Matchup: Washburn (19-3, 12-3 MIAA) at Central Missouri (14-7, 9-5 MIAA) Date: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. CST Site: Warrensburg, Mo. -- UCM Multi (8,500) Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 233-47 (.832) in his ninth season. He is 15-4 against UCM. UCM head coach Dave Slifer is in his fifth year at Central Missouri and his 20th season overall. He is 470-152 record overall. He is 18-16 all-time against the Lady Blues. He is 2-9 all-time at UCM against the Lady Blues. He was 16-7 while at MWSU. Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. UCM is 10th in the regional poll. Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 28-13 Last Meeting: UCM 79-77 (OT), Jan. 3, 2009 Last WU win: 68-47, 1/5/08 in Topeka Last UCM win: UCM 79-77 (OT), Jan. 3, 2009 Worth noting: Washburn has lost two straight to the Jennies dating back to last season.

Radio: AM 580 WIBW Web Stream Internet: themiaa.tv (free) Live Stats: Through UCM (free) Washburn Game Notes WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule Central Missouri WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule

No. 10 Lady Blues shooting for 5th-straight win and 8th-straight 20 win season Wednesday at Central Missouri . . . 
The No. 10 ranked Lady Blues (19-3, 12-3 MIAA) will look to keep their five-game winning streak going as they aim to avenge their first loss of the season when they travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to face the Central Missouri Jennies (14-7, 9-5 MIAA). Washburn is also in search of its eight-straight 20-win season. The Lady Blues are coming off an 83-60 win over Fort Hays State. The Jennies have been off since a Feb. 4 setback at Emporia State when they fell 93-69 dropping their third straight game.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Washburn's game with Central Missouri will be on AM 580 WIBW. The games will also be streamed live online by clicking the live audio button under Lady Blues Basketball on the WU web site at www.wusports.com by clicking the live audio link under Lady Blues Basketball. Pregame show starts 15 minutes before tip.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 233-47 (.835) record overall and 124-33 (.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 four MIAA Postseason Tournament titles including four of the six played in Kansas City. McHenry has the highest winning percentage (.835) in MIAA history of coaches who have at least 200 wins. McHenry is 32-13 when both teams are ranked in the top 25 and 34-21 overall against top 25 teams.
He was named the Lady Blues head coach prior to the 2000-01 season. He is second 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.)
Central Missouri head coach Dave Slifer is in his fifth year at Central Missouri and his 20th season overall. He is the sixth-winningest active coach in NCAA Division II women's basketball with a 470-151 record (.761). Last season, Slifer led the Jennies to a 14-14 overall record and a 9-9 mark in the MIAA, it was the first time that a Slifer-coached team has missed the NCAA tournament in back-to back seasons. Slifer is 18-16 against the Lady Blues going 2-9 while at Central Missouri and 16-7 while at Missouri Western.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
(Feb. 7, 2009) HAYS, Kan. -- The No. 10 Washburn Lady Blues put five players in double figures cruising to an 83-60 win over Fort Hays State.
The Lady Blues led by as many as 28 in the second half two different times after shooting 42 percent in the second half en route to a 33 of 68 performance for the game hitting 49 percent of their field goal attempts as the Lady Blues opened the half on a 12-5 spurt taking a 57-34 lead and the Lady Tigers would not recover from not climbing within 20 points the rest of the night.
In the first half, the Lady Blues scored 45 points, which was the most points scored in the opening 20 minutes this season. They scored 40 against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 7 in Lee Arena. Washburn was 18 of 32 from the field for a 56 percent average while hitting 6 of 14 from the 3-point range. The Lady Blues also committed only four turnovers. The Lady Tigers were 10 of 24 from the field for a 42 percent average and connected on 7 of 9 free throws compared to 3 of 4 for Washburn.
Janice Bright led the Lady Blues with 17 points with 12 coming in the second half while playing nine minutes. She led four other Washburn Lady Blues in double figures as Brette Ulsaker recorded a career high 12 points in 16 minutes of play. Stanecia Graham, Karla Tailele and Erica Brown all scored 11 points. The 11 points for Brown was a career high. Jessica Mainz recorded a career-high nine assists without committing a turnover. Three Lady Blues had five rebounds - Silovsky, Rodriguez and Graham.
Erica Biel had game-highs with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Kayla Klug was also in double figures for the Lady Tigers with 11 points.
Overall Washburn had 20 assists on the 33 made field goals and coughed up only four turnovers with all four coming in the first half going the final 20 minutes of the game without a turnover. Fort Hays State had 14 turnovers leading to 20 points for the Lady Blues.Washburn had 36 rebounds compared to 32 for Fort Hays State and outscored the Lady Tigers 42 to 14 in the paint and 47 to 4 in bench points.

