MIAA Tournament Media Guide

Washburn looks to claim Fourth straight MIAA Postseason Tournament and seventh overall . . . 
The Washburn Lady Blues will open the MIAA Postseason Tournament on Thursday against Missouri Western in a rematch of the 2007 championship game. Washburn (22-5, 14-4 MIAA), the top seed in the tournament will take on the No. 8 seed Griffons, who topped Missouri Southern in their regular season finale to punch their ticket to Kansas City. Washburn beat the Griffons in their two meetings this season taking a 65-52 win on Jan. 2 in St. Joseph and a 68-44 win in Topeka. Washburn has won nine straight MIAA Tournament games and the last three tournament titles while taking four the five which have been played in Kansas City. The Lady Blues picked up their fifth MIAA Championship in the last six years earning the No. 1 seed with their regular season sweep over Emporia State.

Quick Facts
Matchup: Washburn (22-5, 14-4 MIAA) vs Missouri Western (12-14, 7-11 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, March 6
Time: 12 p.m. CST
Site: Kansas City, Mo. -- Municipal Auditorium (8,500)
Radio: AM580 WIBW / Topeka with play by play with Mark Elliott and Bruce Steinbrock
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: not available
Live Stats: Through livestats.internetconsult.com/washburn/wbball/
Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 210-42 (.835) in his eighth season - McHenry is 13-9 against Missouri Western.
The Griffons are coached by Lynn Plett. He is 12-14 in his first season at MWSU. He is 197-192 in his 14th season overall.
Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 20 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll - No. 2 in the Feb. 27th NCAA South Central Regional Rankings.
Series Record: The all-time series with the Griffons is tied at 37 wins each
Streaks: Washburn has won the last three in the series
Last Meeting: WU 68-44 on 2/2/08 in Topeka
Last WU win: same
Last MWSU win: 49-47, 1/27/07 in St. Joseph
Worth noting: Washburn is 4-5 all-time against Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament with all four wins coming in Kansas City.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game with Missouri Western 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 wusports.com by clicking the live audio link under Lady Blues Basketball.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 210-42 (.833) record overall and 112-30 (.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 five MIAA Postseason Tournament titles including the last four 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 2 of notes.)
Missouri Western head coach Lynn Plett is in his first guiding the Griffon program. He comes to MWSU from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois where he led the Flyers program for the previous five seasons (2002-2007). He is 12-14 in his first season at MWSU and he is 197-192 in his 14th season overall.
Plett earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and another in Humanities and Biblical Studies from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas where he competed in basketball and soccer. He and his wife Brenda have a son, Matt and a daughter, Stacy.
 
Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
March 1, 2008 - Central Missouri 68, No. 17 Washburn 59 • WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The No. 17 Washburn Lady Blues had their eight-game winning streak snapped in the regular season final as Central Missouri won for the eighth time in their last 10 games in a 68-59 win over Washburn. Washburn will share the MIAA title, but will still be the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Tournament and  they will take on Missouri Western in a rematch of last season's title game at noon on Thursday.
Washburn (22-5, 14-4 MIAA) fell behind as many as 10 to start the game as the Jennies opened up a 14-4 lead 5:41 into the game. The Lady Blues worked their way back into the game eventually knotting the score at 23 with 3:24 left in the first half. Washburn took the lead at 25-23 on a Karla Tailele lay up. The teams would trade free throws and the Jennies would tie the score at 28 entering the break.
Washburn opened the second half taking a 3-point lead after Hope Gregory hit a 3-pointer putting the Lady Blues up 31-28. After a free throw and a 3-pointer by the Jennies, both teams suffered through a nearly three-minute scoring span with Washburn's Corkey Stiger breaking the drought with a pair of free throws putting Washburn up 33-32. The lead was short-lived as the Jennies took the lead for good at 34-33 as Rebecca Roberts hit a pair of charity tosses putting Central Missouri up for good.
Washburn sliced the lead back to  two points at 45-43 on a Jessica Mainz 3-pointer, but the Jennies went on a 9-1 run holding the Lady Blues within seven points the rest of the way.
Stiger led the Lady Blues with a game-high 19 points. Amanda Holmes recorded her 16th career double double and her sixth of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Mainz finished with 12 points.
Lindsey Maple scored 16 for the Jennies hitting 9 of 10 free throws. Kara Flemming had 15 and Jojuana Jones had 11 before fouling out.
Washburn held a 39 to 31 advantage in rebounding. Both teams stuggled from the field as the Lady Blues were held to 19 of 55 shooting compared to 18 of 48 for the Jennies.
Washburn hit 17 of 25 free throws and the Jennies connected on 29 of 36 attempts - both season-highs for Lady Blues opponents this season.

