Game Facts Date: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. Site: Topeka, Kan. - Lee Arena (3,904) Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: wusports.com Internet Streaming: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (6-0, 2-0 MIAA) Polls 11th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    247-49, 10th season Career Record: 247-49, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Truman State Bulldogs (4-3, 1-1 MIAA) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Michael Smith Alma Mater: Central Methodist, 96 TSU Record: 12-23, second season Career Record: 114-56, seventh season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues Return Home
The 11th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues return home to host their conference home-opener on Saturday night against Truman State. Washburn is 2-0 in the MIAA after road wins at Nebraska-Omaha and NW Missouri State last week.
Truman enters the week at 4-3 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play. The Bulldogs play Illinois-Springfield in a non-conference tilt on Wednesday night before traveling to Topeka to face the Lady Blues on Saturday.

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 247-49 (.834) record overall and 130-34 (.793) 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.)
Truman State head coach Michael Smith, is in his second season leading the Bulldog program. Truman is 12-22 during his time in Kirksville. In his first season, Smith led the Bulldogs to a 8-19 overall record, including 5-15 and a tie for eighth place in the MIAA. Smith is 114-56 in his seventh season as a college head coach.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Dec. 5, 2009 - MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 15-ranked Washburn Lady Blues improved to 6-0 on the season topping Northwest Missouri 67-54 in Bearcat Arena. Washburn will be back in action next Tuesday when they will continue MIAA play against Truman State in Lee Arena on Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Blues (6-0, 2-0 MIAA) led 34-21 at the break after hitting 14 of 35 attempts from the field while holding the Bearcats (5-3, 1-1 MIAA) to 8 of 27 shooting including an 0 of 5 line from 3-point range.
Washburn led the entire opening half with the Bearcats gaining a 12-12 tie. From the 12-all knot, the Lady Blues went on a 20-5 run over the next 10 minutes of the half taking the 13-point cushion into the locker room.
In the second half, the Bearcats cut the lead to nine at 43-34 with 13:46 to go, but a 17-3 run over 5-plus minutes stretch in the second half put the game away as the Lady Blues would go on to lead by as many as 25 points in the second half with the Bearcats closing the game on an 18-6 run over the final 6:08.
Stevi Schultz came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting including a 4 of 7 night from 3-point range. Dayna Rodriguez and Amanda Fessenden each scored 10 points. Hope Gregory recorded a career-high 14 rebounds with 11 coming in the first half. She added eight points as well.
The Lady Blues finished 25 of 58 for the game compared to 19 of 58 for the Bearcats. The Lady Blues also dominated on the glass outrebounding the Bearcats 47 to 25 with 16 coming on the offensive glass turning into 20 second chance points for Washburn.
The Lady Blues also had a 14 to 2 advantage in fast break points in the game.

Notes from the win over NWMSU . . .
• Washburn improved to 41-9 against the Bearcats and extended their win streak in the series to three games
• The Lady Blues improved to 6-0 for the third consecutive season and seventh time in 10 seasons under McHenry
• Washburn improved to 2-0 in the MIAA for the third straight year and seventh time under McHenry
• Washburn improved to 7-0 overall and 1-0 under Ron McHenry on Dec. 5

Washburn/Truman Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series 36-8 after sweeping last season's series. The Lady Blues have won 14 straight games in the series and have lost to Truman just two times during Ron McHenry's tenure.

Last meeting between Washburn and Truman . . .
(Feb. 4, 2009) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 10 ranked Washburn Lady Blues warmed up from a10 for 37 shooting performance in the first half to a 58 percent clip in the second half to pull away from Truman in a 61-46 win over the Bulldogs. The win was the 22nd straight in Topeka over the Bulldogs for Washburn as Truman fell to 0-22 in Lee Arena. The Lady Blues (18-3, 11-3 MIAA) will now hit the road for a three-game trip beginning with Fort Hays State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Washburn and Truman (4-17, 1-13 MIAA) both started cold from the field as they were 17 of 59 in the first half including an opening run which saw the teams combine for 9 of 34 through the first 10:13 of the game with Washburn holding on to a 13-7 lead. Washburn continued to lead the remainder of the half and take a 22-17 lead into the break.
To begin the second half, the Lady Blues built an 11-point cushion 1:12 into the second half. Washburn led by as many as 12 at 46-34 with 9:47 remaining before Truman cut the lead to six at 52-46 on a pair of free throws by Truman's Georgia Mueller with 3:42 to go, but Washburn finished the game on an 11-0 run taking the 61-46 win as Truman went the final 4:17 of the game without a field goal.
Washburn's Janice Bright had her nine-game 20-point scoring streak snapped, but still led the Lady Blues with 13 points. Jessica Mainz and Stanecia Graham each had 10. Mainz added five rebounds, four assists and three steals with a block in 34 minutes of play.
Mueller led the Bulldogs with 15 points.
Washburn finished the game 24 of 61 for a 39 percent average while the Bulldogs were 17 of 46 for a 37 percent clip. Washburn outrebounded the Bulldogs 40 to 29 while limiting Truman to four offensive rebounds. Washburn had 14 offensive rebounds leading to 15 second chance points.

Gregory earns Player of the Week honors . . .
Junior Hope Gregory was named MIAA Co-Player of the Week for her performance in two Washburn wins last week. Gregory recorded her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in a win at UNO, then pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in the win at NW Missouri State on Saturday.

About Truman State . . .
Truman State enters the week at 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA after a 75-63 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday. The Bulldogs will face Illinois-Springfield in a non-conference game on Wednesday night in Kirksville before traveling to Topeka on Saturday.
Senior guard Laura Joya leads the Bulldogs and the MIAA in scoring at 18.1 points per game. She also pulls down 4.7 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Breanna Daniels is second on the squad at 12.6 points per outing. Senior Sarah Seberger leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 boards per game and also chips in 8.1 points per game.
Truman State shoots 44 percent from the field, while allowing opponents to shoot 41 percent. TSU does hold the opposition to just 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc. They have dished out 87 assists on the season, while turning the ball over 117 times in seven games.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 130-34 (.793) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 254-87 (.745) all-time in conference play. Additionally, the Lady Blues are 7-2 in MIAA home openers under McHenry.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 7-0 for the second straight year and the sixth time in the last eight seasons ... give McHenry a 248-49 overall record ... give Washburn 15 straight wins over the Bulldogs and a 37-8 series lead ... give Washburn a 729-332 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 6-1 for the first time since 2007-08 ... give McHenry a 247-50 career record ... snap a 14-game winning streak against Truman State ... give Washburn a 728-333 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

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 728-332 (.687 in 1,060 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 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in win at 20th-ranked Drury
#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 7-2 all-time on Dec. 12, including a 1-0 mark under McHenry. Washburn beat Benedictine 81-65 on Dec. 12, 2006.

Up Next . . .
Washburn will travel to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Great Western Shootout on December 16-17. The Lady Blues will face Western Washington on December 16 and Central Washington a day later.