Washburn/Fort Hays State Leftovers . . .
Washburn is now 70-0 when they score at least 81 points under head coach Ron McHenry … Washburn leads the all-time series with the Lady Tigers 37-25 and have won the last 12 in a row and the last nine in Hays … the Lady Blues are 714-330 in the program's history … Washburn is 6-4 in the program's history on Feb. 7 and they are now 1-1 against the Lady Tigers on Feb. 7 … Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 306 consecutive games.

Washburn/Central Missouri series notes . . .
Wednesday's meeting is the 42nd in the series between the two schools. Washburn is 28-13 all-time against the Jennies. Washburn has won 14 of the last 16. The Jennies have won the last two games. Washburn has won five of the last six in Warrensburg. In the MIAA Tournament, Washburn is 2-1 against the Jennies and 1-0 in Kansas City winning in the 2006 finals. Ron McHenry is 15-4 all-time against the Jennies. UCM head coach Dave Slifer is 18-16 against the Lady Blues going 2-9 while at Central Missouri and 16-7 while at Missouri Western.

About Central Missouri . . .
The Jennies (14-7, 9-5 MIAA) have lost their last three games falling last time out 93-69 against No.4 ranked Emporia State. The Jennies are 14-7 and 9-5 in the MIAA. Kara Fleming leads the team in scoring with a 12.1 ppg average. Rebecca Roberts is averaging 11.8 ppg with a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Katy Davenport is scoring 10.2 ppg and 11.2 ppg in MIAA play. The Jennies are averaging 71.9 ppg and allowing 67.6 ppg.

Last meeting between Washburn and Central Missouri ...
(Jan. 3, 2009) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn fell for the first time in overtime as Central Missouri snapped the Lady Blues' 14-game home court winning streak 79-77.
Washburn's Janice Bright scored the first points in the extra session on a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Following a pair of free throws by Kara Fleming tying the game for the fifth time, Jessica Mainz was fouled and went to the line and hit the first free throw of a two-shot foul following a Central Missouri (12-1, 5-1 MIAA) timeout. However the Jennies (9-3, 4-1 MIAA) inbounded the ball and Dominca Blakemore was fouled on her lay up. WIth the foul on Washburn in the books, Mainz was allowed to shoot her second free throw, which she hit and then Blakemore stepped to the line hitting both of her free throws tying the score at 71.
Bright added a jumper in the lane giving Washburn a 73-71 lead. Washburn stretched the lead to four at 75-71 on a pair of Dayna Rodriguez free throws with 3:09 remaining. Washburn pushed the lead to six at 77-71 but Central Missouri would finish the game on an 8-0 run capped by UCM's Fleming hitting a jumper with two seconds remaining for the win.
To get the game into overtime, Washburn rallied from down eight points with 4:38 to go with Bright canning two free throws with 19 seconds to go as Katy Davenport's jumper at the buzzer missed sending the game into overtime.
Bright led the Lady Blues with a career-high 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Mainz added 10 points and recorded six assists with three steals. UCM's Brittany Slifer and Davenport led the Jennies with 20 points. Fleming finished with 12.
Washburn finished 25 of 56 from the field hitting 45 percent and the Jennies were 25 of 59 for 42 percent. The Jennies led the battle on the glass with 35 compared to 32 for the Lady Blues. Deidra Dace and Bright each had seven for game-high honors.

Last time out for Central Missouri . . .
(Feb. 4, 2009) The Central Missouri Jennies dropped their third straight game with a 93-69 loss to the Emporia State Lady Hornets on Wednesday (Feb. 4) night at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kansas.
The game was tied at four in the early going when Emporia State (19-2, 13-1 MIAA) went on a 30-10 run to open a 20-point lead with six and half minutes to play in the first half. The Jennies (14-7, 9-5 MIAA) clawed their way back with a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to close with nine at 38-29. A pair of free throws before the end of the period by junior G Cassondra Boston gave the Lady Hornets a 40-29 halftime lead.
ESU kept the lead in double digits in the early portions of the second half before the Jennies got within seven at 47-40 with 16:08 left to play. A quick 5-0 spurt by the Lady Hornets pushed the lead back to 12. The lead was eight with just under 14 minutes to go in the game when ESU went on a 27-8 run to put the game away. The lead was as high as 32 points before the Lady Hornets closed out the 27-point victory.
Sophomore G Kara Fleming led UCM with 17 points, while sophomore F Becca Roberts and senior F Katy Davenport chipped in 15 and 10, respectively.
Boston led four ESU players in double figures with a game-high 20. Senior G Andrea Leiker poured in 15, while junior G Sophia Lenard and senior F Ida Edwards had 14 and 12, respectively. The Lady Hornets shot 55 percent from the field (34-of-62), including 52 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-27).

