Game #8 Matchup: Washburn (8-0, 3-0 MIAA) at Barry (8-1, 1-0 SSC) Date: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008  • Time: 5 p.m. CST Site: Miami Shoals, Fla. - Healh & Sport Center (1,500) Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 222-44 (.831) in his ninth season. Barry head coach Bill Sullivan is 40-26 in his third season. Series Record: First meeting Worth noting: Washburn played Cameron and Central Oklahoma on Barry's court in last season's Cruzin' Classic. Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 2 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. Barry is ranked tied for 18th in the WBCA poll. Game #9 Matchup: Washburn at Nova Southeastern (0-6, 0-1 SSC) Date: Friday, Dec. 19, 2008  • Time: 5 p.m. CST Site: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - Healh & Sport Center (4,500) Coaches: NSU head coach is Marilyn Rule, who is 143-138 in her 12th season. Series Record: First meeting Worth noting: Nova is 0-6 this season.

Radio: AM 580 WIBW AM580 Web Stream (free - both games) Internet: Cruzin' Classic Web Site for Live Video Live Stats Barry: Barry Athletics Live Stats NSU: Nova Southeastern Athletics Washburn Lady Blues Game Notes Roster Statistics Schedule Barry Roster Statistics Schedule Nova Southeastern Roster Statistics Schedule

No. 2 Lady Blues to face Sunshine State Conference foes at Cruzin' Classic . . . 
The No. 2 ranked Washburn Lady Blues will travel to the Cruzin' Classic near Miami, Fla. to take on Barry on Dec. 18 and Nova Southeastern the following day. Both games will be on Barry's and Nova Southeastern's home court. After the pair of Sunshine State Conference games, the Lady Blues will return to MIAA play against Missouri Western on Dec. 29 in St. Joseph, Mo. Washburn will take on Fort Hays State in the final game of the 2008 calendar year on Dec. 31 in Lee Arena at 1:30 p.m. and then play host to Central Missouri on Jan. 3 and Southwest Baptist on Jan. 7.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Washburn games with will be on AM 580 WIBW. 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. Pregame show starts 15 minutes before tip.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 222-44 (.833) record overall and 115-30 (.789) record in the MIAA with five MIAA regular season championships and the 2005 NCAA National Championship.  McHenry has also led the Lady Blues to four MIAA Postseason Tournament titles including four of the six played in Kansas City. McHenry has the highest winning percentage (.833) 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 6 of notes.)
Barry head coach Bill Sullivan is 40-26 in his third season at Barry.
Nova Southeastern head coach Marilyn Rule is 143-138 in her 12th season at NSU. She started the program from scratch.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
Dec. 13, 2008 -  KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 2 ranked Washburn Lady Blues won their 13th straight game over Truman in a 58-39. The win lifts the Lady Blues to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in MIAA play.
The Lady Blues closed the first half on a 12-4 run turning a 16-15 lead into a 28-19 score entering the halftime break. Brette Ulsaker scored six of the points for the Lady Blues during the closing run.  The Lady Blues were held to 32 percent shooting from the field (11 of 34) but committed only nine turnovers. The Bulldogs did shoot 50 percent from the field (7 of 14), however they were hampered by 19 turnovers leading to 23 Washburn points.
Washburn was in control the second half not letting the Bulldogs within nine points from the 13:05 mark while increasing the lead to as many as 21 points on three different occasions.  Washburn finished the second half 10 of 31 from the field while the Bulldogs were 9 of 29 (31 percent).
Janice Bright led the Lady Blues with a season-high 20 points on 8 of 17 shooting from the field with 2 of 4 3-pointers and connecting on both free throws. Dayna Rodriguez scored 11 points off the bench. The Lady Blues were 13 of 16 from the free throw line in the game.
 
Notes from the Truman game . . .
Washburn is now 72-2 when their opponents score 50 or less points … Washburn is now 35-8 all-time against Truman and has won the last 13 in the series … Washburn has won the last six meetings and are 12-6 all-time … Washburn improved to 7-1 all-time on Dec. 13 … Washburn is now 44-4 all-time in the month of December under head coach Ron McHenry … Washburn improved to 155-15 when opponents are held to under 60 points with McHenry on the sidelines … The 39 points allowed by the Lady Blues are the fewest an opponent has scored since a Nov. 20, 2007 game against Baker which the Lady Blues won 84-39.