Notes from the Central Missouri game . . .
The shared title in the Lady Blues' fifth MIAA Championship in the last six seasons ... Washburn is now 28-12 all-time against the Jennies ... the win was the first by the Jennies over the Lady Blues since a 58-51 win in Warrensburg on Jan. 19, 2002 ... it was the first loss in the last five games for Washburn in Warrensburg ... with 19 points, Corkey Stiger went over the 900-point mark in her career - she now has 901.

Washburn/Missouri Western series notes . . .
Thursday's meeting will be the 75th between the two schools. The series is all-tied up at 37 wins each. Washburn has won 13 of the last 15 meetings after losing both regular season meetings during the 2006-07 campaign while taking the last meeting on March 4, 2007 in the MIAA Tournament Championship game. The teams have met twice in the NCAA Tournament with Missouri Western winning both match-ups. The Griffons won 66-62 on March 11, 1994 and March 9, 1995 73-57. In the MIAA Tournament, the Griffons hold a 5-4 lead in the nine games played. Washburn has won all four meetings in Kansas City in the postseason tournament. Ron McHenry is 13-9 against the Griffons. Missouri Western head coach Lynn Plett is 0-2 against Washburn in his first season on the Griffon bench.
 
Last Meeting between Washburn and Missouri Western . . .
(Feb. 2, 2008) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 12th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues used a 14-4 first-half run to get control moved on to a 68-44 victory over Missouri Western Saturday night in Lee Arena.
The Lady Blues (15-4, 7-3 MIAA) secured the win by holding the Griffons (9-9, 4-6 MIAA) without a field goal for more than nine minutes in the second half.
Washburn never trailed in the game, but Western would score six straight points, with Megan Gawatz's three-pointer knotting the game at 12-12 with 13:34 left in the opening half.
Kalee Silovsky broke the tie on the next trip downcourt for WU, sparking the deciding outburst. Jessica Mainz capped the run with another trey and made it 26-16 with 5:09 left in the half.
A three by Yanique Javois made it a seven-point game, but Washburn finished on an 11-2 run to take a 37-21 halftime lead. Janice Bright had two three-pointer in the last three minutes of the half.
After Javois' jumper at the 12:43 mark made it 54-30, the Griffons missed their next nine from the field and had two turnovers while making 7-of-7 from the foul line.
Javois finally broke the dry spell with a jumper with 3:04 remaining. She ended up as the only Griffon in double-figure scoring with 16 points. Western was 4-of-21 (19.0 percent) from the field in the second half, but made 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) at the charity stripe in the period.
Bright and Corkey Stiger each had 14 points for Washburn, while Mainz added 13. Bright had five assists, while Stiger added four. Hope Gregory had 10 rebounds, tying a career-high.
Notes from the MWSU game: Lady Blues are now 8-4 on Groundhog Day ... Washburn has tied the series with Missouri Western at 37-37 ... Washburn has won three straight in the series with the Griffons ... the 11 field goal attempts by Jessica Mainz is a career high ... the Lady Blues are 3-0 this season when following a loss and 30-10 under head coach Ron McHenry ... the Lady Blues avoided losing back to back home games for the first time since the 2000-01 season when Washburn lost three straight to Pittsburg State, Missouri Western and Pittsburg State.
 
About Missouri Western . . .
The Griffons played their way into the conference tournament after beating Missouri Southern 70-58 last time out on March 1.
Yanique Javois leads the Griffons with 18.6  ppg. Jill Johnson is scoring 17.9 ppg and Tierra Ford is scoring 10.8 ppg. Javois earned first team all-MIAA honors after averaging 18.6 ppg (third in the MIAA) and Johnson was a second team all-conference pick. In MIAA play, Javois is scoring 19.2 ppg.

