Game Facts Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 Time: 5:30 p.m. Site: Topeka, Kan. - Lee Arena (3,904) Radio: AM 580 WIBW Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: wusports.com Live Video: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (13-2, 7-2 MIAA) Polls 8th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    254-51, 10th season Career Record: 254-51, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Emporia State Lady Hornets (14-1, 7-1 MIAA) Polls 6th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Brandon Schneider Alma Mater: Wayland Baptist, 95 ESU Record: 290-68, 12th season Career Record: Same Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues set for Turnpike Tussle
The eighth-ranked Washburn Lady Blues look to end their first two-game losing skid since 2003 when they battle No. 6-ranked Emporia State in the 79th edition of the Turnpike Tussle on Saturday night in Lee Arena.
Washburn dropped its second straight game on Wednesday night, a 58-57 heartbreaker in overtime, at Pittsburg State.
The Hornets on the other hand, have been off since past Saturday when they defeated Pittsburg State 79-62 in Emporia.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
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 254-51 (.833) overall record, including a 135-36 (.789) 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 (.833) in MIAA history of coaches who have at least 200 wins and the highest among all active head coaches in NCAA-II.
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.)
Emporia State head coach Brandon Schneider, is in his 12th season leading the Lady Hornets. ESU is 290-68 (.810) during that time span. The Lady Hornets have won or shared the past two MIAA titles. Last season, Schneider led Emporia State to a 26-6 overall mark and their second straight MIAA championship with a 17-3 conference mark. He is a 1995 graduate of Wayland Baptist.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Jan. 13, 2010 - PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The eighth-ranked Lady Blues struggled shooting from the field and fell to Pittsburg State 58-57 in overtime on Wednesday night in John Lance Arena. The Lady Blues look to snap their two-game skid on Saturday night in the Turnpike Tussle when they host Emporia State at 5:30 p.m.
Washburn (13-2, 7-2 MIAA) shot a season-low 25 percent for the game, 15-of-59, and lost back-to-back games for the first time since February 1, 2003. The Lady Blues were 0-of-5 from the floor in the extra period with all six points coming from the foul line.
The Lady Blues started strong grabbing the lead at 7-6 with 14:13 left in the first half and extending it to as many as eight at 20-12 with 7:17 remaining. A 6-0 run by the Gorillas (8-7, 6-2 MIAA) cut the lead to two, but Washburn scored five straight points and led 25-18 with just under four minutes to play. Pitt State cut the lead to one, but a layup by Brette Ulsaker and a three by Stevi Schultz gave Washburn a 30-25 lead at halftime.
The Lady Blues came out ice cold in the second half missing their first 11 shots from the floor. PSU went on a 12-0 run to start the half and led 37-30 before Dayna Rodriguez made WU's first bucket of the half with 10:19 to play in the game.
Pittsburg State extended their lead to as many as nine on a three by Maya Onikute with 5:09 remaining in regulation. A conventional three-point play by Rodriguez cut the lead to six. Washburn cut the lead to a pair on a combined three-point play from Ulsaker and Amanda Fessenden.
After a Gorilla bucket gave PSU a 49-45 lead the Lady Blues made 3-of-6 from the foul line to cut the lead to one. A layup from Ulsaker with 1:05 to play gave Washburn its first lead since 19:08 mark of the half. Rose Hammond got a steal on the ensuing possession, but a missed fast break layup and resulting foul on the rebound gave the Gorillas two foul shots with 29 seconds remaining. Laura Glenn made both free throws to put PSU in the lead, but Rodriguez made 1-of-2 from the line with 16 ticks left to tie the score. Alyssa Mullen blocked a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer to force overtime.
Rodriguez made 3-of-4 free throws in the first 1:41 of overtime to give Washburn a 54-51 lead. Mullen extended the lead to four making 1-of-2 from the FT line. The lead was four with 1:42 to play after FTs from Hope Gregory, but the Lady Blues would not score the rest of the way.
DePrice Taylor made a layup with 1:03 to play to cut the lead to two at 57-55. A missed jumper by Washburn gave PSU the ball with 27 seconds left and Onikute hit a three with 14 seconds on the clock to give Pittsburg State the final margin of victory. After Pitt State missed two free throws Mullen's desperation three from just inside half court bounced off the rim giving the Gorillas the win.
Rodriguez was the only Lady Blue in double figures with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Mullen added a career-high 11 boards.
Washburn made just 5-of-29 field goals in the second half and overtime and misfired on all five three-point attempts. The Lady Blues were 23-of-37 from the foul line for 62 percent. WU out-rebounded PSU 55 to 51, but had 16 turnovers to 12 for the Gorillas.
Taylor led three Gorillas in double figures with 15. Onikute and Glenn added 12 apiece. Glenn finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and Taylor added 10. PSU shot 31 percent for the game, 20-of-65, but shot just 28 percent from three and 44 percent from the foul line, 11-of-25.