About Barry . . .
Barry is 8-1 this season and were ranked tied for 18th in the most-recent WBCA Coaches Poll from Dec. 9.
Princess Bailey leads the team in scoring with 13.2 ppg. Mariesa Greene is averaging a double double with 12.1 ppg and 11.2 rpg. As a team, the Buccaneers are averaging 62.8 ppg and allowing 55.0 ppg.
Barry's lone loss came 56-43 to NCAA Division I Air Force. In the exhibition season, Barry fell to a pair of DI schools in Florida Internation 54-40 and to Miami 52-49.

Washburn/Barry series notes . . .
Thursday's meeting will be the first between the two schools.

Last time out for Barry. . .
(Dec. 11, 2008) MIAMI LAKES, Fla.—The 18th-ranked Barry Buccaneers used a 9-2 run over the last 4:33 to beat the St. Thomas Bobcats 50-43 in women's basketball action at Miami Lakes Tech Gym on Thursday night.
The Bobcats (6-3) tied the game at 41-41 with 4:46 remaining on a pair of free throws by Cindy Castrillon. But the Bucs (8-1), who hit just two of their first 10 shots from the free throw line, connected on their final five. Kristy Singletary and Mariesa Greene scored the final nine points for the Bucs.
The Bucs led by three at the half, 22-19, as Princess Bailey had 11 points and nine rebounds in the period.
The Bobcats roared back in the second period, taking a 35-33 lead on a layup by Santana Lennon at the 9:24 mark.
Bailey led the Bucs with 16 points and added 12 rebounds, while Greene had 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Dominique Collier led St. Thomas with 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Castrillon added 12 points.

About Nova Southeastern . . .
Nova Southeastern is 0-6 on the season after being picked as the conference's preseason pick to win the Sunshine Conference. They are led by preseason junior All-American Stephanie Sarosi, who is averaging 21.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg. The next leading scorer for the Sharks is LaShawna Edwards at 7.5 ppg. The Sharks' average margin of defeat has been just over five points a game.

Last time out for Nova Southeastern . . .
Dec. 13, 2008 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2008) - Nova Southeastern University's women's basketball team was unable to hold off Eckerd's comeback as the Sharks fell 65-62 at the University Center on Saturday afternoon in what was the Sunshine State Conference opener for both teams.
The Tritons (5-3, 1-0 SSC) opened the game with a 5-0 run and lead by as many as five on four different occasions during the first part of the first half. With Eckerd up 14-12, Tara Haddock (Jr., Citrus Springs, Fla.) drained a three-pointer at 8:56 to bring the Sharks (0-6, 0-1 SSC) to within two. A layup by Stephanie Sarosi (Jr., Mims, Fla.) about two minutes later evened the game at 14-14.
Eckerd regained a two-point lead at 6:30 with a layup by Olivia Nagle, but back-to-back LaShawnna Edwards (Jr., Miami, Fla.) allowed NSU to hold an 18-16 advantage with 5:41 left in the half. The lead flip-flopped between NSU and the Tritons until a made free throw by Eckerd's Ashley Lutz deadlocked the game at 22-all with 3:03 remaining.
However, the Sharks went on the close out the opening half with an 11-2 run. With about 2:40 to go, Edwards found a wide-open Sarosi, whose layup sparked the run that eventually allowed NSU to carry a 33-24 lead into halftime.
In the second half, NSU pushed its margin to 10 at the 18:15 mark with a Sarsoi jumper giving the Sharks a 35-25 lead. Eckerd eventually cut the Sharks' advantage down to five on two occasions, including a layup by Jennifer Kinney at 15:33 that made it a 39-34 game.
The Sharks offense started to get hot with 15:18 to go as a Haddock trey started a 12-0 run that saw NSU take a 51-34 lead. However, Eckerd answered with its own 12-1 run to make it 52-46 in favor of NSU with 7:34 remaining. The Sharks fought to keep their lead intact, using a 7-1 run to hold a 59-47 advantage with 6:02 left.
Over the next two minutes, the Tritons chipped away at NSU's lead and pulled to within four off a three-point play by Laticia Rolle at 4:21. A three-pointer by Abbie Tepe (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) put NSU up 62-55 with 4:02 to go, but that proved to be the final basket for the Sharks as the Eckerd ended the game with 10-0 run in order to get the win.
NSU shot 38.5 percent (25-for-65) for the game, while Eckerd was 49.1 percent (26-for-53). The Tritons held a 38-37 rebounding edge, but the Sharks posted 12 steals.
Sarosi led the Sharks with 22 points, while Haddock chipped in with 11 points. Edwards grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Haddock, Tepe and Erin Zampell (Fr., Naples, Fla.) each had three steals.
Nagle posted a game-high 25 points and a team-high six rebounds for Eckerd.

