Matchup: Washburn (14-3, 7-3 MIAA) at Nebraska-Omaha (7-8, 4-6 MIAA) Date: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 Time: 1:30 p.m. CST Site: Omaha, Neb. -- Sapp Fieldhouse (3,200) Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM with play by play with Mark Elliott and Bruce Steinbrock Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 228-47 (.832) in his ninth season. McHenry is 16-7 against Emporia State. He is 1-0 against the Mavericks. Patty Patton Shearer is in her fifth season at UNO. She is 74-56 all time at UNO and 0-1 against the Lady Blues. Rankings: Washburn was ranked No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. UNO is unranked. Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 2-1. Last Meeting: WU 61-52, 12/3/08 in Topeka Last WU win: same Last UNO win: 90-55, 11/25/85 in Omaha Worth noting: Washburn is making its first trip to Omaha since Nov. 22, 1985. The win for the Mavericks in that game has been their only win in the series.

Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM Web Stream Internet: themiaa.tv (free) Live Stats: Through UNO (free) Washburn Game Notes WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule Nebraska-Omaha WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule

No. 10 Lady Blues start second half of MIAA slate with first trip to Omaha in 23 years ... 
The No. 10 ranked Washburn Lady Blues (14-3, 7-3 MIAA) will look to avoid their first two-game losing streak since the 2002-03 season when they travel to Omaha, Neb., to take on the Mavericks. Nebraska-Omaha (7-8, 4-6 MIAA) who fell at Pittsburg State last time out 69-56. The Lady Blues fell to then-ranked No. 9 Emporia State last Saturday 78-85. Washburn has not lost back-to-back MIAA games since the 2002-03 season when they fell to Missouri Western in Lee Arena on Jan. 29, 2003 by a 60-56 score and then the fell at Truman on Feb. 1 in a 76-71 game. Under Ron McHenry, the Lady Blues are 33-10 following regular season losses in their next game following a defeat.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Washburn games with Nebraska-Omaha will be on KTPK 106.9 FM. 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 228-47 (.835) record overall and 119-33 (.791) 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 (.835) in MIAA history of coaches who have at least 200 wins. McHenry is 32-13 when both teams are ranked in the top 25 and 34-21 overall against top 25 teams.
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.)
Patty Patton Shearer is in her fifth season at UNO. She is 74-55 all time at UNO.  Last year, the Mavericks started 14-1 (the best start in school history) and recorded their third-straight winning season at 17-12.  A native of Marana, Ariz., Patton Shearer is a 1990 graduate of Rocky Mountain College.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
(Jan. 17, 2009) EMPORIA, Kan. -- A late-game rally by the Lady Blues fell short as No. 7 Washburn fell 85-78 at No. 9 Emporia State Saturday night in White Auditorium in Emporia. The loss drops Washburn to 14-3 and 7-3 in the MIAA.
The Lady Blues trailed by as many 16 in the second half at 49-33 with 15:44 to play before cutting into the lead. Washburn pulled within single digits with 1:13 to go at 76-67 on and to six with 1:05 to play on four straight free throws by Janice Bright. But ESU was perfect from the line on their next two possessions keeping the margin at nine. Washburn trimmed the lead to five at 81-76 with 20 second to go, but ESU hit their last four free throws to put the game away.
Washburn led by as many as five points in the opening period and held an 18-14 advantage with 8:58 to go in the half, but Emporia State rolled off a 13-0 run over the next 4:25 taking a 27-14 with 4:33 to go in the first half. Washburn was held without a field goal from the 9:33 mark to the 1:18 mark of the first half when Janice Bright hit a lay up. After a pair of free throws by Cassondra Boston with three seconds left in the half, ESU took a 36 to 26 lead into the halftime locker room.
Washburn hit 8 of 30 attempts in the first half for a 27 percent average and was 1 of 7 from 3-point range. The Lady Hornets hit 36 percent from the field going 13 of 36. Washburn was 9 of 11 from the free throw line and ESU hit all eight attempts.
Bright led the Lady Blues with 31 points go over 30 for the first time in her career at Washburn. She was a perfect 15 of 15 from the free throw line. Her 15 free throws tied the Washburn single-game record of Shelley Foster who hit 15 of 16 against Pittsburg State on Feb. 18, 1995. The 15 of 15 is also an MIAA single-game record besting a 14 of 14 performance by four others. Dayna Rodriguez scored a career-high 17 points in her first start at Washburn following up a 15-point performance against Pittsburg State last time out. Stanecia Graham scored 10 off the bench. Bright also had a team-high seven rebounds before fouling out.
Cassondra Boston led ESU with 24 points. Ida Edwards had a double double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Lady Blues raised their shooting percentage in the second to 46 percent hitting 16 of 35 attempts. For the game, Washburn was 27 of 33 from the free throw line. Emporia State shot 41 percent for the game hitting 25 of 61 shots and they were 32 of 36 from the charity stripe. Emporia State outrebounded Washburn 41 to 39.