Notes from the loss at Pittsburg State . . .
• Washburn lost back-to-back games for the first time since the 2002-03 season
• Washburn shot a season-low 25 percent (15-of-59) from the field
• The Lady Blues were 0-5 from the floor in overtime
• The Lady Blues extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 186 games

About Emporia State . . .
The Lady Hornets enter the contest at 14-1 overall and 7-1 in MIAA play and ranked No. 6 in the latest WBCA poll. Their lone loss was an 88-76 defeat in the conference-opener at NW Missouri State. ESU's average margin of victory in their nine wins since that loss is 17 points per game.
All-MIAA guard Cassondra Boston leads the Lady Hornets in scoring at 18.0 points per contest. Alli Volkens is the only other ESU player averaging in double figures at 10.6. Volkens also pulls down a team-high 7.3 rebounds per outing. ESU has seven players averaging at least 6.2 points per game.
Emporia State is averaging 77.5 points per contest, while giving up just 56.3. They out-rebound their opponents by almost 10 boards per game at 45.6-36.4. They are shooting 41 percent from the field and allow their opponents to only shoot 33.7 percent.

Washburn/Emporia State Series Notes . . .
Emporia State leads the overall series 40-38. The teams split last season's regular season series with each team winning on their own home floor. Washburn beat ESU 78-69 to win the MIAA tournament title in Kansas City. The Lady Blues have won 18 of the 26 meetings during the Ron McHenry era. WU has won seven of the nine meetings since 2007.

Last Meeting with Emporia state . . .
March 8, 2009 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Washburn Lady Blues jumped out to 16-4 lead to start the game and held off a second half rally by Emporia State to win their fifth MIAA Tournament Title in the last seven years as they topped the Lady Hornets 78-69 in Municipal Auditorium. Washburn receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championships. The complete bracket will be announced tonight at ncaa.com at 8 p.m. CST.
The Lady Blues were led by Janice Bright who recorded her first career double double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. She earned tournament MVP honors. Bright was joined on the all-tournament team with 17 points off the bench. Brette Ulsaker scored 14 points hitting 3 of 4 3-point attempts.
Washburn shot 41 percent from the field hitting 23 of 56 shots. Washburn hit 17 of 21 free throws in the last 5:59 of the game and 25 of 31 for the full 40 minutes to lock down the win.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 14-2 for the second straight season ... give the Lady Blues a 8-2 MIAA record for the first time since the 2004-05 season ... give McHenry a 255-51 overall record ... give Washburn a 36-11 record under McHenry following a loss ... give Washburn a 736-334 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 13-3 for the first time since 2007-08 ... give the Lady Blues a 7-3 MIAA record for the second straight season ... give McHenry a 254-52 career record ... give Washburn three consecutive losses for the first time since Feb. 14, 2001 ... give Washburn a 735-335 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

Following a Loss . . .
The Lady Blues are 35-11 under Ron McHenry following a loss. This is Washburn's first two-game losing streak since the 2002-03 season. The Lady Blues have not lost three games in a row since McHenry's first season in 2000-01 when it happened two times.

Against Ranked Teams . . .
The Lady Blues are 37-22 under McHenry against ranked opponents, including 1-0 this year. Washburn is 35-14 when both teams are ranked. The Lady Blues are 10-4 against ranked opponents the last three seasons, including 5-1 against ranked Emporia State teams.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 135-36 (.789) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 259-89 (.744) all-time in conference play. 

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 320-58 (.847) 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 129-13 (.908) 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 121-8 (.938).

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 735-334 (.688 in 1,069 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 fell two spots to No. 8 in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll following their loss to Missouri Southern. Emporia State is the only other MIAA team ranked, moving up one spot to No. 6.
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 126 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 110 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. • Scored career high 17 points in win at Central Missouri
#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 College 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. • Had career-highs of eight points and five rebounds in win over Truman State
#22 • Ashley Jappa • F • 6-2 • Jr. • Had four blocked shots against Missouri-St. Louis
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • So. • Has made five of her last 18 3FG attempts
#31 • Rose Hammond • G • 5-10 • Sr. • Leads the MIAA with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio
#32 • Amanda Fessenden • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Has made 13 of her last 22 3FG attempts
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Has made 10 of her past 12 free throw attempts
#34 • Sierra Moeller • F • 6-1 • Jr. • Redshirting during the 2009-10 season after transferring from Boise State
#40 • Dayna Rodriguez • F • 6-2 • Sr. • Averaging 7.7 rebounds over past three games
#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 game

Tip-Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues are 7-5 all-time on Jan. 16, including 2-0 under McHenry.
• The Lady Blues are 0-1 against Emporia State on January 16
• The Lady Blues are 18-8 under McHenry against Emporia State.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues continue their three-game home stand against Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, January 23 and Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday, January 27.