Game Facts Date: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 Time: 3 p.m. CST Site: Las Vegas, Nev. Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com Date: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 Time: 1 p.m. CST Site: Las Vegas, Nev. Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (7-0) Polls 11th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    248-49, 10th season Career Record: 248-49, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Western Washington Vikings (5-0) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Carmen Dolfo Alma Mater: Western Washington, 86 WWU Record: 380-152, 19th season Career Record: 380-152, 19th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Central Washington Wildcats (2-5) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Jeff Whitney Alma Mater: Central Washington, 95 CWU Record: 188-139, 13th season Career Record: 188-139, 13th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues Head to Las Vegas
The 11th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues take a break from MIAA play and head to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Great Western Shootout hosted by Western Washington University.
Washburn will take on the host school, Western Washington on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CST before finishing up the tournament against Central Washington on Thursday at 1 p.m. CST.
The Lady Blues will head home for the holiday break before returning to action on December 28 at home against Missouri Western. Tip-off in that game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game will be broadcast live on AM 580 WIBW with Mark Elliott providing the play-by-play and Bruce Steinbrock the color-commentary. 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 248-49 (.835)  overall record, including a 131-34 (.794) 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 6 of notes.)
Western Washington head coach Carmen Dolfo, is in her 19th season leading the Vikings program. She has a school and career record of 380-152. Last season, she led WWU to a 19-9 finish, including 11-5 and a third place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Central Washington head coach Jeff Whitney, is in his 13th season leading the Wildcats. CWU was 7-20 a season ago and Whitney's career record stands at 188-139.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Dec. 12, 2009 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 11th-ranked Lady Blues shot 77 percent from the floor in the second half and ran away from Truman State 74-56 on Saturday night at Lee Arena. Washburn returns to action on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CST against Western Washington in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Lady Blues (7-0, 3-0 MIAA) broke open a close game with an 11-0 run, including three treys from Amanda Fessenden to start the second half after leading 29-27 at the break. WU increased the lead to as many as 25 in the second half. Truman (5-4, 1-2 MIAA) closed the game on a 7-0 run. The Lady Blues connected on their first six field goal attempts of the second half and finished 17-of-22 from the field in the stanza.
The Lady Blues jumped to a 10-0 lead and led by as many as 12 before a 14-2 run by the Bulldogs tied the game with 9:02 to play in the opening period. TSU took its first lead at 21-19 and it biggest lead of the night at 24-21 with just under seven minutes to play in the half.
Washburn shot 56 percent, 28-of-50, for the game, while holding Truman to 38 percent, 20-of-53. The Lady Blues connected on 56 percent of their three-point attempts and outrebounded the Bulldogs 33-24.
Dayna Rodriguez led three Washburn players in double figures with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds. Fessenden scored a career-high 15 points, all in the second half, on five three-pointers and Hope Gregory chipped in 14. Gregory matched Rodriguez with a game-high six boards.
Jenny Dorman led TSU with 13 points off the bench, while Laura Joya, the MIAA's leading scorer, was held to a season-low five points.

Notes from the win over Truman . . .
• Washburn improved to 37-8 against the Bulldogs and extended their win streak in the series to 15 games
• The Lady Blues improved to 7-0 for the second straight season and sixth time in the last eight seasons under McHenry
• Washburn improved to 3-0 in the MIAA for the third straight year
• Washburn improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 under Ron McHenry on Dec. 12

Washburn/WWU Series Notes . . .
Western Washington leads the overall series 2-0, but the two teams have not met since 1999. Western Washington won that game 65-61 in Topeka as part of the Lady Blues Holiday Classic.

Washburn/Central Washington Series Notes . . .
This will be the first meeting between these two schools.

About Western Washington. . .
The Vikings enter the Great Western Shootout with a perfect 5-0 record. They have not played since December 3 when they beat Hawaii-Hilo 80-46 in Bellingham, Wash.
Junior guard Amanda Dunbar leads three players averaging in double figures at 17.2 points per game. She is followed by senior forward Jessica Summers at 14.2 and senior forward Willow Cabe at 12.2 points per contest. Cabe also leads the team in rebounding pulling down 8.4 boards per contest. The Vikings average 76.6 points per outing, while giving up just 46.4 per game. Western Washington also outrebounds its opponents 38.2 to 31.0.
The Vikings are shooting 50 percent from the field, including 47 percent from behind the three-point line and they have held their opponents to 32 percent sting. The starting five of Dunbar, Summers, Cabe, Megan Pinske and Ashley Fenimore account for 75 percent of the Vikings scoring.

About Central Washington. . .
Central Washington comes to Las Vegas with a 2-5 record after a 77-62 win over Cal State East Bay on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats have won two of their last three games.
Sophomore Sophie Russell and junior Jenn Jacobs lead the Wildcats offensively averaging 13.3 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. CWU averaged 68 points per contest as a team. Either Jacobs or Russell has led the Wildcats in scoring in six of seven games this season.
Shaina Afoa leads Central Washington in rebounding pulling down 6.6 boards per outing, while Stacy Albrecht nabs 5.3 per contest.
The Wildcats are shooting 40 percent from the field, while their opponents shoot 42 percent. CWU is also being out-rebounded by its opponents 41.3 to 35.9 through seven games. The Wildcats have forced 148 turnovers, nearly 22 turnovers per game.

Two Wins Would . . .
Two wins would make the Lady Blues 9-0 for second straight year and the sixth time overall under McHenry ... give McHenry a 250-49 overall record ... give Washburn its first win over both Western and Central Washington ... give Washburn a 731-332 record in its 41st season of basketball.

Two Losses Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 7-2 for the first time since 2001-02 ... give McHenry a 248-51 career record ... give Washburn a 729-334 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

A Split Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 8-1 for just the second time during the McHenry era ... give Ron McHenry a 249-50 career record ... give Washburn a 730-333 all-time record.

Lady Blues in Las Vegas . . .
The Lady Blues are 4-0 playing in Las Vegas having competed in the South Central Regional Challenge. Washburn defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville (88-57) and Cameron (72-61) in the 2003-04 season and West Texas A&M (63-52) and Cameron (66-50) in the 2005-06 season. This is Washburn's first time competing in the Great Western Shootout.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 319-57 (.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 128-12 (.914) 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 120-7 (.945).

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 729-332 (.687 in 1,061 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 four spots to No. 11 in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll. Emporia State is the highest rated MIAA team at No. 9, while Central Missouri was receiving one vote.
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 123 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 107 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. • Tied career-high with six assists in win at Nebraska-Omaha
#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 career-high 15 points on five treys in win over Truman State
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Named MIAA Co-Player of the Week for her performance against UNO and NWMSU
#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 5-0 all-time on Dec. 16 and 4-0 under Ron McHenry on that date.
• The Lady Blues are 3-0 all-time on Dec. 16 with all three victories coming during the McHenry era.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues will be off for the holiday break until December 28 when they resume MIAA play at home against Missouri Western. The Griffons come to Lee Arena for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off. Washburn then hits the road for three straight games traveling to Fort Hays State, Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist.