Complete Game Notes

No. 8 Lady Blues look to return to winning ways wrapping a stretch of 5 of 8 MIAA road games at Pittsburg State . . . 
The No. 8 Washburn Lady Blues (13-3, 5-2 MIAA) will look to return to their winning ways as they travel to Pittsburg State (8-8, 2-5 MIAA) as they finish a stretch of five of eight games road games to open the MIAA slate on the road. The Lady Blues enter the Pitt State contest in a three-way tie with Northwest Missouri and Southwest Baptist for the top spot in the conference standings. Washburn dropped an 66-61 decision to Southwest Baptist on Jan. 22 last time out in Bolivar, Mo. The Gorillas dropped their fourth straight game falling 77-75 at Missouri Western. Following the game with the Gorillas, Washburn will return to Lee Arena and finish the regular season with seven of 10 games at home to finish the MIAA schedule beginning with Missouri Southern on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m.

Quick Facts...
Matchup: Washburn (13-3, 5-2 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (8-8, 2-5 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Pittsburg, Kan. - John Lance Arena (6,500)
Radio: KTPK / 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: pittstategorillas.com/womensbasketball/livestats/xlive.htm
Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 201-40 (.834) in his eighth season - McHenry is 13-2 against Pittsburg State.
Pittsburg State is led by first-year head coach Lane Lord, who spent four seasons at Barton County where he was 77-21. He is 8-8 at Pitt State.
Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 8 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Poll.
Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 41-24
Streaks: WU has won the last 13 in the series
Last Meeting: WU 73-56 in Pittbsurg on Feb. 3, 2007
Last WU win: same
Last PSU win: 69-57 on Feb. 10, 2001 in Topeka
Worth noting: Washburn is 28-10 following a loss under McHenry … WU has won the last six games in Pittsburg since a 73-54 loss on Jan. 13, 2001

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game with Pittsburg State will be broadcast live on KTPK 106.9 FM 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 201-40 (.834) record overall and 103-28 (.786) record in the MIAA with four MIAA regular season championships from 2003-06 and the 2005 NCAA National Championship. McHenry has the highest winning percentage (.837) in MIAA history of coaches who have at least 200 wins.
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.)
Pittsburg State head coach Lane Lord is in his first season on the Gorillas bench, where he has compiled a record of 8-8, and 2-5 in the MIAA. While at Barton County, he compiled a 77-21 (.786) overall record, posting 22 or more victories each year. He compiled a 141-62 (.695) record in nine seasons at Wichita Heights High School, including an 89-8 (.918) record and a pair of Kansas Class 6A state titles during his final four years at the post..

Last Time Out for the Lady Blues . . .
Jan. 22, 2008 - Southwest Baptist 66, #8 Washburn 61 • BOLIVAR, Mo. – The No. 8 Washburn Lady Blues had its 15-game winning streak over Southwest Baptist snapped in a 66-61 setback in the Meyers Sports Center.Washburn falls to 13-3 and 5-2 in the MIAA – a record which matches the Lady Bearcats. Washburn will be back in action at Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 26.
Washburn trailed by one, 35-34 at the break after Corkey Stiger scored 14 of her game-high 24 points.
In the second half, there were seven score ties and six lead changes after SBU would push its lead to no more than four in the second half at 50-46 with 9:15 left in the game.
Washburn would 13-6 run to take a 59-54 lead with 4:06 left after Brette Ulsaker hit a lay-up following an offensive rebound.
Following an SBU 3-pointer cutting the lead to two, Hope Gregory hit a putback extending Washburn's lead back to four at 61-57.
SBU hit four straight free throws tying the score at 61 with 1:33 left.
The Lady Bearcats' Erika Souza hit a breakaway lay-up to put the lead to two at 63-61 with 1:04 remaining. After an SBU free throw with 17 seconds left, Washburn's Stiger drove the lane and missed her free throws – the second intentionally with five seconds left. SBU rebounded and hit a pair of free throws to seal the game.
Stiger's 24 points finished one shy of a career-high 25 scored against Texas A&M-Commerce earlier this season. Janice Bright scored 13 before coming out the final 7:14 of the game with an injury. Bright also had a team-high seven rebounds.
Erika Souza led SBU with 21 points and Kelly Reinkemeyer had a double double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Washburn finished 21 of 60 from the field hitting 35 percent of their shots while SBU finished 24 of 55 for a 44 percent clip. Washburn was held with out a field goal for the final 2:58 of the game.
From the free throw line, Washburn was 15 of 26 compared to SBU's 13 of 15.
Washburn outrebounded SBU 40 to 37 in a game which saw 11 lead changes overall and nine ties.

