Game Facts Date: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 Time: 12 p.m. Site: Maryville, Mo. - Bearcat Arena (2,500) Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: northwestbearcats.com Internet Streaming: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (5-0, 1-0 MIAA) Polls 15th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    246-49, 10th season Career Record: 246-49, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Northwest Missouri Bearcats (5-1, 1-0 MIAA) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Gene Steinmeyer Alma Mater: Nebraska-Kearney, 73 UNO Record: 145-147, 11th season Career Record: 505-288, 24th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues continue MIAA road swing
The 15th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues play their second straight road game to open conference play at Northwest Missouri State on Saturday at 12 p.m.
The game was moved up from a 5:30 start to accomodate NWMSU's football playoff game Saturday evening.
Washburn is coming off of a 68-47 win over Nebraska-Omaha in Omaha on Wedensday night.
Northwest Missouri upset fifth-ranked Emporia State 88-76 in Maryville on Wednesday.

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 246-49 (.834) record overall and 129-34 (.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 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.)
Northwest Missouri head coach Gene Steinmeyer, is in his 11th season leading the Bearcat program and his 24th season as a head coach. His record at NWMSU is 145-147, while his career mark stands at 505-288. Last season, he led Northwest to a 9-18 record, including 5-15 in the MIAA.

Last Time Out for the Lady Blues . . .
Dec. 2, 2009 - OMAHA, Neb. -- A 22-6 run midway through the first half propelled the 15th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues to a 68-47 MIAA-opening win over Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday night at Sapp Fieldhouse. The Lady Blues will travel to Maryville, Mo. on Saturday for a 12 p.m. showdown with Northwest Missouri State.
Washburn (5-0, 1-0 MIAA) started out slow and held a 7-6 lead with 14:51 to play. A three-pointer by Stevi Schultz ignited the 22-6 run that put the Lady Blues up 29-12 with 6:56 to play in the opening half. Washburn pushed the lead to 19 at the break and led 39-20 at intermission.
The Lady Blues shot 40 percent, 14-of-35, in the first half, including 50 percent from behind the arc.
Washburn opened the second half on an 11-2 run to open a 28-point advantage. The lead grew to as many as 29 midway through the period. The Mavericks (3-3, 0-1 MIAA) cut the lead down to 19 with just over two minutes remaining, but the Lady Blues scored four quick points and closed out the game with the 21-point victory.
Hope Gregory recorded her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rose Hammond led Washburn in scoring with 14. Dayna Rodriguez finished with 11 boards, while Brette Ulsaker tied her career-high with six assists.
The Lady Blues improved to 7-3 in MIAA openers under Ron McHenry and 8-2 in conference road openers.
Alyssa Green led Nebraska-Omaha with 10 points.

Notes from the win over UNO . . .
• Washburn improved to 4-1 against the Mavericks, including 3-0 since UNO joined the MIAA
• The Lady Blues are 3-0 against Nebraska-Omaha under Ron McHenry
• Washburn improved to 7-2 overall and 4-0 under Ron McHenry on Dec. 2
• Washburn improved to 7-3 in MIAA openers under McHenry and 8-2 in conference road openers

Washburn/NWMSU Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series 40-9 after sweeping last season's series. The Lady Blues have won 11 of the past 15 meetings since 2004.

Last meeting between Washburn and NWMSU . . .
(Jan. 28, 2009) MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 11 Lady Blues used a 16 to 6 run over a six-minute stretch of the second half to pull away from Northwest Missouri as Washburn picked up a 66-57 win over the Bearcats improving to 16-3 on the season and 9-3 in the MIAA. The Bearcats fell to 6-13 and 2-10 in conference play. Washburn will be back in action on Saturday in Lee Arena for the first time since Jan. 14 when they will play host to Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m.
With Washburn trailing 31-30 with 14:18 to go, Karla Tailele gave the Lady Blues the lead for good with a 3-pointer putting Washburn up 33-31. Janice Bright added a fast break lay up and Tailele scored the next five points of the game for the Lady Blues on a jumper from the wing and a 3-pointer pushing Washburn's lead to 40-33. Tailele would add another jumper to lift her point total for the game and the half to 10 points.
In the first half, the Lady Blues never trailed as they open up leads to 13-4 and 18-6 before Bearcats rallied going on a 13-2 run cutting the Washburn lead to 20-19. Washburn shot 33 percent from the field hitting 9 of 27 shots and 3 of 8 from 3-point range.
Bright led the Lady Blues with 20 points with 14 coming in the second half. Mainz added 12 points including 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Tailele reach double figures with 10 on 4 of 6 shooting.
Rickeya McElroy scored 20 lead the Bearcats including the frist 10 of the half for Northwest.
Washburn finished 22 of 53 for the game including 13 of 26 in the second half. The Lady Blues held Northwest to 38 percent shooting for the game as they hit 20 of 53 from the field.

About Northwest Missouri . . .
Northwest Missouri enters Saturday's game with a 5-2 overall record and 1-0 in the MIAA. The Bearcats are coming off an 88-76 win over No. 5-ranked Emporia State in Maryville on Wednesday night. NWMSU held Emporia State to 37 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Hornets 49-37.
Gentry Dietz leads Northwest Missouri in scoring at 16.6 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding pulling down 7.1 boards per game. In the win over ESU, Dietz led NWMSU with 20 points and six rebounds.
Two other Bearcats average in double figures, Gabby Curtis at 14.9 and Abby Henry at 10.7 points per contest.
The Bearcats are holding opponents to 62.3 points per outing and 36 percent shooting from the field. NWMSU has been outrebounded by 10 rebounds on the season.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 129-34 (.791) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 253-87 (.744) all-time in conference play.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 6-0 for the third straight year ... give McHenry a 247-49 overall record ... give Washburn three straight wins over the Bearcats and a 41-9 series lead ... give Washburn a 728-332 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 5-1 for the first time since 2006-07 ... give McHenry a 246-50 career record ... snap a two-game winning streak against the Bearcats ... give Washburn a 727-333 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

Lady Blues on the road
The Lady Blues are 69-29 (.704) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 2-0 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, including 7-3 on the road during conference play.

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 727-332 (.686 in 1,059 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. • 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 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in win at 20th-ranked Drury
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Recorded second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds at Nebraska-Omaha
#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 6-0 all-time on Dec. 5, but have never played on the date 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.