Last time out for the Griffons . . .
(March 1, 2008) -- ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Needing a win to get into the MIAA Championship Tournament, the Missouri Western Griffons used a 14-0 first half run to get control and went on to a 70-58 win over Missouri Southern in their home finale Saturday night at the Looney Complex.
The Griffons (12-14, 7-11 MIAA) will face top-seeded Washburn in a rematch of last season's tournament championship game at noon Thursday (March 6) in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.
Southern (18-9, 9-9 MIAA) broke an 11-11 tie with a three-pointer by junior G India Wood at the 11:21 mark of the first half, part of a 13-4 run which would give the Lions a 22-15 lead with 7:44 to go in the period.
A three-point play by senior F Jill Johnson with 6:57 left would spark the rally for Western. A steal by senior G Chemia Woods led to a layup by senior F Yanique Javois 10 second later which cut the gap to two points.
Johnson was fouled again after stealing the ball from junior G Lindsey Davis and sank a pair of charities to tie the game at 22-22 with 6:24 to go in the half. Another steal by Johnson against Davis led to a three-pointer by freshman F Tierra Ford to give the Griffons a 25-22 lead at 5:08 left in the half.
Ford ended up scoring the last seven points of the outburst to make it 29-22 with 3:19 on the clock.
Davis was able to convert a three-point play for Souther late in the half which made it a four-point game at the break, 33-29.
The Lions made it a two-point game by scoring the first bucket of the second half, but they would get no closer to regaining the lead. An 8-0 spurt by the Griffons in the middle of the period pushed the gap to double figures for the first time, and Western would not see the advantage drop below seven the rest of the way.
Javios led Western with 26 points and five steals, while Johnson ended up with 19 points. Ford finished with nine points, as Woods dished out 10 assists to go with eight points.
Wood scored 15 points for Southern, while senior C Fatai Hala'Api'Api ended up with 10 points in a reserve role.

Lady Blues player notes . . .
#3 – Brette Ulsaker – G – 5-9 – So. – Recorded first career block of career against Central Missouri … scored two points in only game against the Griffons.
#4 – Amanda Holmes – F – 6-2 – Sr. – Has averaged 10.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in eight career games vs MWSU … 7.0 rebounds per game in MIAA Tournament is fourth in Lady Blues history.
#11 – Renata Germano – C – 6-2 – Jr. – Averaged 4.3 ppg in last five games … has four rebounds in four career games against the Griffons.
#13 – Jessica Mainz – G – 5-9 – Jr. – Believed to be the first woman to be receive MVP award in 2 different sports … 53 steals this season is 24th on single-season chart.
#14 – Alyssa Mullen – F – 5-11 – Fr. – Eight of 17 from the field in home games this season … 2 of 6 from the field in one career game against MWSU.
#20 – Hadleigh Meek – G – 5-8 – Fr. – Has hit all four free throw attempts in MIAA play this season … has an assist and a steal against Griffons this season in nine minutes of action.
#21 – Corkey Stiger – G – 5-9 – Sr. – Has averaged 18 points, 6.5 rebounds in two games against MWSU this season … has averaged 13.8 points, 4.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds in five career games against Missouri Western.
#23 – Jacki Tipping – G – 5-10 – So. – All three rebounds this season have been offensive … played two minutes in one career game against Griffons.
#24 – Karla Tailele – G – 5-6 – Rs-Jr. – 15 of 20 from free throw line this season … has averaged 2.0 points in two games against Griffons.
#30 – Kalee Silovsky – F – 6-0 – Jr. – Has hit 4 of 9 3-point attempts in MIAA games this season … has averaged 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in two games against Griffons.
#32 – Janice Bright – G – 5-9 – Jr. – Has hit last 10 free throws - hit last 24 of 27 free throws … 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists in two career games against Missouri Western.
#33 – Hope Gregory – G – 5-10 – Rs-Fr. – 42 of 115 rebounds have been offensive this season … of 11 rebounds against Griffons, four have been offensive.
#44 – Emily Gibson – F – 6-1 – Fr. – Will miss the remainder of the season - had back surgery on 2/28 … scored two points in only game played against Missouri Western.
#50 – Regiane Araujo – C – 6-4 – Jr. – Saw first action in six games (back) against Central Missouri … 6 of 10 from the field in two games against Missouri Western averaging 6.0 ppg.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 24th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 301-56 (.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 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 110-11 (.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 102-6 (.944).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 693-325 (.681 in 1,018 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(March 3) The Washburn Lady Blues dropped to No. 20 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 WBCA Coaches Poll which was released today. Overall, Washburn has received votes in the last 108 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 92 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 . . .
(2/27/08)    (WBCA)D-II Record / In Region
1     West Texas A&M     21-4     20-1
2     Washburn     18-4     17-4
3     Central Oklahoma     19-6     18-6
4     Southwest Baptist     16-6     15-6
5     Emporia State     17-5     16-5
6     Missouri Southern State     14-8    14-8
7     Angelo State     21-6     20-6
8     Northeastern State     15-10     15-10
9     St. Mary's (Tx.)     19-3     16-2
10     Texas A&M-Commerce     16-8     15-8