Final Notes from the Emporia State game . . .
The Lady Blues used their fourth different starting line up on the season going with Kalee Silovsky, Dayna Rodriguez, Hope Gregory at forward spots and Jessica Mainz and Janice Bright at the guard spots. It was the first start of the season for Rodriguez … Washburn is 9-2 on Jan. 17th in the program's history with the only loss coming at Missouri Southern in an 87-69 loss during the 1985-86 season … Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 301 consecutive games … Washburn had their four-game winning streak over ESU snapped and now trail in the all-time series 40-36 … Washburn has won 16 of the last 22 games and falls to 13-21 all-time in games played in Emporia … The 15 free throws by Janice Bright were the most in a single game by a Washburn player since Bojana Samardziska hit 12 of 12 against Panhandle State on Nov. 30, 2005 … The 27 free throws by the Lady Blues were a single-season high for Washburn as were the 33 attempts … The 85 points scored by ESU were the most Washburn has given up this season … The three 3-pointers tied a season-low for the Lady Blues (vs Truman, 12/13/08) … Washburn had three players foul out, one was Jessica Mainz who fouled out of a game for the first time in her 105-game career at Washburn. 

About Nebraska-Omaha . . .
Nebraska-Omaha is 7-8 overall and 4-6 in MIAA games. The Mavericks are tied for sixth in the league with Fort Hays State and Southwest Baptist. The team's four conference wins were over SBU and the three teams ranked below them (Northwest Missouri, Truman and Missouri Western).
The Mavericks average 70.4 points and 39.4 points per game. They hold opponents to 67.1 points and 37.3 rebounds per game. In conference games, those stats switch as opponents average 70.0 points to 67.4 for the Mavericks. The Mavericks shoot .420 from the floor, but only .296 from three-point range, averaging 5.4 threes made per game.
Amanda Broadsack leads the team, scoring 12.6 points per game and also is the team's leading rebounder with 7.4 rebounds per game. She has 16 blocks on the year. Alyssa Green has dished out a team-high 38 assists on the team, as well as swiping 43 steals.

Washburn/Nebraska-Omaha series notes . . .
Saturday's meeting will be the first game played between the two teams in Omaha since Nov. 22, 1985. The Mavericks won the game 90-55. Washburn leads the series 2-1 winning the first meeting this season 61-52 on Dec. 3 in Topeka. The 35-point loss is the ninth-largest in Lady Blues' history.
 
