Game Facts Date: Saturday, Jan. 23, 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 Internet Streaming: wusports.com

Washburn Lady Blues (13-3, 7-3 MIAA) Polls 15th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    254-52, 10th season Career Record: 254-52, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (10-7, 5-5 MIAA) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Patty Patton Shearer Alma Mater: Rocky Mountain College, 90 UNO Record: 92-68, 6th season Career Record: 152-117, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues look to snap skid
The No. 15-ranked Washburn Lady Blues look to end their first three-game losing streak since Ron McHenry's first season when they take on Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. inside Lee Arena.
Washburn dropped its third straight game, 54-47 to Emporia State, last Saturday night.
The Mavericks are coming off a 66-60 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday night in Omaha.

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 254-52 (.830) overall record, including a 135-37 (.785) 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 (.830) 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.)
Nebraska-Omaha head coach Patty Patton Shearer, is in her sixth season leading the Mavericks' program and her 10th season overall. UNO is 92-68 since she took over the program, while her career mark sits at 152-117. Last season, she led Nebraska-Omaha to a 15-12 overall mark and a sixth place finish in the MIAA with an 11-9 conference record.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Jan. 16, 2010 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The eighth-ranked Washburn Lady Blues dropped their third straight game, a 54-47 setback to sixth-ranked Emporia State on Saturday night in Lee Arena. The Lady Blues will look to snap their longest losing streak since the 2000-01 season next Saturday at home against Nebraska-Omaha.
Washburn (13-3, 7-3 MIAA) led by two early on, but a three by Jamie Augustyn put the Lady Hornets (15-1, 8-1 MIAA) in the lead for good. The bucket sparked a 10-0 run that put Emporia State up by eight just over five minutes into the game. ESU extended the lead to 10 with just over seven minutes remaining in the half. A 9-3 run by the Lady Blues pulled the game to within four at 25-21 and ESU went into the break up by five at 28-23.
Washburn cut the lead to three several times in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Lady Hornets responded and pushed the lead back to seven at 38-31 with 13:28 to play. A 6-0 run by WU cut the lead to one at 38-37. The teams traded threes and the lead was 41-40 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, but a 13-4 run by Emporia State put the Lady Hornets up 54-44 with just over two minutes remaining.
Dayna Rodriguez led Washburn with a game-high 20 points. Stevi Schultz was the only other WU player in double figures with 10. Hope Gregory pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to lead Washburn on the boards.
The Lady Blues shot just 31 percent from the floor, 17-of-55 and made just 4-of-18 from three-point range for 22.2 percent.
Augustyn and Cassondra Boston led the Lady Hornets with 13 and 10, respectively as ESU shot 40 percent, 19-of-48 from the floor. Emporia State made 10-of-26 from beyond the arc for 39 percent.
The Lady Hornets out-rebounded Washburn 37-34, but had 17 turnovers to 11 for the Lady Blues.

Notes from the loss to Emporia State . . .
• Washburn lost its third straight game for the first time since the 2000-01 season
• The Lady Blues extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 187 games
• The Lady Blues made just 4-of-18 3FG and are now 8 for their last 33 from behind the arc

About Nebraska-Omaha . . .
The Mavericks enter the contest at 10-7 overall and 5-5 in MIAA play after a 66-60 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday night in Omaha. UNO has split its last four conference games.
Senior guard Alyssa Green leads the Mavericks in scoring at 14.9 points per game. She is the only player averaging in double figures. Green also leads the team in rebounding with 5.5 boards per contest.
Heather Pohl is second on the team averaging 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing. Ashley Nelson is averaging 8.8 points per game as well.
The Mavericks are averaging 63.8 points per game as a team, but that total dips to 59.4 during conference play. They allow 58.8 points per outing for the season, but are giving up 62.6 during MIAA action.
The Mavs also get out-rebounded by their opponents by a slim margin, 40.2-39.9. UNO has shot 37 percent from the field, while the opponents are shooting 36 percent.
Nebraska-Omaha is also averaging 19.4 turnovers per game, but they force 22.8 per contest. The Mavericks turned the ball over 18 times to 15 for the Lady Blues in the last meeting between the two schools.

Washburn/UNO Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the series 4-1 having won four straight games. The Lady Blues won 68-47 on December 2 in Omaha and swept last season's series, UNO's first in the MIAA.

Last Meeting with Nebraska-Omaha . . .
Dec. 2, 2009 - OMAHA, Neb. -- A 22-6 run midway through the first half propelled the 15th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues to a 68-47 MIAA-opening win over Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday night at Sapp Fieldhouse. The Lady Blues will travel to Maryville, Mo. on Saturday for a 12 p.m. showdown with Northwest Missouri State.
Washburn (5-0, 1-0 MIAA) started out slow and held a 7-6 lead with 14:51 to play. A three-pointer by Stevi Schultz ignited the 22-6 run that put the Lady Blues up 29-12 with 6:56 to play in the opening half. Washburn pushed the lead to 19 at the break and led 39-20 at intermission.
The Lady Blues shot 40 percent, 14-of-35, in the first half, including 50 percent from behind the arc.
Washburn opened the second half on an 11-2 run to open a 28-point advantage. The lead grew to as many as 29 midway through the period. The Mavericks (3-3, 0-1 MIAA) cut the lead down to 19 with just over two minutes remaining, but the Lady Blues scored four quick points and closed out the game with the 21-point victory.
Hope Gregory recorded her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rose Hammond led Washburn in scoring with 14. Dayna Rodriguez finished with 11 boards, while Brette Ulsaker tied her career-high with six assists.
The Lady Blues improved to 7-3 in MIAA openers under Ron McHenry and 8-2 in conference road openers.
Alyssa Green led Nebraska-Omaha with 10 points.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 14-3 for the second straight season ... give the Lady Blues a 8-3 MIAA record for the third straight year ... give McHenry a 255-52 overall record ... give Washburn a 36-12 record under McHenry following a loss ... give Washburn a 736-335 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 13-4 for the first time under McHenry ... give the Lady Blues a 7-4 MIAA record for the first time since the 2001-02 season ... give McHenry a 254-53 career record ... give Washburn four consecutive losses for the first time since February 17, 2001 ... give Washburn a 735-336 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

Following a Loss . . .
The Lady Blues are 35-12 under Ron McHenry following a loss. This is Washburn's first three-game losing streak since McHenry's first season in 2000-01 when it happened two times. The last time Washburn lost four straight games was Feb. 7-17, 2001, McHenry's first season at the helm of the Lady Blues.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 135-37 (.785) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 259-90 (.742) all-time in conference play. 

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 320-59 (.844) overall at home. Washburn won their 300th game against Emporia State on Feb. 23, 2008.
The Lady Blues have lost two games at home in the same season for the first time since McHenry's first season in 2000-01.
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 129-14 (.902) 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 121-9 (.931).

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 735-335 (.687 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 seven spots to No. 15 in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll following their third straight loss. Emporia State is the only other MIAA team ranked. The Lady Hornets stayed put at 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 127 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 111 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 6 of her last 24 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 14 of her last 26 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 8-2 all-time on Jan. 23 and 3-0 since joining the MIAA. Washburn is 1-0 under McHenry on this date.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues finish up their three-game home stand on Wednesday night against Northwest Missouri State. Washburn then heads out on the road for games at Missouri Western (Jan. 30) and Truman State (Feb. 3).