Lady Blues Individual Tip Ins . . .
• Corkey Stiger moved into fifth all-time at Washburn in 3-pointers and she needs six more to move into the top four and eight more to move into third all-time at Washburn.
• Stiger's 356 career 3-point attempts is fourth all-time.
• Stiger's 204 3-point attempts this season is second on the single-season chart … she is 25 attempts shy of breaking the record of 228 set by Brooke Ubelaker last season.
• Stiger needs 41 points to become the 16th Lady Blue to score at least 500 points in a single season.
• Stiger's 68 3-pointers this season is 24 shy of Ubelaker's record of 92 set last season.
• Amanda Holmes is 10th all-time with 253 free throws made and 10th in free throw attempts with 376. She needs four more makes to move into ninth place.
• Holmes is 11th all-time in rebounds at Washburn with 605. She needs 33 more to move into the top 10 all-time.
• Holmes' 106 career blocked shots is third all-time at Washburn needing 11 to move into sole possession of second place.
• Holmes became 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 18.2 ppg in the five losses for the Lady Blues. She is the only Washburn player averaging double figures in the four losses. The next highest scorer is Amanda Holmes with 8.4 ppg.

Lady Blues Team Tip Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues have held their opponents under 100 points in 277 consecutive games.
• The Washburn bench is outscoring their opponents this season 533 to 422. However in the last three games, the Washburn reserves have been outscored 52 to 20.
• In the last five minutes of games, Washburn is being outscored by their opponents 284 to 281.
• The 181 3-pointers made by the Lady Blues this season is sixth on the all-time chart. The team single-season record is 253 set last season.
• The 552 3-point attempts is fifth on the single-season chart this season. The school record is 732 set during the 2004-05 season when the Lady Blues won the NCAA title.

2008 Washburn postseason honors . . .
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The MIAA Co-Champion Washburn Lady Blues placed senior guard Corkey Stiger, senior forward Amanda Holmes and junior guard Jessica Mainz on three different all-conference teams which were announced today by the MIAA office. Stiger earned first team all-MIAA honors, Holmes was a second team pick and Mainz was voted by the coaches as the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Mainz also was an honorable mention all-MIAA selection.
Stiger, who was an unanimous first team pick, has led the Lady Blues this season with 17.0 ppg while recording 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Stiger is seventh in the MIAA this season in scoring after hitting 68 of 204 3-pointers. Stiger was a second team all-MIAA pick last year without starting a game.
Holmes earned second team all-MIAA honors after scoring 11.5 points per game and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game, which is fourth in the conference. Her scoring average is 20th in the league. Holmes is also second in the MIAA in blocked shots with 1.3 per game.
Mainz picks up her second MVP of the season after earning soccer MVP honors from the fall. Mainz was also unanimous selection to the MIAA's all-defensive team. She is the fourth Lady Blue and the third straight to win the MIAA's Defensive Player of the Year honors joining Cindy Keely (2007), April Roadhouse (2006) and Crystal Walker (2003) who were also named defensive most valuable players.

Lady Blues in the MIAA Postseason Tournament . . .
• The Lady Blues have won nine straight MIAA Tournament games with their last defeat coming on March 6, 2004 in the MIAA semifinals to Northwest Missouri in a 76-68 loss.
• The Lady Blues are looking to win their seventh MIAA Tournament Championship and their fourth straight overall. This season is the 18th trip to the tournament for the Lady Blues and they are 25-11 (.694) all-time.
• The Lady Blues won the postseason tournament four of the five seasons that it has been played in Kansas City (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007).
• The Lady Blues have two second place finishes in the postseason tournament.
• Central Missouri has the most postseason championships with seven. Washburn has six and Emporia State has four.
• In Kansas City, the Lady Blues are a combined 13-1 with the only loss coming to Northwest Missouri. They have four wins over Missouri Western, two wins over Truman, Emporia State and Southwest Baptist and single wins over Pittsburg State, Truman and Northwest Missouri.
• Overall, here's how the Lady Blues have fared against MIAA opponents in the conference tournament.
Team    Quarters    Semis    Finals    In KC    Overall
UCM    0-1    1-0    1-0    1-0    2-1
ESU    —    2-0    1-0    2-0    3-0
MSSU    —    2-1    1-0    —    3-1
MWSU    0-3    2-0    2-2    4-0    4-5   
NWMSU    1-0    1-1    —    1-1    2-1
PSU    1-1    —    1-0    1-0    2-1
SBU    5-1    —    —    2-0    5-1
TSU    2-0    —    —    2-0    2-0
--- vs former members
UMR    1-0    —    —    —    1-0
UMSL    1-0    —    —    —    1-0
SEMO    —    0-1    —    —    0-1
Totals    11-6    8-3    6-2    13-1    25-11

Up Next . . .
Following the MIAA Tournament, the Lady Blues will more than likely take part in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. West Texas A&M is the No. 1 seed in the region and is the probable host site in Canyon, Texas. Washburn has taken part in the last six straight tournaments winning the 2005 National Championship in Hot Springs, Ark.