Matchup: Washburn (17-3, 10-3 MIAA) vs Truman (4-16, 1-12 MIAA) Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. CST Site: Topeka, Kan. -- Lee Arena (3,907) Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 231-47 (.832) in his ninth season. He is 17-2 against Truman. Truman head coach Michael Smith is in his first season with the Bulldogs. Smith has a 4-16 record at Truman. He was 102-34 at Moberly Community College. Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 11 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. TSU is unranked. Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 35-8 Streaks: WU has won the last 13 in the series Last Meeting: WU 58-39, 12/13/08 in Kirksville Last WU win: same Last TSU win: 76-71, 2/1/03 in Kirksville Worth noting: Washburn has won the last 21 games in the series in Topeka over the Bulldogs

Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM Web Stream Internet: themiaa.tv (free) Live Stats: Through WU (free) Washburn Game Notes WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule Truman WBB Page Roster Statistics Schedule

No. 11 Lady Blues gunning for 22nd straight win over Bulldogs in Topeka on Wednesday . . . 
The No. 11 ranked Lady Blues (17-3, 10-3) will play host to Truman on Wednesday, Feb. 4 in Lee Arena at 5:30 p.m. looking to send the Bulldogs back to Kirksville with their 22nd straight defeat in Topeka. The Bulldogs (4-16, 1-12 MIAA) have never won in Lee Arena and they are 1-21 all-time with the lone win coming in Whiting Fieldhouse. The Lady Blues topped Missouri Western 77-64 last time out on Saturday and the Bulldogs fell at Emporia State on Sunday 67-58.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Washburn's game with Truman will be on KTPK 106.9 FM. 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 231-47 (.835) record overall and 122-33 (.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.)
Truman head coach Michael Smith is in his first season with the Bulldogs after spending time as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Little Rock and a head coach at Moberly Area Community College. He has a 106-49 (.684) career head coaching record and is 4-16 in his first season at Truman.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
(Jan. 31, 2009) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 11 ranked Washburn Lady Blues outrebounded the Missouri Western by 15 and outscored them by 13 in a 77-64 win over the Griffons.
The Lady Blues trailed at 8-5 with 15:05 following a Griffon 3-pointer by Rachel Luteyn, but went on a 17-2 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 22-10 capped by a 3-pointer by Hope Gregory. The Griffons (2-17, 2-11 MIAA) would cut the lead to six at 29-23, but finished the half trailing 39-31.
In the second half, the Lady Blues expanded the lead to as many as 16 at 71-55 with 1:59 to play before finishing out the 13-point win.
Washburn was led by Janice Bright who scored a game-high 23 points going over the 20-point plateau for the ninth straight game. She finished 6 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Dayna Rodriguez and Karla Tailele each had 12 points. Hope Gregory had a season-high 10 rebounds to go with five points.
London Houching led four Griffons in double figures with 18 points.
The Lady Blues were 22 of 53 from the field connecting on 42 percent of their attempts and the Griffons were 24 of 50 for 48 percent. Washburn was 23 of 30 from the free throw line and held a 38 to 23 advantage on the glass.

Washburn/Truman series notes . . .
Wednesday's meeting will be the 44th all-time. The Lady Blues lead the all-time series with Truman 35-8. The Lady Blues have won the last 13 games in the series. The Bulldogs' last win in the series was Feb. 1, 2003 season by a score of 76-71 in Kirksville. The Lady Blues have won the last 21 games in Topeka as the Bulldogs won in their first trip to Topeka during the 1979-80 season in Whiting Fieldhouse on Nov. 30, 1979, but have lost every game since then. In Kirksville, the Lady Blues have won the last five meetings and they are 11-6 all-time in Pershing Arena. The teams have met twice in the MIAA Tournament with the Lady Blues winning 77-48 in the quarterfinals in Kansas City on March 6, 2003 and again in the quarterfinals last season on March 2, 2006 in a 63-36 win in Kansas City.

About Truman . . .
Truman is 4-16 overall and 1-12 in the MIAA. Two of their four wins have come in overtime. Gegoria Mueller is the leading scorer for TSU at 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Last meeting between Washburn and Truman . . .
(Dec. 13, 2008) KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 2 ranked Washburn Lady Blues won their 13th straight game over Truman in a 58-39. The win lifts the Lady Blues to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in MIAA play.
The Lady Blues closed the first half on a 12-4 run turning a 16-15 lead into a 28-19 score entering the halftime break. Brette Ulsaker scored six of the points for the Lady Blues during the closing run.  The Lady Blues were held to 32 percent shooting from the field (11 of 34) but committed only nine turnovers. The Bulldogs did shoot 50 percent from the field (7 of 14), however they were hampered by 19 turnovers leading to 23 Washburn points.
Washburn was in control the second half not letting the Bulldogs within nine points from the 13:05 mark while increasing the lead to as many as 21 points on three different occasions.  Washburn finished the second half 10 of 31 from the field while the Bulldogs were 9 of 29 (31 percent).
Janice Bright led the Lady Blues with a season-high 20 points on 8 of 17 shooting from the field with 2 of 4 3-pointers and connecting on both free throws. Dayna Rodriguez scored 11 points off the bench. The Lady Blues were 13 of 16 from the free throw line in the game.

