Game Facts Date: Wednesday, Dec.. 2, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. Site: Omaha, Neb. - Sapp Fieldhouse (3,500) Radio: 106.9 FM KTPK Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: omavs.com Internet Streaming: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (4-0) Polls 15th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    245-49, 10th season Career Record: 245-49, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (3-2) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Patty Patton Shearer Alma Mater: Rocky Mountain College, 90 UNO Record: 85-63, 6th season Career Record: 145-112, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues Tip-Off MIAA Play
The 15th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues tip-off MIAA play on Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska against the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Washburn is coming off a 3-0 week, including a 68-59 win over 20th-ranked Drury in Springfield. The Lady Blues trailed by as many as 11 in that game before rallying for the nine-point win. Washburn went 2-0 at the Lady Blues Holiday Classic with convincing wins over Missouri-St. Louis (99-51) and Rockhurst (79-59).
Also, Washburn's game at Northwest Missouri State on Saturday has been moved from 5:30 p.m. to 12 p.m. to accomodate the NWMSU football game that evening.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game will be broadcast live on 106.9 FM KTPK with Mark Elliott providing the play-by-play and Bruce Steinbrock the color-commentar. The game will also be streamed live online by clicking the live audio button under the Lady Blues Basketball tab on the Washburn athletics web site at www.wusports.com.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 245-49 (.833) record overall and 128-34 (.790) 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 five of the seven played in Kansas City. McHenry has the highest winning percentage (.831) 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 leads the country 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 8 of notes.)
Nebraska-Omaha head coach Patt Patton Shearer, is in her sixth season leading the Maverick program and her 10th season as a head coach. Her record at UNO is 85-63, while her overall mark stands at 145-112. Patton Shearer is 18-14 since Nebraska-Omaha joined the MIAA last season, including a 3-2 early season mark this year.

Last Time Out for the lady Blues . . .
Nov. 28, 2009 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 16th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues tied a school record with 15 three-point field goals and cruised to a 79-59 victory over Rockhurst in the Lady Blues Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday night in Lee Arena. Washburn will open MIAA play on Wednesday at Nebraska-Omaha at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Blues (4-0) broke a 20-all tie in the first half on a three by Dayna Rodriguez and closed the half on a 26-12 run to lead 46-32 at the break. Rodriguez matched her career-high in the first half alone with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. She finished with a game and career-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
Washburn pushed the lead to as many as 23 in the early portion of the second half and cruised to the 20-point victory. The Lady Blues shot 50 percent in the second half, including 7-of-10 from behind the arc.
For the game, WU shot 52 percent, 29-of-56, including the school-record tying 15 treys.
In addition to Rodriguez's 23, Stevi Schultz notched a career-high with 18 points on 6-of-9, including five threes. Laura Kinderknecht also set a career-high with 11. Rose Hammond added six assists for the Lady Blues.
Washburn held Rockhurst to 37 percent from the floor, 18-of-49 and limited the Hawks to just two three-point field goals.

Notes From The Win Over Rockhurst . . .
• Washburn improved to 14-3 all-time against Rockhurst
• The Lady Blues are 4-0 against Rockhurst under Ron McHenry
• Washburn improved to 7-2 overall and 3-0 under Ron McHenry on Nov. 28
• Washburn improved to 10-0 under McHenry in the Lady Blues Holiday Classic

Washburn/Nebraska-Omaha Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series 3-1, including both meetings a season ago after the Mavericks joined the MIAA.

last meeting between washburn and UNO . . .
(Jan. 24, 2009) OMAHA, Neb. -- Janice Bright topped the 20-point mark for the seventh straight game and the Lady Blues came back to defeat Nebraska-Omaha, 64-62 Saturday at Sapp Fieldhouse.
No. 10 Washburn improved to 15-3 and 8-3 in the MIAA while UNO fell to 7-9 and 4-7 in the league. The Lady Blues will continue action Wednesday night at Northwest Missouri State at 5:30.
Bright shot 9 of 21 from the field and made four 3-pointers as she scored 25 points to lead all scorers. Mainz was 4 of 6 from the field for 11 points.
The Lady Blues took their first lead of the game at the 5:42 mark when Dayna Rodriguez hit a pair of free throws to make the score 54-53. A 3-pointer from Bright at 2:58 gave the Lady Blues a six-point lead but UNO scored five straight points to pull within one with 51 seconds remaining.
Mainz then hit a lay-up after a WU timeout to give the Lady Blues a three-point lead with 20 seconds left. Cayla Hargrove went to the free throw live for UNO with eight seconds left and she made both shots. Mainz was fouled on the next possesion and she made one of two to give WU a two-point lead.
The Mavericks failed to get a shot off as the ball was knocked lose in the final seconds.
Washburn was out-shot, 50 percent to 43 percent but the Lady Blues were 13 of 15 (87 percent) from the free throw line while UNO was 10 of 15.
Dayna Rodriguez led the Lady Blues with seven rebounds and Mainz and Brett Ulsaker each led with three assists. Mainz had five steals.

