Complete game notes

Lady Blues start stretch run with 5 of 7 games at home in Lee Arena . . . 
The No. 19 Washburn Lady Blues (16-4, 8-3 MIAA) begin the home stretch of play in the regular season as they will wrap up the home slate with five of seven games in Lee Arena starting with Pittsburg State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Blues are coming off a 72-59 win over Missouri Southern on Wednesday and the Gorillas (9-11, 3-8 MIAA) topped Fort Hays State 62-60 at home snapping a seven-game losing streak. The Lady Blues won the first meeting with the Gorillas on Jan. 26 by a score of 85-61. The Lady Blues are in a three-way tie for first in the MIAA race with Southwest Baptist and Emporia State all sporting an 8-3 conference record. 

Quick Facts . . .
Matchup: Washburn (16-4, 8-3 MIAA) vs Pittsburg State (9-11, 3-8 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 9
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan. -- Lee Arena (4,179)
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 http://livestats.internetconsult.com/washburn/wbball/
Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 204-41 (.833) in his eighth season - McHenry is 14-2 against PSU.
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 9-11 at Pitt State.
Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 19 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll - No. 3 in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings.
Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 42-24
Streaks: WU has won the last 14 in the series
Last Meeting: WU 85-61 on Jan. 26, 2008
Last WU win: same
Last PSU win: 69-57 on Feb. 10, 2001 in Topeka
Worth noting: Washburn has won six straight in Topeka over the Gorillas and they are 17-6 all-time against PSU in Lee Arena.

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.

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 204-41 (.833) record overall and 106-29 (.785) 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 (.832) 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 9-11, and 3-8 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 . . .
Feb. 6, 2008 - No. 19 Washburn 72, Missouri Southern 59 • JOPLIN, Mo. – The No. 19 Washburn Lady Blues blitzed the second half nets for eight second half 3-pointers avenging an eight-point loss from a week ago to top Missouri Southern 72-59 on Wednesday night in Joplin. With the win Washburn improves to 16-4 and 8-3 in the MIAA, remaining in a first place tie in the league race.
After taking a 28-24 lead into the halftime break, Washburn pushed its lead to 13 at 41-28 with 15:09 left on an Amanda Holmes 3-pointer. The Lions would cut the lead back to eight at 43-35 with 10:46 to go in the game on the second of MSSU's Danielle DeVader's four 3-pointers in the second half.
Washburn and Missouri Southern would trade 3-pointers – the first by Jessica Mainz while was followed by India Wood's keeping the Washburn advantage at eight points at 46-38. The Lady Blues would continue to keep the Lions at arms-length holding at least a 10-point lead the remaining 8:16 of the game.
In the final 2:22 of the game, Washburn would connect on nine of 10 free throws with Mainz hitting seven of eight attempts.
In the second half, Washburn was 11 of 30 from the field, but of the 11 field goals, the Lady Blues were 8 of 13 (61.5 percent) from 3-point range en route to a 9 of 20 performance from downtown for the game.
In the opening half, the teams exchanged the lead four times with four score ties as neither team would get more than a five-point lead. Washburn held the Lions without a field goal in the first half for the final 4:25 of the period turning a three-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead as the Lions finished the half with only two field goal attempts with two free throws and three turnovers.
Corkey Stiger led the Lady Blues with 17 points pacing four Washburn players in double figures followed by Mainz with 15. Holmes scored 12 with a team-high eight rebounds and Janice Bright scored 11. All of Holmes' and Mainz's points came in the second half as Holmes only played six minutes with foul trouble. Mainz also added six of her seven assists in the second half and finished with four steals.
Fatai Hala'Api'Api led the Lions with 19 hitting 11 of 13 from the free throw line and DeVader had 15.
The Lady Blues finished 21 of 62 for the game from the field. After being outrebounded 30 to 28 in last week's loss to the Lions, Washburn held a 39 to 32 rebound advantage with 20 coming on the offensive side turning into 18 second chance points for the Lady Blues.

Notes from the Missouri Southern game . . .
Washburn improved to 38-24 all-time against the Lions … the Lady Blues won their third straight game in Joplin … Brette Ulsaker saw her first action in four games after missing the last three with a stress fracture in her foot, she finished with one point in nine minutes of play … Corkey Stiger hit her 100th 3-pointer in a Washburn uniform against the Lions … Jessica Mainz has hit 18 of her last 22 free throws in the last four games … the Lady Blues avoided the first regular season sweep to the Lions since the 1986 season with the win in Joplin … the Lady Blues improved to 195-9 when leading with five minutes to go in the game … Mainz's seven assists were one shy of a career high as was her 15 points scored … the 39 field goal attempts by the Lions were a season low for opponents this season.
 