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 25th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 313-57 (.842) 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 40 straight regular season non-conference games in Lee Arena. The last defeat by a non-conference team in the regular season was to Missouri-St. Louis in a 59-51 setback on Dec. 30, 2000.
Washburn is 122-12 (.910) in home games under Ron McHenry. Five of the 12 losses came in his first year on the Lady Blues bench. In the last seven seasons, Washburn is 114-7 (.942).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 714-330 (.683 in 1,044 games) in its 40th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Feb. 3, 2009) The Washburn Lady Blues basketball team jumped back into the top 10 in the latest the WBCA USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll from No. 11 to No. 10 which was released today. The Lady Blues have been ranked in 104 consecutive top 25 polls and have received votes in the last 119 top 25 coaches polls.

WU and the NCAA Regional Rankings. . .
(Feb. 4, 2009) The Lady Blues were included in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings which were released this week. The Lady Blues came in at No. 9 in the rankings. Washburn has three less D2 losses than three teams ranked ahead of them in the rankings. In the D2 in region records, the Lady Blues have three losses (all in the MIAA) trailing four teams who have more D2 losses. Washburn also has wins over Barry (67-54 on Dec. 18 on the Buccaneer's home court). Barry is ranked No. 9 in the South Region. Washburn also topped Indiana (Pa.), who is ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Region. Washburn topped IUP 72-62 in overtime in Lee Arena on Nov. 29. Washburn also topped the Midwest Region's No. 4 team in Drury when they defeated the Lady Panthers 84-62 on Nov. 25 in Topeka. The wins over UMSL and Drury both count as regional wins for the Lady Blues.
                                DII Overall       DII In-Region Record
1. St. Mary's (Tex.)     17-2-0     15-2-0
2. West Tex. A&M     16-3-0     16-3-0
3. Emporia St.     14-2-0     14-2-0
4. Central Okla.     13-3-0     13-3-0
5. Tex. A&M – Kingsville     13-6-0     13-6-0
6. Mo. Southern St.     13-4-0     13-4-0
7. Northeastern St.     12-6-0     12-6-0
8. Southeastern Okla.     10-6-0     10-5-0
9. Washburn     15-3-0     12-3-0
10. Central Mo.     12-5-0     10-5-0

Following a Lady Blues loss . . .
• Following a loss, the Lady Blues are 34-10 under head coach Ron McHenry.
• In the 34 wins, the average margin of victory has been 11.1 points. In the last six-plus years (including the 2003-04 season), the Lady Blues are 18-0 following a loss with an average victory margin of 18.1 points per game.

Tip-Ins . . .
• Washburn is 7-3 in the program's history on Feb. 11. The Lady Blues and the Jennies have not played on Feb. 11.
• Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 306 consecutive games.
• The Lady Blues are 78 of 148 (.527) from the field in the last five minutes of games this season compared to their opponents who are shooting 64 of 169 (.379).
• Washburn is shooting 246 of 654 (.376) from the field in the first half of games this season and 289 of 589 (.484) in the second half of games this season.
• Washburn is scoring 8.5 more points per game in the second half compared to the first half of games this season (39.1 to 30.6).
• Washburn opponents are shooting 202 of 555 (.364) in the first half and 231 of 562 (.411) in the second half of games this season.
• In the Lady Blues' 19 wins this season, Washburn has six players averaging at least six points per game - in the three losses, only four are averaging at least 6.0 ppg.
• Janice Bright has scored at a 25.7 ppg average in the three losses and 17.2 in the 19 wins. She is the only Lady Blue to average double figures in the three losses. She is also the only Lady Blue to average double figures in home games this season (16.8 ppg).
• The Lady Blues are shooting 40 percent from the field in road games this season (208 of 516). They are hitting 54 of 175 3-pointers (.309) and 131 of 171 free throws (.771). Washburn is averaging 66.8 ppg in road games and allowing 59.2.
• Washburn's starters are being outscored by opponents starters this season by a 43.9 to 43.0 ppg average … Washburn's bench is outscoring their opponents bench 27.9 to 13.2 ppg or 613 to 291 on the season.
• The nine assists by Jessica Mainz against Fort Hays State was the most in a single game by a Lady Blues since Jennifer Harris had 12 against Benedictine on Dec. 14, 2005, 10 against Truman on Dec. 30, 2005, 10 against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 19, 2005.
• Against Fort Hays State, the Lady Blues had five score in double figures, it was the most since six scored in double figures on Feb. 10, 2007 in a 94-63 win over Truman.

Under head coach Ron McHenry . . .
• McHenry moved into seventh on the all-time win chart passing former Central Missouri head coach John Pye (1985-95) who was 228-68 for the Jennies. McHenry enters the UCM game with a 233-47 record. In sixth place on the MIAA win chart is former SBU head coach Jim Middleton (1994-2008) who was 239-158 on the Bearcats' bench.
• Washburn is 201-13 when leading at the half.
• Washburn is 70-0 when scoring at least 81 points.
• When opponents are held to 70 points or below, Washburn is 177-32 … when opponents are held to 60 points or less, the Lady Blues are 162-15.
• Washburn is 222-9 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
• Washburn is 195-10 when outshooting their opponent.
• Washburn is 34-21 against ranked teams and the Lady Blues' record against ranked teams when both are ranked in the top 25 is 32-13.

Lady Blue Notes. . .
#3 • Brette Ulsaker • G • 5-9 • Jr. • 5 field goals and 9 FGA's were career highs against FHSU
#4 • Stanecia Graham • F • 6-1 • Sr. • 11 of 18 from the field in the last three games (10.0 ppg)
#5 • Erica Brown • G • 5-9 • Jr. • 11 points against FHSU was a career high
#10 • Lauren Henry • G • 5-4 • Fr. • Saw first action against FHSU after having appendix removed before Thanksgiving
#11 • Renata Germano • C • 6-2 • Sr. • 28 career blocks is 24th all-time at Washburn
#13 • Jessica Mainz • G • 5-9 • Sr. • 9 assists and no turnovers against FHSU - 9 assists was a career high
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • So. • 2 of 2 from field in 12 minutes against FHSU scoring four points
#20 • Hadleigh Meek • G • 5-8 • So. • 4 of 8 from the field this season
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • Fr. • Four of nine from field in eight games with five rebounds
#23 • Jacki Tipping • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Redshirting after having preseason ankle surgery
#24 • Karla Tailele • G • 5-6 • Sr. • 12 of 25 from field in last four games (7.6 ppg)
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Fr. • Has hit all 6 free throw attempts this season
#30 • Kalee Silovsky • F • 6-0 • Sr. • 27 of 70 rebounds have been offensive this season
#32 • Janice Bright • G • 5-9 • Sr. • 93 3-pointers made rank eighth all-time at Washburn
#33 • Hope Gregory • F • 5-10 • So. • 5 of 13 from 3-point range in the last three games (avg. 6.7 ppg)
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Jr. • 9 of 19 from field in the last three games (8.0 ppg)
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Redshirting after transferring from Fort Hays State
#44 • Emily Gibson • F • 6-1 • So. • Has played in nine games scoring six points hitting all four free throw attempts

NCAA Regional dates and elite eight dates have changed . . .
This year's NCAA South Central Regional dates have been changed to the 13, 14, and 16th of March and the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas has moved to the 24, 25 and 27th of March with the championship game scheduled for a Friday instead of the normal Saturday title game.

Up Next . . .
Following road games with Central Missouri on Feb. 11 and Southwest Baptist on Feb. 14, the Lady Blues will then host Missouri Southern on Feb. 19 as part of the WBCA's Pink Zone cancer awareness program. Washburn will put away the home white uniforms for a set of pink uniforms. Washburn will make one more regular season road trip to Pittsburg State on Feb. 21 before wrapping up the regular season on Feb. 25 against Emporia State on senior night. The MIAA's regular season will wrap up on Feb. 28, but the Lady Blues will have an “off night” as the other 10 schools will play their final regular season games. The MIAA Postseason Tournament will start on March 6.