach of the Year in 2005. (complete bio on page 2 of notes.)
Fort Hays State head coach Annette Wiles is 131-80 in her eighth season at FHSU and 195-132 in her 15th season as a head coach. She is 0-4 in her career against WU going 0-3 at FHSU and 0-1 at Bethany.

Last Time Out for the Lady Blues . . .
Jan. 12, 2008 - Northwest Missouri 50, #4 Washburn 45, • MARYVILLE, Mo. – The No. 4 ranked Washburn Lady Blues were held to 16 points in the second half in a 50-45 loss at Northwest Missouri snapping the Lady Blues' five-game winning streak in a battle of the MIAA's only remaining undefeated conference teams. Washburn will be back in action on Wednesday at Fort Hays State. With the loss, Washburn fell to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.
A traditional 3-point play by Megan Schumacher cut the Washburn lead to 39-35, but Regiane Araujo had a putback to push the lead back to six at 41-35. After a 6-0 run, the Bearcats cut the lead to 41-40. The teams traded baskets and with 1:50 left, the Lady Blues committed one of their 17 turnovers. On the following possession, the Bearcats hit one of two free throws tying the score at 43 with 1:38 remaining. The Lady Blues turned the ball over in backcourt and the Bearcats were fouled on a drive and Meghan Brue hit both free throws giving the Bearcats a 45-43 lead with 1:20 to go.
Following a Northwest timeout, the Lady Blues missed a lay-up and Northwest was fouled with Brue going to the line hitting one of two free throws with 45.5 seconds remaining with a 46-43 lead. Stiger's 3-point attempt was off the mark and Amber Vandevender hit two free throws with 13.9 seconds left to seal the game handing the Lady Blues a five-point loss.
The Lady Blues held the Bearcats without a field goal for the final 4:29 of the first half as Washburn limited Northwest to 8 of 30 shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Washburn hit 10 of 30 from the field, but hit 6 of 14 from 3-point land including Corkey Stiger's 3 of 6. Janice Bright hit both of her two 3-pointers in the opening 50 seconds of the game staking Washburn to an early 6-0 lead. Washburn held a 25 to 18 advantage in the first half on the glass.
Washburn was held to six field goals in the second half and did not attempt a free throw in the second half as Washburn was eight of 29 in the half and 0 for 8 from behind the 3-point line. The Bearcats were also held to six field goals, but were 18 of 23 from the free throw line in the second half alone as they outscored Washburn 31 to 16 in the final period.
Washburn was led by Stiger who scored all her 11 points in the first half. She was the only Lady Blue to reach double figures in the game.
Washburn finished 18 of 59 from the field for the game (.305) but out shot the Bearcats, who finished 14 of 57 (.246) for the game. The free throw line was a contributing difference in the game as Washburn was 3 of 4 from the free throw line, while Northwest finished 19 of 25.

Notes from the Northwest Missouri Game . . .
Washburn is now 37-8 all-time against the Bearcats … Washburn had their seven-game winning streak over the Bearcats snapped … the Lady Blues fell to 190-8 when leading the game with under five minutes under head coach Ron McHenry … Washburn was also dropped to 65-2 all-time when holding their opponents to 50 or less points under McHenry … the six blocked shots against the Bearcats tied a season-high … the 45 points scored were a season-low …Washburn is now 680-322 all-time in the program's history … Washburn had won three straight games in Bearcat Arena … the 45 points was the lowest output for the Lady Blues since they scored 42 on Jan. 10, 2001 in a 65-42 loss at Emporia State.

Washburn/Fort Hays State series notes . . .
Wednesday's meeting will be the 59th in the series which started in 1970 with a FHSU 34-21 win. The Lady Blues lead the all-time series 33-25. The Lady Blues have won the last eight in a row and the four in Topeka. Washburn has also won the last eight meetings in Hays. The Lady Tigers have not won in Topeka since Dec. 3, 1994 in a 67-62 win over Washburn. The series with the Lady Tigers is the fifth most-played series despite not playing any games between 2001-06 when FHSU was part of the RMAC. The Lady Blues have played Missouri Western 73 times, Emporia State 72 times, Pittsburg State 65 times and Missouri Southern 60 times followed by the 58 all-time meetings with the Lady Tigers.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Fort Hays State . . .
(Feb. 21, 2007) HAYS, Kan. - The No. 6 Lady Blues had three players reach double figures and Amanda Holmes had her eighth double-double of the year as Washburn defeated Fort Hays State 68-48.
Holmes led the Lady Blues with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Keeley and Aebi also reached double figures in scoring. Ubelaker had 10 rebounds.
After a slow start for both teams the Lady Blues took an 11-point lead, 18-7 at 12:11. The Lady Tigers then cut it to six twice before Washburn went on an 11-0 run late in the half. Jessica Mainz and Sullivan each scored four points during the run. Washburn went into the locker room up 34-21 after shooting 42 percent and holding FHSU to 21 percent shooting. Aebi set a career high with four blocks, all in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half the Lady Blues kept the lead in the high teens and went up by a game-high 21, 53-32 with 11:18 remaining when Aebi hit a 3-pointer. The Lady Tigers had a chance to get within 10 as they had the ball down 13 with 3:14 left. The Tigers turned the ball over on that possession and then Keeley hit a 3 and WU ended on a 7-0 run to win by 20.
Washburn shot 36 percent in the second half and ended the game with a 39 percent effort. FHSU shot 23 percent on the game. The Lady Blues edged the Lady Tigers 43-42 on rebounds and won the turnover battle 10-16.
 
About Fort Hays State . . .
The Lady Tigers are 7-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play after falling at Southwest Baptist 81-67 in Bolivar, Mo., last time out.
Brianna Willhite leads a trio of Lady Tigers scoring in double figures with 13.9 points. Also averaging double-digit scoring is Sheena Kuntzsch and Naomi Bancroft with 13.6 and 12.0 respectively. Kuntzsch leads the Lady Tigers on the glass with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Fort Hays State is last in the league in scoring averaging 66.5 points per game. Defensively, the Lady Tigers are tied for fourth in scoring defense allowing 63.8 points per game and second in steals with 11.6 per game.

Last time out for Fort Hays State . . .
 (Jan. 12, 2008) -- BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The Southwest Baptist Lady Bearcats won their third straight MIAA game, beating the Lady Tigers from Fort Hays State, 81-67, Saturday night at the Meyer Sports Center.
Freshman G Courtney Heady scored a career-high 19 points to lead the attack for SBU (11-2, 3-1 MIAA).
The Lady Bearcats never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 12-5 lead early, and building their advantage to 26 with 6:30 to play in the game.
SBU shot 49.3 percent from the field, but was out-rebounded by the Lady Tigers (7-6, 1-3 MIAA), 42-29. SBU forced 28 turnovers by Fort Hays State, and had 18 steals.
Senior G Erika Souza added 14 points to continue her streak of scoring double figures in every game. She also dished out seven assists. Sophomore G Rachel Graves scored 13 points and had 6 assists.
Senior F Brianna Willhite led the Lady Tigers with 20 points, while sophomore G Naomi Bancroft added 11.

Lady Blues Player Notes . . .
#3 – Brette Ulsaker – G – Three of six from the field in the last three games … three of seven from 3-point land in the second half of games this season.
#4 – Amanda Holmes – F – Averaging 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games against the Lady Tigers … ranked 20th in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in rebounds (10. 3 ppg, 8.0 rpg).
#11 – Renata Germano – C – Recorded 100th career rebound against Northwest Missouri last time out … 11 of 24 from the field in the first half of games this season.
#13 – Jessica Mainz – G – Averaging 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.5 steals in 2 games vs FHSU … seventh in the MIAA in assists (3.69 per game) and second in assist/turnover ration (2.4 to 1)
#14 – Alyssa Mullen – F – Hit only field goal attempt against Central Missouri on Jan. 5.
#20 – Hadleigh Meek – G – Hit only field goal attempt against Central Missouri on Jan. 5 … has seen action in all 13 games this season.
#21 – Corkey Stiger – G – Double figure scoring in 10 of 13 games this season … averaging 16.8 ppg in games the Lady Blues have won this season.
#23 – Jacki Tipping – G – Both rebounds are offensive this season.
#24 – Karla Tailele – G – 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the last three games … was a junior college teammate of FHSU's Sheena Kuntzsch at Hutchinson Community College.
#30 – Kalee Silovsky – F – Nine rebounds against MWSU was a career high … eight of 16 from the field in the second half of games this season.
#32 – Janice Bright – G – Eight rebounds against NWMSU tied a career high … ranked third in the MIAA in free throw percentage hitting  34 of 42 (.810).
#33 – Hope Gregory – G – Averaging 2 offensive rebounds per game in last three contests … this season is shooting 4 of 17 from the field in the first half of games this season (.235) and 10 of 19 (.526) in the second half.
#44 – Emily Gibson – F – Tied season high with eight minutes played against UMSL
#50 – Regiane Araujo – C – 12 of 23 from the field in the last four games (6.8 points per game).