Notes from the Southwest Baptist game . . .
The loss to SBU snapped a 15-game winning streak by the Lady Blues … the win by the Lady Bearcats was the first over Washburn since Feb. 3, 2001 in a 73-65 win in Topeka … Washburn fell to 12-2 this season when leading with five minutes remaining … Washburn is now 24-11 all-time against SBU … the loss also snapped a six-game winning streak by Washburn over SBU in Bolivar … the 66 points given up by Washburn was the second-most points scored by an opponent this season (76 vs Texas A&M-Commerce).

Washburn/Pittsburg State series notes . . .
Saturday's meeting is the 66th in the series.Washburn is 41-24 all-time against the Gorillas. Washburn has won the last 13 meetings in the series and the last six in Topeka. The Lady Blues have also won the last six in Pittsburg. The Lady Blues own a neutral court win over the Gorillas in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City in the quarterfinals of the 2004 tourney winning 71-58. The last Gorillas win in the series came in Topeka on Feb. 10, 2001 in Lee Arena by a score of 69-57. Pitt State is 11-22 all-time in Topeka and 6-16 all-time in Lee Arena.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Pittsburg State . . .
(Feb. 3, 2007) PITTSBURG, Kan. – Corkey Stiger scored a career-high 25 points leading the No. 5 Washburn Lady Blues to a 73-56 win over Pittsburg State.
With the Lady Blues holding on to a 36-35 lead in the second half, Stiger scored 11 straight points to push Washburn up 35-45. The Lady Blues continued on their 23-6 run stretching the lead to 18.
In the first half, both teams struggled from the field as the Gorillas shot 35 percent hitting 10 of 29 shots, but the Lady Blues were held to 32 percent shooting. The Lady Blues were 2 of 12 in the first half from behind the 3-point arch while the Gorillas hit three of their four attempts. Stiger came off the bench to jump start a slow-starting offense scoring six of her 10 first half points in a 4:17 stretch.
Stiger's career high of 25 topped her previous high of 21 scored against Northwood in Hawaii. Stiger was 11 of 16 from the field.
Amanda Holmes tied her then-career high with 19, with 11 in the second half. Holmes was 6 of 12 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free throw line. Brooke Ubelaker scored 10 points, hitting double figures for the 93rd time in her 122 career games.
Washburn shot 42 percent from the field improving on its 32 percent average from the first half. Washburn out rebounded the Gorillas 40 to 34 and forced 20 turnovers.
 
About Pittsburg State . . .
Pittsburg State is 8-8 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA. The Gorllas have dropped their last four games falling last time out at Missouri Western 77-75. Brianna Buchanan leads the Gorillas scoring 14.8 ppg, while averaging 15.3 ppg in MIAA play. Buchanan leads Pitt State on the boards as well averaging 6.5 per contest. Also averaging in double figures is DePrice Taylor at 11.0 ppg.
As a team, PSU is shooting 39.8 percent from the field (414-1041), 30 percent from 3-point range (88 of 293) and 72.9 percent from the free throw line (218 of 299).
Pitt State averages 70.9 points per game on the season while allowing 70.1.

Last time out for Pittsburg State . . .
(Jan. 23, 2008) -- ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Jill Johnson hit two free throws with six seconds remaining to lift Missouri Western State University to a 77-75 victory over Pittsburg State University Wednesday (Jan. 23) at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
    The Gorillas (8-8, 2-5 MIAA), who dropped their fourth straight game, made a furious rally from a 15-point deficit with 5:22 remaining against the Griffons (9-6, 4-3 MIAA).
Bailey Waugh, who scored a season-high 14 points for Pitt State, buried a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to knot the score at 75-75.
Johnson, who finished the game with 24 points and 12 rebounds, sealed the win 11 seconds later. She was just 4-for-10 at the foul line before hitting the two crucial charity shots.
Liz Witte scored a team-leading 16 points for the Gorillas, hitting four 3-pointers in the game. Brianna Buchanan, who had a potential game-tying jumper rim off at the buzzer, added 13. Pitt State shot just 37 percent from the field in the game, but the Gorillas hit 11 3-pointers, including seven in the second half.
Chemia Woods contributed 20 points and nine assists for the Griffons, while Yanique Javois added 11.

