Game Facts Date: Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. Site: Hays, Kan. - Gross Memorial Coliseum (6,814) Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: fhsuathletics.com Live Video: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (10-0, 4-0 MIAA) Polls 8th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    251-49, 10th season Career Record: 251-49, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Fort Hays State Tigers (9-1, 2-1 MIAA) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Tony Hobson Alma Mater: Hastings, 91 FHSU Record: 21-17, second season Career Record: 232-57, ninth season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues Travel to Hays
The 8th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues head to Hays, Kan. on Wednesday night for a key matchup against the 9-1 Fort Hays State Tigers.
Washburn is coming off a 69-50 win over Missouri Western on Monday night, which improved its record to 4-0 in conference play, while the Tigers have not played since a 68-62 win over Doane on December 16. FHSU is 2-1 in MIAA play.
This will be the first of three straight MIAA road games for Washburn.

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 251-49 (.837)  overall record, including a 132-34 (.795) 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 (.837) 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.)
Fort Hays State head coach Tony Hobson, is in his second season leading the Tigers program. Fort Hays State is off to a 9-1 start, 2-1 in the MIAA this year. Hobson's record at FHSU stands at 21-17 after leading the Tigers to a 12-16 mark and an MIAA tournament berth in his first season. His career mark sits at 232-57 in nine seasons as a college head coach. He is a 1991 graduate of Hastings College.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Dec. 28, 2009 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- A 16-6 run to close out the first half gave the eighth-ranked Lady Blues some breathing room as they pulled away for a 69-50 win over Missouri Western on Monday night at Lee Arena. Washburn will be back in action on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. at Fort Hays State.
Washburn (10-0, 4-0 MIAA) led 21-20 with just over six minutes remaining in the first half when a three-pointer from Stevi Schultz ignited the run that when it was over gave the Lady Blues a 37-26 lead at the intermission. Missouri Western (2-8, 0-4 MIAA) had jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and led 10-9 when the Lady Blues used an 8-1 spurt to gain a 17-11 advantage midway through the opening period.
The Griffons whittled the lead down to eight at 45-37 with 15:22 remaining in the game, but five quick points by the Lady Blues pushed the lead back to 13 with just over 12 to play. Back-to-back threes by Dayna Rodriguez and Brette Ulsaker widened the gap to 61-44 with 7:07 remaining. The lead reached as many as 22 before the Lady Blues closed out the 19-point win.
Rodriguez led Washburn with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Schultz chipped in 11. Chasity Workman added seven rebounds to go along with four points.
Jessica Koch led Missouri Western with 18 points.
The win was Washburn's seventh straight over the Griffons. The game was Ron McHenry's 300th career game as the Washburn head coach. His career record now stands at 251-49 (.837).

Notes from the win over MWSU . . .
• Washburn won its seventh straight game over the Griffons
• Ron McHenry improved to 251-49 in his 300th game as the Lady Blues head coach
• Wasburn improved to 10-0 for the second straight season and the sixth time under McHenry
• The Lady Blues extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer to 181 games.

About Fort Hays State. . .
The Tigers resume MIAA play after the holiday break at 9-1 overall and 2-1 in conference action. FHSU beat Doane 68-62 in its last game on December 16. Fort Hays State beat Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western, while falling to Nebraska-Omaha in their first three conference games.
Senior guard Naomi Bancroft leads the team and is tied for the MIAA lead in scoring at 17.9 points per game. She averages 3.1 three-point field goals per game to lead the conference. During MIAA play, Bancroft has averaged 20.3 points per game.
Senior forward Erica Biel is second on the squad in scoring at 8.9 points per contest and leads the Tigers in rebounding with 6.6 boards per outing.
Audra Binford chips in 8.2 points per game and senior guard Kayla Klug adds 7.9 points and a team-high 3.3 assists per game.
The Tigers are averaging 73.3 points per game, while allowing only 55.1. They outrebound their opponents 39.4-35.8 and have made 34 more three-point field goals, while attempting 60 more shots from beyond the arc than their opponents.

Washburn/Fort Hays State Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series with Fort Hays State 38-25. The Lady Blues have won 13 straight games in the series dating back to 1994. Washburn is 8-0 against the Tigers under Ron McHenry.

Last Meeting with Fort Hays State. . .
March 6, 2009 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Washburn Lady Blues held Fort Hays State to 3 of 31 shooting from the field in the second half turning a two-point halftime lead into a 73-46 win in the first round of the MIAA Championship Tournament. The No. 11 Lady Blues advance to take on the winner of the Pittsburg State/Nebraska-Omaha game at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday night in Municipal Auditorium.
The Lady Blues opened the second half with a 31-29 lead before putting together a 30-6 run over the first 10 minutes of the half as the Tigers were 1 of 17 to begin the half and did not hit their second field goal of the half until there was 1:45 in the game. The three field goals came at the 12:09, 1:45 and the 1:25 marks of the second half.
In the first half, the teams traded leads 13 times in the first half with neither team leading by more than six points.
Washburn was led by Janice Bright who scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the first half. She was 4 of 7 from the field - all from behind the 3-point arc. Stanecia Graham score 12 points off the bench and Karla Tailele netted all 11 of her points in the first half hitting three 3-pointers. Jessica Mainz added seven points with nine assists, tying a career-high she set against FHSU on Feb. 7 in Hays. Mainz also became the third Lady Blue to have at least 600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 150 steals joining Brenda Shaffer-Dahl and Latisha Yarnell.
Naomi Bancroft led FHSU with 14 points. Kayla Klug and Audra Binford each had 12.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 11-0 for the second straight year and the fifth time under McHenry ... give the Lady Blues a 5-0 MIAA record for the second straight season ... give McHenry a 252-49 overall record ... give Washburn 14 straight wins over the Tigers and a 39-25 series lead ... give Washburn a 733-332 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 10-1 for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give the Lady Blues a 4-1 MIAA record for the second time in three seasons ... give McHenry a 251-50 career record ... snap a 13-game winning streak against Fort Hays State ... give Washburn a 732-333 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 132-34 (.795) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 256-87 (.746) all-time in conference play. 

Lady Blues on the road
The Lady Blues are 70-29 (.707) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 3-0 this season and 2-0 in MIAA play.. 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, including 7-3 during conference play.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 320-57 (.849) 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 129-12 (.915) 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 121-7 (.945).

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 732-332 (.688 in 1,064 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 three spots to No. 8 in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll. Emporia State is the only other MIAA team ranked, coming in at No. 9.
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 124 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 108 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
#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 career-high 23 points in overtime win against Western Washington
#32 • Amanda Fessenden • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Scored 14 points, including game-winning FTs with 1.3 seconds remaining to beat Western Washington
#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 6-4 all-time on Dec. 30, including 4-1 under McHenry.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues continue their conference road swing with two more road games. WU will take Central Missouri on Saturday and Southwest Baptist next Tuesday (Jan. 5) before returning home on January 9 to host Missouri Southern.