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 294-55 (.841) overall at home. 
The longest winning streak was 44 games from Dec. 1, 1990 to March 20, 1993.
The Lady Blues have won 35 straight regular season non-conference games in Lee Arena. The last defeat by a non-conference team in the regular season was to Missouri-St. Louis in a 59-51 setback on Dec. 30, 2000.
Washburn is 102-10 (.910) in home games under Ron McHenry.

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 680-322 (.680 in 1,002 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
The Washburn Lady Blues remained No. 4 latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll which was released Jan. 8. Washburn was ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll which was released on Oct. 31. The Lady Blues were ranked No. 8 in the final poll of the 2007-08 season after finishing with a 29-4 overall record. The poll marks the 94th consecutive week the Lady Blues have been ranked.

Lady Blues Tip Ins . . .
• Corkey Stiger moved into seventh all-time at Washburn in 3-pointers with 86. She need seven more to move into seventh place all-time.
• Stiger's 258 3-point attempts is seventh all-time.
• Amanda Holmes is 14th all-time with 206 free throws made and 14th as well in free throw attempts with 306.
• Holmes is 15th all-time in rebounds at Washburn with 493. She needs 14 to move into 14th all-time and 15 to move into 13th.
• Holmes' 90 career blocked shots is fifth all-time at Washburn needing two to move into sole possession of fourth place.
• The Lady Blues have not allowed an opponent to shoot above 50 percent in a game in a streak of 84 contests - Angelo State was the last opponent to hit 50 percent of their shots in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Springfield when they connected on 26 of 52 shots on March 12, 2005.  Under McHenry, the Lady Blues are 194-35 when their opponent shoots under 50 percent overall. Washburn is 4-4 when their opponents shoot over 50 percent.
• The Lady Blues have held their opponents under 100 points in 264 consecutive games.
• Opponents are scoring an average of 6.2 more points in the second half (29.7) compared to 23.5 in the first half of games this season.
• Washburn has averaged 71.0 ppg in its 11 wins and 46.0 ppg in its two losses.
• In the 11 wins, Washburn is shooting 42 percent from the field, in the two losses they are shooting 30 percent.
• In the two losses, Washburn is 9 of 36 from 3-point range (.250) and 76 of 235 (.323) in the 11 wins.

Under Lady Blues head coach Ron McHenry . . .
• In going for his 200th win in his 239th game on the Lady Blues bench, Ron McHenry is looking to accomplish the feat faster than the Lady Blues' all-time winningest coach by victories in Patty Dick, who won her 200th game in her 307th game on the Washburn bench.
• The Lady Blues are 169-8 when outshooting their opponent.
• Washburn is 65-2 when holding their opponents under 50 points or less. The lone loss was to Missouri Western on Jan. 27, 2007 in a 49-47 loss in St. Joseph, Mo.
• Washburn is 70-0 when they score at least 80 points.
• Washburn is 190-8 when leading with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
• Washburn is 58-2 when shooting 50 percent or better.
• Washburn is 48-18 all-time in the month of January.
• Washburn is 29-19 against ranked teams and 27-11 when both teams are ranked in the WBCA National Poll.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues will return home for the first time since Jan.  5 when they will face Truman on Jan. 19. Following the game with the Bulldogs, the Lady Blues will have two more road games at Southwest Baptist on Jan. 22 and at Pittsburg State on Jan. 26 before returning home to play 7 of their final 10 MIAA games in Lee Arena.