About Nebraska-Omaha . . .
Nebraska-Omaha enters MIAA play with a 3-2 record after back-to-back wins over Oklahoma Panhandle State (71-28) and Chadron State (70-62). The Mavericks are averaging 68.0 points per game and giving up only 54.4 points per contest. Nebraska-Omaha is 3-0 at home in Sapp Fieldhouse. Both losses came on a neutral court at the Central Missouri Jennies' Classic.
Senior forward Ashley Nelson leads the Mavericks in scoring at 12.6 per outing. Senior guard Alyssa Green is the other UNO player averaging in double figures at 12.2 per game. Nebraska-Omaha is outrebounding its opponents 41.2 to 38.8 and is led in rebounding by senior forward Kylee Rinehart at 5.5 per contest.
Additionally, the Mavericks are holding opponents to 34 percent shooting, including 18 percent from behind the arc. Additionally, UNO is forcing almost 27 turnovers per game.

Lady Blues in MIAA Openers . . .
The Lady Blues are 6-3 under Ron McHenry in MIAA openers and 13-7 overall in conference starters. Washburn is 7-2 under McHenry in conference road openers as well. The Lady Blues are 252-87 (.743) all-time and 128-34 (.790) under McHenry in MIAA games.

A win would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 5-0 for the ninth straight year ... give McHenry a 246-49 overall record ... give Washburn four straight wins over the Mavericks and a 4-1 series lead ... give Washburn a 727-332 record in its 41st season of basketball.

a loss would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 4-1 for the first time since 2000-01 ... give McHenry a 245-50 career record ... snap a three-game winning streak against the Mavericks ... give Washburn a 726-333 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

lady blues on the road
The Lady Blues are 68-29 (.701) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 1-0 this season. Washburn's best road record under McHenry was 8-0 during the 2005-06 season. The Lady Blues were 9-3 on the road last season.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 318-57 (.848) 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 45 straight regular season non-conference games in Lee Arena. The last home loss to a non-conference team in the regular season was to Missouri-St. Louis in a 59-51 setback on Dec. 30, 2000.
Washburn is 127-12 (.912) in home games under Ron McHenry. Five of the 12 losses came in his first year on the Lady Blues bench. In the last nine seasons, Washburn is 119-7 (.944).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 726-332 (.686 in 1,058 games) in its 41st season of intercollegiate action. The Lady Blues have played in 13 NCAA Tournaments, made five Elite Eight appearances and won the 2005 National Championship.

Washburn in the national poll . . .
The Lady Blues moved up one spot to No. 15 in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll.
The Lady Blues were No. 13 in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 WBCA Coaches Poll of the 2009 season. Overall, Washburn has received votes in the last 122 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 106 consecutive polls, the longest current streak in NCAA-II.

Blues Clues . . .
#1 • Chasity Workman • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Scored eight points in Washburn debut
#3 • Brette Ulsaker • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Scored 10 points, including eight in the second half of win over Drury
#5 • Laura Kinderknecht • G • 5-7 • Fr. • Scored career-high 11 points in win over Rockhurst
#10 • Lauren Henry • G • 5-4 • So. • Scored five points in six minutes of action
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • Jr. • Hit all four field goal attempts against Southwestern and scored nine points
#20 • Dana Elliott • F • 5-11 • Fr. • Hit only field goal attempt for two points and had two assists in season opener
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • So. • Scored four points and pulled down three rebounds against Southwestern (Kan.)
#22 • Ashley Jappa • F • 6-2 • Jr. • Had four blocked shots against Missouri-St. Louis
#23 • Jacki Tipping • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Scored four points in win over Missouri-St. Louis
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • So. • Scored career-high 18 points in win over Rockhurst, including five three-point field goals
#31 • Rose Hammond • G • 5-10 • Sr. • Scored 18 points and had six rebounds in win over No. 20 Drury
#32 • Amanda Fessenden • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in win at 20th-ranked Drury
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Scored 11 points and hit all four free throw attempts in season-opening win
#34 • Sierra Moeller • F • 6-1 • Jr. • Will redshirt 2009-10 season after transferring from Boise State
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Sr. • Scored career-high 23 points in win over Rockhurst
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Scored 11 points in win over Missouri-St. Louis
#44 • Laura McMullin • F • 6-1 • Fr. • 2-of-3 from the field for four points in first collegiate game

Tip-Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues are 6-2 all-time on Dec. 2, including 3-0 under Ron McHenry.

up Next . . .
The Lady Blues have the week off for finals before hosting Truman State on Saturday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena. Washburn will hit the road to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Great Western Shootout on December 16-17.