Last time out for Truman . . .
(Feb. 1, 2009) EMPORIA, KAN.  – The Truman women's basketball team had Emporia State on their heels late in the second half for the second time this season, but the nation's No. 4 team slipped away with a 67-58 home win on Sunday afternoon.
Truman (4-16, 1-12 MIAA) held the conference's top offensive team to their lowest point total of the 2008-09 campaign. The 67 points scored was more than 20 points below ESU's season average, as the fourth-ranked Lady Hornets (18-2, 12-1 MIAA) relied on a 10-point burst by Andrea Leiker to pull away from the Bulldog women on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Bulldogs trailed 40-29 at the break but came out of the intermission firing to close the gap to 42-40 just three and a half minutes into the second half. Truman stayed within three of Emporia at 55-52 with 6:17 remaining in the ballgame before Leiker hit back-to-back three-pointers, converted a lay-up on a fastbreak and drained a pair of free throws to push the margin back to double-figures with 3:36 left on the clock.
Truman shot 38% (23-of-61) from the field and hit 77% (10-of-13) from the free throw line but struggled from long-range by hitting just two-of-14 three-point attempts. The Bulldogs and Lady Hornets each pulled down 32 rebounds, but Truman controlled the results on the offensive glass, 11-6. Truman also won the turnover battle, forcing ESU into five additional turnovers while picking up 15 steals to tie a season-high.
Senior Georgia Mueller matched her season average with 16 points to lead all players and also pulled down six rebounds. Mueller is now just three rebounds away from the MIAA's all-time top-ten list, as she trails Emily Bloss' (1997-2001) career mark of 823.
Sophomore Malorie Kiecker connected for 15 points, and junior Laura Joya fell just shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Joya also added five steals and shot 50% from the field.
Emporia State hit 47% (24-of-49) of its field goal attempts and were led offensively by Leiker's 14 points. Sophia Lenard added 13 points and six assists.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 25th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 312-57 (.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 121-12 (.909) 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 113-7 (.941).

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 712-330 (.682 in 1,042 games) in its 40th season of intercollegiate action.

WU in the national poll . . .
(Jan. 27, 2009) The Washburn Lady Blues basketball dipped one slot in the WBCA USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll to No. 11 from No. 10 which was released today after winning last time out at Nebraska-Omaha 64-62. The Lady Blues have been ranked in 103 consecutive top 25 polls and have received votes in the last 118 top 25 coaches polls.

WU and the NCAA Regional Rankings. . .
The Lady Blues were not in the top 10 in the initial NCAA South Central Regional Rankings which were released today. Prior to the win over Northwest Missouri, the Lady Blues were 13-3 and 8-3 in Division II regional play. Washburn also had wins over Barry (67-54 on Dec. 18 on the Buccaneer's home court). Barry is ranked No. 3 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       Division II In-Region Record
1. St. Mary's (Tex.)                 15-2        13-2
2.  West Tex. A&M             14-3        14-3
3. Tex. A&M – Kingsville   12-5         12-5
4 . Emporia St.                   12-2          12-2
5. Central Okla.                  12-3           12-3
6. Central Mo.                     12-3            10-3
7.  Mo. Southern                11-4           11-4
8.   Northeastern St.                10-6           10-6
9.  Southeastern Okla.              8-6           8-5
10. Tex. A&M Commerce       10-6         10-6

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 8-5 in the program's history on Feb. 4. The Lady Blues have never played the Bulldogs on Feb. 4.
• Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 304 consecutive games.
• The Lady Blues are 71 of 133 (.534) from the field in the last five minutes of games this season compared to their opponents who are shooting 60 of 155 (.387).
• Washburn is shooting 218 of 585 (.373) from the field in the first half of games this season and 260 of 537 (.484) in the second half of games this season.
• Washburn is scoring 8.8 more points per game in the second half compared to the first half of games this season (39.2 to 30.4).
• Washburn opponents are shooting 185 of 509 (.363) in the first half and 211 of 511 (.413) in the second half of games this season.
• In the Lady Blues' 17 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 17.4 in the 16 wins. She is the only Lady Blue to average double figures in the three losses.
• The Lady Blues are shooting 39 percent from the field in road games this season (175 of 448). The are hitting 44 of 148 3-pointers (.297) and 124 of 159 free throws (.780). Washburn is averaging 64.8 ppg in road games and allowing 59.1.
• Washburn is 17-0 when outscoring their opponents this season.

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 Truman game with a 231-47 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 199-13 when leading at the half.
• Washburn is 69-0 when scoring at least 81 points.
• When opponents are held to 70 points or below, Washburn is 175-32 … when opponents are held to 60 points or less, the Lady Blues are 160-15.
• Washburn is 220-9 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
• Washburn is 193-10 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. • Needs 11 3-pointers for 100 in her Washburn career
#4 • Stanecia Graham • F • 6-1 • Sr. • 11 of 23 from field in four games coming off the bench this season (8.0 ppg)
#5 • Erica Brown • G • 5-9 • Jr. • Has scored in all 10 games since joining team at semester
#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. • Needs 1 assist for 300 in her career, 4 steals for 150
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • So. • 20 of 44 rebounds this season have been offensive
#20 • Hadleigh Meek • G • 5-8 • So. • 4 of 6 from the field this season
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • Fr. • Four of eight from field in seven games with five rebounds
#23 • Jacki Tipping • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Redshirting after having preseason ankle surgery
#24 • Karla Tailele • G • 5-6 • Sr. • Has averaged 11 ppg in last two hitting 6 of 13 3-point attempts
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Fr. • Has hit all 6 free throw attempts this season
#30 • Kalee Silovsky • F • 6-0 • Sr. • Four steals at UNO tied a career high at WU
#32 • Janice Bright • G • 5-9 • Sr. • At least 20 points in nine straight games (averaging 24.7 ppg)
#33 • Hope Gregory • F • 5-10 • So. • 41 career 3-pointers rank 17th all-time at WU (57 games)
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Jr. • Averaging 10.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg as a starter in last four games
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Redshirting after transferring from Fort Hays State
#44 • Emily Gibson • F • 6-1 • So. • Has played in eight 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 the game Truman on Feb. 4, Washburn will be returning to the road for another three-game road stretch which will take them to Fort Hays State on Feb. 7, 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.