Game 22 Matchup: Washburn (18-3, 11-3 MIAA) vs Fort Hays State (9-11, 5-8 MIAA) Date: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. CST Site: Hays, Kan. -- Gross Memorial Coliseum (6,814) Coaches: Washburn head coach Ron McHenry is 232-47 (.832) in his ninth season. He is 6-0 against FHSU. FHSU head coach Tony Hobson is 9-11 in his first season at FHSU. He is 220-51 in eighth year of coaching overall. Rankings: Washburn is ranked No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. FHSU is unranked in each poll. Series Record: WU leads the all-time series 36-25 Streaks: WU has won the last 11 in the series Last Meeting: WU 77-58, 12/31/08 in Topeka Last WU win: same Last FHSU win: 67-62, 12/3/94 in Topeka Worth Noting: Washburn has won the last nine meetings in Hays.

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

No. 10 Lady Blues look for fifth straight win while beginning 3-game road trip with FHSU on Saturday . . . 
The No. 10 ranked Lady Blues (18-3, 11-3 MIAA) will look to keep their four-game winning streak going as they start a three-game road trip beginning with Fort Hays State (9-11, 5-8 MIAA) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Blues topped Truman last time out 61-46 and the Lady Tigers fell 62-55 at Missouri Western in their last game. Washburn was ranked No. 9 in the latest NCAA South Central Regional rankings which were released on Wednesday.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Washburn's game with Fort Hays State 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 232-47 (.835) record overall and 123-33 (.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.)
Fort Hays State head coach Tony Hobson is 9-10 in his first season on the Lady Tiger's bench. He is 220-50 overall in his eighth season overall. He came from Hastings where he posted a 211-40 record in seven years and guided the women's team to three NAIA National Championships (2002, 2003, 2006). Hobson is in his 18th year of collegiate coaching. He spent six years as women's coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., where he posted a record of 124-44. He then was women's coach at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., from 1997-2000, where he posted a record of 78-22.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
(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.
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.

Washburn/Fort Hays State series notes . . .
Saturday's meeting will be the 62nd in the series which started in 1970 with a FHSU 34-21 win. The Lady Blues lead the all-time series 36-25. The Lady Blues have won the last 11 in a row and the five in Topeka. Washburn has also won the last nine meetings in Hays. The Lady Tigers have not won in Topeka since Dec. 3, 1994 in a 67-62 win over Washburn. The series with the Lady Tigers is the fifth most-played series despite not playing any games between 2001-06 when FHSU was part of the RMAC.

About Fort hays State . . .
The Lady Tigers snapped a five game losing streak on Saturday, Jan. 31 when they defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats by a score of 75-60 in Hays, Kan. The Tigers are sitting at 9-11 overall and 5-8 in the MIAA after falling at Missouri Western last time out 62-55. The Lady Tigers are averaging 68.4 ppg and giving up 63.6 ppg while shooting 39.5 percent (502 of 1272) from the field. The Lady Tigers are second in the league in blocked shots swatting 4.6 bpg and third in steals at 10.1 per contest. The Lady Tigers are led by Naomi Bancroft with her 15.7 ppg average. Erica Biel is averaging a double-double scoring 15.0 ppg with 11.4 rpg.

Last meeting between Washburn and Fort Hays State . . .
(Dec. 31, 2008) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 2 ranked Washburn Lady Blues made their first appearance on New Year's Eve a good one as they topped Fort Hays State 77-58 in Lee Arena.
It was a scoring duel early as Washburn's Janice Bright scored the first 10 points for the Lady Blues and Fort Hays State's Naomi Bancroft scored six of the first 10 for the Lady Tigers. However Washburn would break the game open using a 17-1 run over the next 10-plus minutes gaining a 27-17 lead with 3:09 to play in the first half. The Lady Tigers' Bancroft would hit one of her seven 3-pointers to cut the lead to seven, but Washburn scored on a swipe and bucket taking a 29-20 lead into the break.
In the second half, Washburn shot a blistering 59 percent from the field in the second half hitting 17 of 29 shots including 8 of 14 from 3-point range stretching the lead to as many as 25 in the half leading to the 19 point win.
Bright led the Lady Blues with a career-high 24 points hitting 9 of 12 shots from the field including a 6 of 7 performance from 3-point range. Hope Gregory came off the bench to record a career-high of her own scoring 15 points hitting 6 of 9 shots from the field including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
Bancroft finished with 23 points to lead Fort Hays State and Audra Binford scored 10.
Washburn held a 39 to 31 advantage on the glass recording 14 offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points. Washburn also outscored the Lady Tigers 32 to 14 in the paint and 34 to 6 in bench points.
Washburn finished 29 of 63 from the field hitting 46 percent for the game and the Lady Tigers were 21 of 55 for 38 percent.

