Complete game notes

Lady Blues to take on Lady Hornets in battle of MIAA's top two teams . . . 
The MIAA Co-leaders with three games to go in the regular season will battle Saturday night in Lee Arena as the No. 17 Washburn Lady Blues (20-4, 12-3 MIAA) and the No. 18 Emporia State Lady Hornets look to take a one-game lead in the conference standings entering the final week of play before the start of the MIAA Postseason Tournament in Kansas City. The Lady Blues topped ESU in the first meeting of the season in Emporia's White Auditorium 61-54. Washburn assured themselves of their seventh straight 20-win season with an 81-71 win over Northwest Missouri last time out in Lee Arena on Feb. 20. ESU blasted Pittsburg State 94-49 on the road on the same night. Following the game with the Lady Hornets, Washburn will wrap up their home slate with Fort Hays State on Feb. 27 and honor the two seniors, Amanda Holmes and Corkey Stiger following the game.

Quick Facts
Matchup: Washburn (20-4, 12-3 MIAA) vs Emporia State (19-5, 12-3 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 23
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan. -- Lee Arena (4,197)
Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM / Topeka with play by play with Mark Elliott and Bruce Steinbrock
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through themiaa.tv ($5.50)
Television: KTWU, channel 11 in Topeka and on K30AL, channel 30,  in Iola, Kansas.  KTWU is also available on various cable systems throughout the state including Cox Cable channel 8 in Topeka with play by play with Jason Lamb and Mike Manns.
Live Stats: Through livestats.internetconsult.com/washburn/wbball/
Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 208-41 (.835) in his eighth season - McHenry is 14-7 against Emporia State.
ESU head coach Brandon Schneider is 246-58 (.809) in his tenth year as head coach. He is 11-12 against Washburn
Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 17 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll - No. 2 in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. Emporia State is No. 18 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 4 in the NCAA Regional Poll.
Series Record: ESU leads the all-time series 39-34
Blue Notes: WU has won 11 of the last 15 meetings
Last Meeting: WU 61-54, 1/9/08 in Emporia
Last WU win: same
Last ESU win: 74-67, 2/17/07 at ESU
Worth noting: This meeting will be the 16th straight in which both teams have been nationally ranked … 12 of the last 15 games have been decided by less than ten points … the two teams have combined to win nine MIAA championships since 1992-93 with each team taking four titles while sharing the 2004 crown.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game with Emporia 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.

Lady Blues on Television . . .
The Lady Blues game with Pittsburg State will be broadcast live on KTWU, channel 11 in Topeka and on K30AL, channel 30,  in Iola, Kansas.  KTWU is also available on various cable systems throughout the state including Cox Cable channel 8 in Topeka with play by play with Jason Lamb and Mike Manns.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 208-41 (.835) record overall and 110-29 (.790) 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 (.835) 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.)
ESU head coach Brandon Schneider is 246-58 (.807) in his tenth year as head coach. He is the winningest coach in Lady Hornet history and is responsible for over one third of ESU's all-time victories. He is the third winningest active coach by percentage in Division II and is the only coach in MIAA history with an .800 winning percentage and at least 200 wins. The Lady Hornets have gone to the NCAA Tournament in eight of his nine seasons as head coach.
 
Last Time Out for the Lady Blues . . .
Feb. 20, 2008 - No. 18 Washburn 81, Northwest Missouri 71 • TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Lady Blues used a 16-4 run over the final 5:28 of the first half to propel themselves to an 81-71 win over Northwest Missouri Wednesday night in Lee Arena. Washburn, who topped the Bearcats for the 23rd straight time in Lee Arena, improved to 20-4 and 12-3 in the MIAA while the Bearcats fell to 13-11 overall and 8-7 in conference play. Washburn will be back in action Saturday night at home against Emporia State in a battle between the two leaders in the conference standings at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Blues shot a blistering 59 percent in the first half beginning the game hitting their first six shots from the field finishing the half 16 of 27 including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. The Bearcats nearly kept pace hitting 12 of 27 from the field for a 44 percent clip. With some starters in foul trouble, Washburn's bench outscored the Bearcat bench 23 to 0 with Brette Ulsaker leading the way with eight points hitting all three field goal attempts.
In the second half, Washburn stretched their lead to as many as 22 in the second half at 68-46. The Bearcats closed the game on an 8-0 to cut the final margin to 10.
Janice Bright led the Lady Blues with 14 points. Hope Gregory scored a career-high 12 points after hitting all five field goal attempts. Amanda Holmes scored 11 with a career-high six assists. Ulsaker finished with
10 points.
Lauren Williams scored 16 to lead the Bearcats and Meghan Brue scored 11.

Notes from the Northwest Missouri game . . .
Washburn leads the all-time series 38-8 ... Washburn won their 23rd straight game over the Bearcats in Lee Arena and improved to 23-2 all-time in Topeka ... Washburn improved to 299-56 all-time in Lee Arena ... Washburn outscored the Bearcat bench 35 to 19 ... the 25 assists on 28 field goals was a season high.
 
Washburn/Emporia State series notes . . .
Wednesday's meeting will be the 74th in the series. The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series 39-34. Washburn has won 14 of the last 19 games in the series. Both teams have been nationally ranked the last 14 times they have played and they have both been in the top ten during 11 of the last 12 meetings. Twelve of the last 15 games between the two have been decided by less than ten points with four games decided by two points or less. In Topeka, Washburn is 17-19 against ESU. In games played in Emporia, Washburn is 13-20 in White Auditorium. On neutral courts, Washburn has won all four meetings going 4-0.
 
Last Meeting Between Washburn and Emporia State . . .
(Jan. 9, 2008) EMPORIA, Kan. – Washburn's Jessica Mainz hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:59 leading the No. 4 Lady Blues to a 61-54 over No. 16 Emporia State in ESU's White Auditorium. Washburn (11-1, 3-0 MIAA) will travel to Maryville, Mo., on Jan. 12 to face Northwest Missouri.
Washburn opened up a 27-17 leading after breaking from a media timeout to go on a 10-0 run over a 3:17 span. However, back to back 3-pointers by ESU, a lay-up and a pair of free throws created a 10-0 run by the Lady Hornets (8-4, 1-2 MIAA) to knot the score back at 27. with 3:22 remaining in the first half.
The Lady Blues would push the lead back to four with 1:19 remaining in the half, but the Lady Hornets would tie the score at 31 before the beak.
In the second half, the Lady Blues pushed the lead to six on a Janice Bright jumper at 39-33, but again Emporia State put together a 10-1 run to take a 43-40 lead with 10:02 left in the game.
Washburn tied the score at 43 on a Hope Gregory 3-pointer from the corner with 9:40 left and Washburn would take the lead for good at 45-43 on a lay-up by Regiane Araujo.
The Lady Blues pushed the lead to as many as seven taking advantage of an ESU field goal drought of more than six minutes before the Lady Hornets closed the gap to three at 52-49 with 3:29 left.
Down the stretch Washburn would connect on 9 of 12 free throws in the final 2:50 to seal the win giving Ron McHenry his 199th while on the Lady Blues' bench.
Mainz led the Lady Blues with a career-high 16 points going 4 of 5 from the field and 8 of 9 from the charity stripe. Overall, the Lady Blues were 15 of 21 from the free throw line.
Amanda Holmes also hit double figure scoring 10 points.
Michelle Stueve led ESU with 19 points while recording 10 rebounds.
Washburn forced the Lady Hornets into 24 turnovers leading to 31 points for the Lady Blues. Washburn committed 10 turnovers leading to 10 points for Emporia State.
For the game, Washburn was 22 of 62 from the field for a 35.5 percentage, trailing ESU's 35.8 percent after hitting 19 of 53 attempts.
Washburn's bench outscored the ESU bench 17 to 2, led by Araujo's nine points before fouling out late in the game.
Notes from the game: Washburn is now 34-39 all-time against Emporia State …Washburn has won 14 of the last 19 meetings … 12 of the last 15 games between the two schools have been decided by less than 10 points … Jessica Mainz played a career-high 39 minutes, including all 20 in the second half … Washburn under Ron McHenry is now 190-7 when leading with under five minutes remaining … the win for McHenry was his 199th at Washburn – he is 199-38 all-time on the Lady Blues' bench … McHenry is now 27-11 all-time when both teams are ranked in the national WBCA poll … Washburn is now 680-321 in 1,001 games in the program's history.
 
About Emporia State . . .
The Lady Hornets have won their last eight games after dropping a 90-71 decision in Joplin to Missouri Southern. During their eight-game streak, ESU has won their games by an average of nearly 22 points including a 45-point whacking of Pittsburg State last time out in Pittsburg on Feb. 20. ESU is 19-5 overall and 12-3 in the league.
The Lady Hornets are led by the MIAA's all-time leading scorer in Michelle Stueve who is scoring 22.1 ppg. She also leads ESU in rebounding with 8.4 per game.
Joining Stueve in double figures is three others in Ida Edwards (14.2 ppg), Andrea Leiker (12.0 ppg) and Cassondra Boston (11.9 ppg).
The Lady Hornets are leading the MIAA and the nation in three point field goal percentage. ESU is also ranked in the top ten nationally in scoring, FG percentage, FT percentage, rebound margin, three pointers made and assists. ESU is leading the MIAA in a total of 12 categories - scoring, scoring margin, FT percentage, FG percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage defense, rebounding, opponents rebounding, rebounding margin, blocked shots, assists and made 3-pointers.

Last time out for the Lady Hornets . . .
(Feb. 20, 2008) --  February 20, 2008-The #18 Lady Hornets opened the second half on a 31-1 run and never looked back in a 94-49 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday. The win sets up a battle for first place in the MIAA on Saturday against #17 Washburn in Topeka.
The Lady Hornets had four players in double figures led by Andrea Leiker's career high 22 points. Michelle Stueve had 20 points and seven boards while Cassondra Boston added 14 points and six assists. Ida Edwards had 11 points and six rebounds despite playing only 13 minutes. Becky Zabel had career highs of eight points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Lady Hornets.
ESU led 40-29 at the half and did not allow PSU a field goal for the first 9:22 of the second half. The Lady Hornets would lead by as many as 51 points in the second half.