Washburn/Pittsburg state series notes . . .
Saturday's meeting is the 67th in the series. Washburn is 42-24 all-time against the Gorillas. Washburn has won the last 14 meetings in the series and the last six in Topeka. The Lady Blues have also won the last seven 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 6-17 all-time in Lee Arena.
 
Last Meeting Between Washburn and Pittsburg State . . .
(Jan. 26, 2008) PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The No. 8 Washburn knocked off Pittsburg State in John Lance Arena 85-61 improving to 14-3 and 6-2 in the MIAA. It was the 14th straight win over the Gorillas for the Lady Blues and the seventh straight win in Pittsburg.
The Lady Blues opened the game 1 of 7 from the field, but closed the half hitting 13 of 27 building a 41-25 lead after the first 20 minutes.
The Lady Blues' were led in the half by Janice Bright who scored 13 points in the half hitting 5 of 5 field goal attempts including all three 3-point attempts. She also added five rebounds and two assists. Bright missed the final 7:41 of the Southwest Baptist game after suffering a fall going up for a rebound.
Karla Tailele scored eight off the bench hitting 2 of 3 3-pointers.
With Washburn holding an 11-point lead 1:29 into the second half, the Lady Blues turned on a 27 to 8 run over a ten-minute span in the second half turning a 41-30 game at the 18:31 mark of the second half into a 68-38 lead with 8:41 to go in the game.
Washburn would go on to push the lead to as many as 31 in the second half cruising to the 24-point win.
Bright finished with a career-high 22 topping her previous high of 20 in the season opener against Southwestern (Kan.) in the season opener. Bright also had a game-high eight rebounds finishing 8 of 10 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point land.
Tailele tied her career-high of 13 hitting 5 of six shots from the field while connecting on 3 of 4 3-pointers.
Amanda Holmes finished with 12 points dialing up 7 of 9 free throws.
Pitt State's Liz Witte led the Gorillas with 17 points.
Washburn finished 29 of 63 from the field hitting 46 percent. The Lady Blues were 12 of 28 from 3-point range and dropped in 15 of 21 free throw attempts.
The Gorillas shot an opponent season-high 24 of 51 from the field (.471). The Gorillas also hit 10 of 22 3-point attempts and were 3 of 6 from the free throw line.
Washburn outrebounded the Gorillas 37 to 26 including a 14 to 4 advantage on the offensive glass creating a 15 to 2 advantage in second chance points.
 
About Pittsburg State . . .
Pittsburg State enters the game with an overall record of 9-11 and is tied for ninth in the MIAA standings with Fort Hays State a 3-8 conference record. Pittsburg State is led in scoring this season by Brianna Buchanan, who averages 14.9 points per game, which ranks ninth in the MIAA. Buchanan also leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.1, which ranks 11th in the conference.
As a team, PSU ranks sixth in the MIAA in scoring, averaging 69.1 points per game, however, the Gorillas rank ninth in the conference in the scoring margin category at -1.5. Pittsburg State also ranks ninth in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 39.7% and are last in the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 30.9%.

Last time out for the Gorillas . . .
(Feb. 7, 2008) --  PITTSBURG -- Brianna Buchanan scored a game-high 21 points to lead Pittsburg State University to a 62-60 win over Fort Hays State University Thursday (Feb. 7) at John Lance Arena.
    The Gorillas (9-11, 3-8 MIAA) snapped a seven-game losing streak with the win over the Tigers (9-11, 3-8 MIAA). Pitt State built a 55-47 lead with 2:19 to play in the game, but FHSU trimmed the margin to 55-52 with 58 seconds remaining.
    Buchanan, who converted 13 of 14 free throws in the contest, made five of six charity shots down the stretch and Caitlin Demarest added a pair of foul shots to help the Gorillas stave off the Tigers.
    Brianna Willhite and Sheene Kuntzsch finished with 17 and 15 points for the Tigers, who shot just 29 percent from the field (9 of 31) in the first half to trail 27-22 at the break.
    Bailey Waugh scored nine points and Demarest and Emily Sloan added eight apiece. The Gorillas outscored the Tigers 19-7 at the foul line.