Last meeting between Washburn and Nebraska-Omaha . . .
(Dec. 3, 2008) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 2 Washburn lady Blues opened the MIAA season with a 61-52 win over Nebraska-Omaha in Lee Arena.
Washburn trailed by as many as six points in the game as they missed their first five field goals and were held scoreless until the 14:02 mark of the game when Stanecia Graham hit a free throw while UNO jumped out to a 6-0 lead prior to the charity stripe. Dayna Rodriguez connected on Washburn's first field goal with 13:29 to go in the first half when she hit a 3-pointer cutting the Maverick lead to 6-4.
The Lady Blues and Mavericks would trade leads five times in the opening frame with Washburn taking a 23-19 lead into the break when Jessica Mainz hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in the half.
Washburn held UNO to six field goals in the opening 20 minutes on 21 attempts. Washburn was 9 of 21 from the field.
In the second half, jumped out to a seven-point lead at 33-26 on a Hope Gregory 3-pointer. After a pair of jumpers by UNO's Alyssa Green which cut the lead to one at 35-34, Washburn's Brette Ulsaker hit a couple of free throws putting Washburn up 37-34. UNO cut the lead back to one on two more occasions, but 3-pointers by Mainz and Janice Bright kept the Mavericks at bay as Washburn went on to the 61-52 win.
Graham led the Lady Blues with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. Kalee Silovsky had a career-high 10 points hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Green led UNO with 18 points.
WU shot 48 percent in the game hitting 21 of 44 from the field including a 12 of 23 effort in the second half. UNO shot 40 percent on 19 of 48 shooting. Washburn was outrebounded for the first time this season 27 to 24. Washburn was also outscored in the paint 28 to 20 and committed 24 turnovers leading to 21 Maverick points.

Last time out for Nebraska-Omaha . . .
(Jan. 21, 2009) PITTSBURG, Kan. - The UNO women's basketball team fell into an early hole and couldn't dig itself out, losing to the Pittsburg State University Gorillas, 69-56, on Wednesday night.  The loss was the second in a row for the Mavericks who fell to 7-8 on the season and 4-6 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Amanda Brodsack led the Mavericks with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Ashley Nelson and Alyssa Green each had 10 points.
UNO trailed by as much as 13 in the first half.  That deficit came after Pittsburg State's Candice Gilbert hit the second of two free throws to make it 27-14. 
The Mavericks would close the half with a quick burst, getting a layup from Nelson and a three-pointer with one second remaining from LaToya Wright to trail 30-23 at the break.
The Gorillas again stretched their lead to 13 twice in the second half, but the Mavericks answered back and trailed 46-41 following a layup by Katie Kane with 10 minutes remaining.
UNO could get no closer, and Pittsburg State pulled away down the stretch.  The Mavericks were plagued by poor three-point shooting.  They made just one of 13 for the game including an 0-for-9 stretch in the second half.  The Gorillas closed the game shooting nearly 52 percent in the second half.
Gilbert and Nicole McCombs led PSU with 13 points each while DePrice Taylor had 12 and Brianna Buchanan added 11.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 25th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 311-57 (.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 120-12 (.909) in home games under Ron McHenry. Five of the 12 losses came in his first year on the Lady Blues bench. In the last seven seasons, Washburn is 112-7 (.941).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 709-330 (.682 in 1,039 games) in its 40th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Jan. 20, 2009) The Washburn Lady Blues basketball dropped to No. 10 from No. 7 in the WBCA USA Today ESPN Division II Coaches Poll which was released today. The Lady Blues have been ranked in 102 consecutive top 25 polls and have received votes in the last 117 top 25 coaches polls.

Following a Lady Blues loss . . .
• Following a loss, the Lady Blues are 33-10 under head coach Ron McHenry.
• In the 32 wins, the average margin of victory has been 11.1 points. In the last six-plus years (including the 2003-04 season), the Lady Blues are 17-0 following a loss with an average victory margin of 18.1 points per game.