Lady Blues player Notes . . .
#3 – Brette Ulsaker – G – 3 free throws made and 3 free throw attempts vs NWMSU career highs … averaging 4.5 ppg in home games.
#4 – Amanda Holmes – F – Recorded 100th steal of career against NWMSU, needs 2 blocks for 100 … 10.2 ppg and 7.6 rbpg in MIAA play.
#11 – Renata Germano – C – Career high 19 minutes against NWMSU last time out.
#13 – Jessica Mainz – G – Had a career-high 16 against Emporia State in first meeting this season … 108 steals 23rd all-time and 19 blocks is 27th all-time.
#14 – Alyssa Mullen – F – 10 of 18 rebounds this season on offensive end of the court.
#20 – Hadleigh Meek – G – 11 of 12 from free throw line this season.
#21 – Corkey Stiger – G – 62 3-pointers this season is tied for third on single-season chart with three others … 837 career points 24th all-time at Washburn and 109 3-pointers is sixth all-time needing two to move into to five.
#23 – Jacki Tipping – G – All three rebounds this season have been offensive.
#24 – Karla Tailele – G – 26 of 65 (.400) from 3-point range this season.
#30 – Kalee Silovsky – F – Has hit 4 of 8 3-point attempts in MIAA games this season.
#32 – Janice Bright – G – 34 of 37 from free throw line in home games this season (.919).
#33 – Hope Gregory – G – Averaging 5.5 ppg as a starter and 3.3 ppg coming off the bench.
#44 – Emily Gibson – F – Out with a back injury.
#50 – Regiane Araujo – C – Out with a back injury.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 299-56 (.842) 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 108-11 (.914) 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 100-6 (.943).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 691-324 (.680 in 1,015 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Feb. 19) The Washburn Lady Blues climbed one from up to No. 18 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 WBCA Coaches Poll which was released today. Overall, Washburn has received votes in the last 106 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 90 consecutive polls. 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.

WU in the Regional poll . . .
        (WBCA)D-II Record / In Region / LW
1. West Texas A&M (16)    19-4 / 18-1 / 1
2. Washburn (17)    16-4 / 15-4 / 2
3. Southwest Baptist    15-5 / 14-5 / 4
4. EMPORIA STATE (18)    16-4 / 15-4 / 7
5. Missouri Southern    13-7 / 13-7 / 3
6. Central Oklahoma    17-6 / 16-6 / 5
7. Angelo State    19-6 / 18-6 / 6
8. Texas A&M-Commerce    15-7 / 14-7 / 8
9. Northeastern State    13-9 / 13-9 / 9
10. St. Mary's (Texas)    18-3 / 15-2 / 10

Lady Blues Individual Tip Ins . . .
• Corkey Stiger moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in 3-pointers with 109. She passed Jennifer Harris for sixth all-time and needs two more to move into the top five and 14 to move into the top three all-time at Washburn.
• Stiger's 331 3-point attempts is fifth all-time … she needs two to move into the top four.
• Amanda Holmes is 12th all-time with 238 free throws made and 11th in free throw attempts with 354.
• Holmes is 12th all-time in rebounds at Washburn with 574. She needs 11 more to move into 11th all-time.
• Holmes' 98 career blocked shots is fourth all-time at Washburn needing five to move into sole possession of third place.
• With two more blocks, Holmes will become only the fourth Lady Blues to record at least 800 points, 500 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 blocks joining Jannica Beam, Laura Mueller and Brenda Shaffer-Dahl.
• Corkey Stiger has averaged 18.0 ppg in the four losses for the Lady Blues. She is the only Washburn player averaging double figures in the four losses. The next highest scorer is Janice Bright at 8.3 ppg.
• In the latest NCAA stats, Jessica Mainz is eighth in the country in assist to turnover ratio (+2.25). Corkey Stiger is 27th in 3-point field goals made per game (2.7) and 78th in 3-point field goal percentage.

Lady Blues Team Tip Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues have held their opponents under 100 points in 275 consecutive games.
• Washburn is averaging 69.7 ppg in MIAA play.
• The Washburn bench is outscoring their opponents this season 513 to 370.
• In the last five minutes of games, Washburn is being outscored by their opponents 250 to 242.
• A win over Emporia State would give the Lady Blues their 300th win in Lee Arena.
• In the latest NCAA stats, Washburn is ranked sixth in the country in turnovers per game (14.3), 19th in scoring defense (56.3 ppg), 22nd in field goal percentage defense (.354), rebound margin (+7.1), and assist to turnover ratio (+1.02).

Up Next . . .
Following the game with Emporia State,  Fort Hays State will be in Lee Arena on Feb. 27 before wrapping up the regular season at Central Missouri at 1:30 p.m. The contest with Fort Hays State will also be senior day for two Lady Blues seniors - Amanda Holmes and Corkey Stiger.