Last time out for Fort Hays State . . .
(Feb. 4, 2009) ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Missouri Western made13-of-26 from the field in the second half to get a 62-55 victory over the Fort Hays State Lady Tigers Wednesday night (Feb. 4) at MWSU Fieldhouse.
Sophomore F Tierra Ford had a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds and freshman F Jessica Koch scored 16 points and snared eight rebounds to help the Griffons (3-17, 3-11 MIAA).
Both teams opened up the contest having trouble putting the ball in the hoop as there were only eight points scored in the first 5:52 of the game with Fort Hays State leading, 5-3. The Tigers would take an 8-3 lead on a three-point shot from junior F Erica Biel with 13:42 left in the half.
Western would find its touch, going on a 13-2 run to get a 16-10 lead at the nine-minute mark on a three-pointer from junior G Jade Simmons.
The Lady Tigers moved within a point of the lead four times after that before regaining the lead with 20 seconds left on a layup by junior G Morgan Clark. The lead wouldn't last -- as sophomore F Rachel Luteyn's layup with four seconds left put Western up at the half, 31-30.
The two teams would continue to play close -- Fort Hays State would tie the contest at 46-46 with 9:34 to go in the game on a three-point play by sophomore F Alyse Bessert which capped a 5-0 spurt.
Western would not let FHSU get the lead -- Simmons and Houchin scored consecutive baskets before a trey by junior G Naomi Bancroft pulled the Lady Tigers within one at 50-49 with 6:54 left.
Simmons answered with a bucket and Ford sank a three-pointer for the Griffons -- FHSU would never get any closer.
Bancroft scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-25 shooting -- 7-of-21 on three-point tries in the contest. Biel finished with nine points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Tigers.

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 713-330 (.683 in 1,043 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 5-4 in the program's history on Feb. 7. The Lady Blues and the Lady Tigers have played once on Feb. 7 -- during the 1985-86 season when FHSU topped Washburn in an 88-60 win in Hays.
• Washburn has kept opponents under 100 in 305 consecutive games.
• The Lady Blues are 75 of 138 (.543) from the field in the last five minutes of games this season compared to their opponents who are shooting 61 of 160 (.381).
• Washburn is shooting 228 of 622 (.367) from the field in the first half of games this season and 274 of 561 (.488) in the second half of games this season.
• Washburn is scoring 9.1 more points per game in the second half compared to the first half of games this season (39.1 to 30.0).
• Washburn opponents are shooting 192 of 531 (.362) in the first half and 221 of 535 (.413) in the second half of games this season.
• In the Lady Blues' 18 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 18 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 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's starters are tied with opponents starters in scoring with both groups averaging 43.3 ppg with each set scoring 910 points in 21 games this season … Washburn's bench is outscoring their opponents bench 27.0 to 13.7 ppg or 566 to 287 on the 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 FHSU game with a 232-47 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 200-13 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 176-32 … when opponents are held to 60 points or less, the Lady Blues are 161-15.
• Washburn is 221-9 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
• Washburn is 194-10 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. • 21 of 45 rebounds have been offensive
#4 • Stanecia Graham • F • 6-1 • Sr. • 7 of 11 from the field in the last two games (9.5 ppg)
#5 • Erica Brown • G • 5-9 • Jr. • 3 of 7 from field in each of last two games (7.0 ppg)
#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. • Went over 300 assist mark for career against TSU, needs one steal to reach 150 for her career
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • So. • 20 of 45 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. • 8 of 19 from field in last three games (7.1 ppg)
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Fr. • Has hit all 6 free throw attempts this season
#30 • Kalee Silovsky • F • 6-0 • Sr. • 9 of 12 from free throw line this season
#32 • Janice Bright • G • 5-9 • Sr. • 90 3-pointers made rank ninth all-time at Washburn - needs 3 to move into 8th
#33 • Hope Gregory • F • 5-10 • So. • 3 of 7 from 3-point range in the last two games - at least one three in 4 straight games
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Jr. • 7 of 15 from field in the last two games (9.0 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 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 Fort Hays State on Saturday, Washburn will travel to 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.