Tip-Ins . . .
• Washburn is 7-6 on Jan. 24th in the program's history and the Lady Blues have dropped the last four games on Jan. 24th.
• Janice Bright hit all 15 free throw attempts at Emporia State setting a new MIAA record breaking the previous best of 14 of 14 by four others. Her 15 free throws also tied a Washburn record tying Shelley Foster who hit 15 of 16 against Pittsburg State on Feb. 18, 1995. Overall, Bright's free throw streak sits at 15 in a row after missing her final attempt against Pitt State on Jan. 14.
• Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 301 consecutive games.
• Washburn is shooting 187 of 504 (.371) from the field in the first half of games this season and 224 of 458 (.498) in the second half of games this season.
• Washburn is scoring 8.4 more points per game in the second half compared to the first half of games this season (39.0 to 30.6).
• Washburn opponents are shooting 155 of 438 (.354) in the first half and 176 of 437 (.403) in the second half of games this season.
• In the Lady Blues' 14 wins this season, Washburn has five players averaging at least six points per game - in the two losses, only four are averaging at least 6.0 ppg.
• Janice Bright has scored at a 25.7 ppg average in the three losses and 16.3 in the 14 wins. She is the only Lady Blue to average double figures in the two losses.
• The Lady Blues are shooting 38 percent from the field in road games this season (130 of 341). The are hitting 32 of 109 3-pointers (.294) and 96 of 123 free throws (.780). Washburn is averaging 64.7 ppg in road games and allowing 59.0. Overall Washburn has lost their last two road games (1/10 at Missouri Southern 59-57 and 1/17 at Emporia State 85-78.

Under head coach Ron McHenry . . .
• McHenry is currently tied for seventh overall on the MIAA all-time win chart with former Central Missouri head coach John Pye (1985-95) who was 228-68 for the Jennies. McHenry enters the UNO game with a 228-47 record. In sixth is former SBU head coach Jim Middleton (1994-2008) who was 239-158.
• Washburn is 197-13 when leading at the half.
• Washburn is 69-0 when scoring at least 81 points.
• When opponents are held to 70 points or below, Washburn is 172-32 … when opponents are held to 60 points or less, the Lady Blues are 159-15.
• Washburn is 53-23 in the month of January.
• Washburn is 217-9 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
• Washburn is 192-10 when outshooting their opponent.
• Washburn is 34-21 against ranked teams and the Lady Blues' record against ranked teams when both are ranked in the top 25 is 32-13.

Lady Blue Notes. . .
#3 • Brette Ulsaker • G • 5-9 • Jr. • At least one assist in last seven games
#4 • Stanecia Graham • F • 6-1 • Sr. • Scored 12 points coming off bench for the first time this season with 5 rebounds
#5 • Erica Brown • G • 5-9 • Jr. • Career high 5 rebounds at Emporia State
#10 • Lauren Henry • G • 5-4 • Fr. • Saw first action against FHSU after having appendix removed before Thanksgiving
#11 • Renata Germano • C • 6-2 • Sr. • 28 career blocks is 24th all-time at Washburn
#13 • Jessica Mainz • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Has scored in 13 straight games...avg. 4.0 assists per game in last seven outings
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • So. • 19 of 43 rebounds this season have been offensive
#20 • Hadleigh Meek • G • 5-8 • So. • Two of four from free throw line this season with four assists in seven games
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • Fr. • Four of eight from field in seven games with five rebounds
#23 • Jacki Tipping • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Redshirting after having preseason ankle surgery
#24 • Karla Tailele • G • 5-6 • Sr. • 47 career 3-pointers rank 20th on all-time chart at Washburn
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Fr. • Five of 17 from 3-point range this season
#30 • Kalee Silovsky • F • 6-0 • Sr. • 18 of 50 rebounds have been on the offensive end of the court
#32 • Janice Bright • G • 5-9 • Sr. • At least 20 points in each of last six games (25.7 ppg)
#33 • Hope Gregory • F • 5-10 • So. • 38 career 3-pointers rank 21st all-time at WU (54 games)
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Jr. • Scored career-high tying 15 points in first start of season at Emporia State
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Redshirting after transferring from Fort Hays State
#44 • Emily Gibson • F • 6-1 • So. • Has played in eight games scoring six points hitting all four free throw attempts

NCAA Regional dates and Elite Eight dates have changed . . .
This year's NCAA South Central Regional dates have been changed to the 13, 14, and 16th of March and the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas has moved to the 24, 25 and 27th of March with the championship game scheduled for a Friday instead of the normal Saturday title game.

Up Next . . .
Following the game with UNO, the Lady Blues will take on Northwest Missouri on Jan. 28. Washburn will not play in Topeka again until Jan. 31 when they will face Missouri Western.