Series history with Nova Southeastern . . .
Friday's meeting will be the first between the two schools.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 25th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 308-56 (.842) overall at home. Washburn won their 300th game against Emporia State on Feb. 23, 2008. The longest winning streak was 44 games from Dec. 1, 1990 to March 20, 1993.
The Lady Blues have won 40 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 117-11 (.909) in home games under Ron McHenry. Five of the 11 losses came in his first year on the Lady Blues bench. In the last seven seasons, Washburn is 109-6 (.944).
Overall, Washburn has won 13 straight home games with the last defeat coming on Feb. 6, 2008 to Missouri Southern in a 69-61 setback.

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 703-327 (.682 in 1,030 games) in its 40th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Dec. 9, 2008) The Washburn Lady Blues basketball team remained No. 2 in the WBCA USA Today ESPN Division II Coaches Poll which was released today. The Lady Blues lost a first place vote from last week's poll as they received only one this week after going 2-0 with wins over Nebraska-Omaha and Northwest Missouri. The Lady Blues have been ranked in 98 consecutive top 25 polls and have received votes in the last 113 top 25 coaches polls.

Lady Blues Notes . . .
#3 • Brette Ulsaker • G • 5-9 • Jr. • Eight points at Truman one point shy of season high
#4 • Stanecia Graham • F • 6-1 • Sr. • Eight rebounds at Truman tied a season high
#5 • Jacki Tipping • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Will miss season after having ankle surgery in late September
#10 • Lauren Henry • G • 5-4 • Fr. • Had appendix removed after the Drury game
#11 • Renata Germano • C • 6-2 • Sr. • Four rebounds against Northwest Missouri was a season-high
#13 • Jessica Mainz • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Three steals at Truman was a season high
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • So. • 15 of 30 rebounds this season have been on offensive glass
#20 • Hadleigh Meek • G • 5-8 • So. • Set new career high with four assists against Southwestern
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • Fr. • 4 of 8 from the field this season
#24 • Karla Tailele • G • 5-6 • Sr. • 12 of 30 from 3-point range this season (.393)
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Fr. • Four of four from the free throw line this season
#30 • Kalee Silovsky • F • 6-0 • Sr. • 5 of 7 from the field in the last two games
#32 • Janice Bright • G • 5-9 • Sr. • 17 field goal attempts against Truman was a career high
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • So. • Leads team with 14 3-pointers (14 of 33 --- .424)
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Jr. • 24 minutes, 4 blocked shots, 5 FTs, 6 FTAs were season highs vs Truman
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Will sit out the season after transferring from Fort Hays State
#44 • Emily Gibson • F • 6-1 • So. • Has hit all four free throw attempts this season (11 of 15 for career)

Tip-Ins . . .
• Washburn is 2-1 on Dec. 18 and 4-0 on Dec. 19 in school history.
• Washburn is 44-4 all-time in the month of December under head coach Ron McHenry.
• The Lady Blues have used 102 different combinations for their five players on the court this season.
• Barry's Alisha Sanford played one season at Missouri-Rolla during the 2004-05 season and played two minutes in the Lady Blues 76-45 win in Lee Arena. She was 0 of 2 from the field during the game.
• Washburn is 40 of 48 in the last five minutes of games from the free throw line hitting 83 percent. The Lady Blues' opponents are 10 of 14.
• Jessica Mainz is 8 of 10 from the free throw line in the last five minutes of games.
• Washburn is 191-12 under McHenry when leading at the half.
• Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 292 consecutive games.
• Washburn is 68-0 when scoring at least 81 points under McHenry.
• When opponents are held to 70 points or below, Washburn is 166-31 … when opponents are to 60 points or less, the Lady Blues are 155-14 with McHenry on the sidelines.
• Washburn is +8.9 scoring in the first half of games and +11.1 in scoring margin in the second half.
• In the first half of games this season, the Lady Blues are 93 of 244 (.381) from the field. In the second half, the Lady Blues are scorching the nets hitting half of their shots going 102 of 215 (.474) from the field.

up Next . . .
The Lady Blues will return to MIAA play at Missouri Western on Dec. 29 and then usher out the 2008 calendar year on a date with Fort Hays State on Dec. 31 with a 1:30 p.m. tip.