Lady Blues player Notes . . .
#3 – Brette Ulsaker – G – 15 of 36 rebounds this season on offensive side.
#4 – Amanda Holmes – F – 55 career starts 27th on all-time chart.
#11 – Renata Germano – C – Moved into 27th on the all-time block chart with her 19th at SBU.
#13 – Jessica Mainz – G – Has played an average of 34.7 minutes per game in MIAA contests this season.
#14 – Alyssa Mullen – F – Played six minutes off the bench against SBU on Tuesday.
#20 – Hadleigh Meek – G – 9 of 10 from the free throw line this season hitting eight straight.
#21 – Corkey Stiger – G – Picked up 100th steal of career at SBU.
#23 – Jacki Tipping – G – Career high 4 points against Truman hitting both field goal attempts.
#24 – Karla Tailele – G – Had string of games with a 3-pointer snapped at three at SBU
#30 – Kalee Silovsky – F – Shooting 4 of 8 from field and 3 of 4 from 3-point land in MIAA play.
#32 – Janice Bright – G – 43 of 52 from free throw line this season - has hit last six straight.
#33 – Hope Gregory – G – 10 points against Truman tied a career high (10 vs Texas A&M-Commerce).
#44 – Emily Gibson – F – Five of eight from the field this season - yet to attempt FG in MIAA play.
#50 – Regiane Araujo – C – Averaging 8.0 ppg in MIAA play, 23 of 42 from the field (.548).

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 295-55 (.841) overall at home. The Lady Blues have won their last 17 home games.
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 103-10 (.910) in home games under Ron McHenry.

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 684-323 (.681 in 1,007 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
The Washburn Lady Blues remained No. 8 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll for the second straight week which was released Jan. 22. 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 96th consecutive week the Lady Blues have been ranked.

Lady Blues Tip Ins . . .
• Corkey Stiger moved into eight all-time at Washburn in 3-pointers with 91. She needs two more to move into seventh place all-time.
• Stiger's 276 3-point attempts is sixth all-time.
• Amanda Holmes is 14th all-time with 209 free throws made and 14th in free throw attempts with 315.
• Holmes is 13th all-time in rebounds at Washburn with 516.
• Holmes' 92 career blocked shots is fourth all-time at Washburn needing 10 to move into sole possession of third place.
• The Lady Blues have not allowed an opponent to shoot above 50 percent in a game in a streak of 87 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 197-35 when their opponent shoots under 50 percent overall.
• The Lady Blues have held their opponents under 100 points in 267 consecutive games.
• Washburn is averaging 77.4 points per game at home and 60.6 points per game in away and neutral site contests.
• Washburn is averaging 64.7 ppg in MIAA play.
• The Washburn bench is outscoring their opponents this season 363 to 234.
• Washburn is averaging 71.8 ppg in games won and 51.0 in games lost.
• The Lady Blues are allowing 52.9 ppg in games won and giving up 60.7 in games lost this season.
• Washburn is 190 of 265 (.717) in games they have won this season compared to 28 of 50 (.560) in games they have lost.
• In games Washburn has won this season, they have had three Lady Blues average in double figures (Stiger, 17.2 ppg; Holmes, 10.9; and Bright, 10.0). In games they have lost, only Stiger (16.3) is averaging in double figures and only one other Lady Blue has averaged at least 9.0 ppg (Bright).
• In their three losses, Washburn has averaged five more turnovers per game than their opponents.
• Opponents have outscored the Lady Blues from the free throw line 47 to 28 in the three losses.
• Washburn is shooting 32 percent (56 of 175) in games they have lost compared to 43 percent (327 of 765) in games they have won.

Under Lady Blues head coach Ron McHenry . . .
• The Lady Blues are 171-8 when outshooting their opponent.
• Washburn is 65-2 when holding their opponents under 50 points or less.
• Washburn is 61-0 when they score at least 81 points and 122-2 when they score at least 71 points.
• Washburn is 192-9 when leading with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
• Washburn is 59-2 when shooting 50 percent or better.
• Washburn is 50-19 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 . . .
Following the game with Pittsburg State on Jan. 26, the Lady Blues will return home to play seven of their final 10 MIAA games in Lee Arena beginning with Missouri Southern on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m.