Lady Blues player Notes . . .
#3 – Brette Ulsaker – G – Returned to action against MSSU after missing three games with stress fracture
#4 – Amanda Holmes – F – Moved into fourth on all-time block chart with her 94th against MWSU
#11 – Renata Germano – C – Moved into 27th on the all-time block chart with her 19th at SBU
#13 – Jessica Mainz – G – 15 points and 7 assists both one shy of career high against MSSU
#14 – Alyssa Mullen – F – 16 minutes and 6 FGA's were career highs set against MWSU
#20 – Hadleigh Meek – G – 9 of 10 from the free throw line this season
#21 – Corkey Stiger – G – Hit 100th career 3-pointer against MSSU last time out
#23 – Jacki Tipping – G – Career high 4 points against Truman hitting both field goal attempts
#24 – Karla Tailele – G – 12 of 32 from 3-point land in MIAA play (.375)
#30 – Kalee Silovsky – F – Hit 4 of 6 3-pointers in MIAA play - 6 of 10 overall
#32 – Janice Bright – G – Had streak of 14 consecutive free throws snapped at Missouri Southern
#33 – Hope Gregory – G – Averaging 4.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg since moving back to starting line up 4 games ago.
#44 – Emily Gibson – F – 6 of 10 from the field this season
#50 – Regiane Araujo – C – Averaging 6.0 ppg in MIAA play hitting 28 of 52 from the field (.538)

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 296-56 (.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 104-10 (.912) in home games under Ron McHenry.

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 687-324 (.680 in 1,011 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Feb. 5) The Washburn Lady Blues were tabbed at No. 19 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 WBCA Coaches Poll which was released today. Overall, Washburn has received votes in the last 104 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 88 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.

Lady Blues Individual Tip Ins . . .
• Corkey Stiger moved into seventh all-time at Washburn in 3-pointers with 100. She needs nine more to move into sixth place all-time which will pass Jennifer Harris..
• Stiger's 306 3-point attempts is fifth all-time.
• Amanda Holmes is 13th all-time with 229 free throws made and 11th in free throw attempts with 340.
• Holmes is 13th all-time in rebounds at Washburn with 545. She needs 10 to move into 12th all-time.
• Holmes' 94 career blocked shots is fourth all-time at Washburn needing eight to move into sole possession of third place.
• Jessica Mainz is 18 of 22 from the free throw line in the last four games. She is 32 of 38 in MIAA play from the free throw (.842).
• Since the start of the MIAA season, Mainz has raised her scoring average from 4.7 ppg to 6.2 ppg.
• 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.

Lady Blues Team Tip Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues have held their opponents under 100 points in 271 consecutive games.
• Washburn is averaging 67.2 ppg in MIAA play.
• The Washburn bench is outscoring their opponents this season 429-300.
• In the last five minutes of games, Washburn is outscoring their opponents 204 to 202.
• Washburn is averaging 72.4 ppg in games won and 53.5 ppg in their four losses.
• In the four losses, Washburn is 74 of 225 from the field (.329) and in the 16 wins they are 401 of 953 (.421).
• From 3-point range in the four losses, Washburn is 17 of 75 (.227) and in the 16 wins they are 119 of 345 (.345).
• From the free throw line, Washburn is 238 of 332 (.717) in the 16 wins and in the four losses they are 49 of 79 (.620).
• Opponents are shooting 78 percent from the free throw line against the Lady Blues in the second half of games this season (176 of 225). Washburn is 169 of 240 (.704) in the second half at the charity stripe.

Stiger leads WU in +/- statistics . . .
For those who are hockey fans, the plus/minus statistic is nothing new, but it has been added to basketball as well. Its definition is how many points your team scores compared to how many your team gives up while a player is on the court. This season, Corkey Stiger has a +/- statistic of +12.75. Jessica Mainz is second with a rating of +10.75.
Name    PF    PA    +/-    Avg./Gm
Stiger,Corkey    1068    813    255    12.75
Mainz,Jessica    1040    825    215    10.75
Bright,Janice    892    688    204    10.20
Holmes,Amanda    876    689    187    9.35
Gregory,Hope    589    474    115    5.75
Germano,Renata    383    308    75    3.75
Ulsaker,Brette    379    319    60    3.53
Silovsky,Kalee    378    316    62    3.10
Meek,Hadleigh    195    153    42    2.47
Tailele,Karla    352    301    51    2.55
Mullen,Alyssa    172    137    35    2.33
Gibson,Emily    88    66    22    2.00
Araujo,Regiane    282    245    37    1.95
Tipping,Jacki    32    41    -9    -1.00

Up Next . . .
Following the game with the Gorillas, Washburn will look to avenge a road loss to Southwest Baptist when the Bearcats come to Lee Arena on Feb. 13. The Bearcats topped the Lady Blues 66-61 on Jan. 22 in Bolivar, Mo. Following a road game at Truman on Feb. 16, Washburn will return home for three straight games - Northwest Missouri on Feb. 20, Emporia state on Feb. 23 and Fort Hays State 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.