Media Information
Date: Friday, Dec. 31, 2010
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Topeka, Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena (3,904)
Television: None
Radio: AM 580 WIBW with Mark Elliott (pxp) and Bruce Steinbrock (color)
Live Stats: www.wusports.com
Audio Web Stream: Through wusports.com
Video Web Stream: Through wusports.com
Complete Game Notes

Lady Blues close 2010 against UCM
The No. 4-ranked Lady Blues look to avenge their first loss of the season as they close out 2010 hosting Central Missouri on New Year's Eve day at 1:30 p.m. at Lee Arena.
The Lady Blues are led by a pair of players averaging in double figures. Junior center Cassie Lombardino leads WU at 15.0 points per game, while Stevi Schultz is scoring 12.9 per contest
Washburn is coming off its first loss of the season, a 60-41 setback at Missouri Western on Sunday, December 19. The 19-point loss was Washburn's worst in three years and the 41 points scored is the lowest output by a Lady Blues team during the Ron McHenry era.
The Lady Blues will face a Jennies squad that is coming off a 74-64 loss to Pittsburg State. UCM is 6-5 overall and 2-3 in league play.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
The Lady Blues game against Central Missouri on New Year's Eve will be broadcast on AM 580 WIBW. Mark Elliott will be calling play-by-play action with Bruce Steinbrock providing the color-commentary. The games 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 game will also be webcast through America One Networks. You can access the webcast by clicking on the B2/MIAA advertisement on the lower right side of the Washburn athletics web site main page at www.wuports.com

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 276-54 (.836) overall record and a 149-38 (.797) record in the MIAA with six MIAA regular season championships and the 2005 NCAA National Championship. McHenry has also led the Lady Blues to six MIAA Postseason Tournament titles, including six of the eight played in Kansas City. McHenry has the highest winning percentage (.836) in MIAA history of coaches who have at least 200 wins.
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 2004, 2005 and 2010 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 seventh season leading the Jennies. He has UCM off to a 6-5 start this season, including 2-3 in MIAA play. His record at Central Missouri stands at 115-74, while his career record in his 21st season as a head coach stands at 498-173. Last season, the Mount Mercy graduate led the Jennies to a 19-12 overall record and a third place finish in the MIAA at 13-7. UCM qualified for the South Central Regional where they fell to Washburn in the first round.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
December 19, 2010 - ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The fourth-ranked Lady Blues suffered their first loss of the season, a 60-41 setback at Missouri Western on Sunday afternoon. Washburn is back in action on December 31 at 1:30 p.m. at home against Central Missouri.
The 41 points is the lowest output during the Ron McHenry era and the 19-point loss is Washburn's worst since a loss by the same margin at Drury on December 8, 2007.
The Lady Blues (8-1, 4-1 MIAA) never led in the game and were scoreless until the 17:24 mark of the first half when Stevi Schultz nailed a jumper to tie the game at 2 apiece. Washburn went almost four minutes before scoring again and trailed 10-4 with 13:33 to play in the half. After another scoring drought of four plus minutes the Lady Blues found themselves down 18-5 with 8:47 remaining in the half. The Griffons (5-3, 3-2 MIAA) outscored the Lady Blues 15-11 the remainder of the half and led 33-16 at the break. WU shot just 25 percent in the first half, including 1-of-9 from three-point range and struggled from the foul line making just 3-of-8 attempts for 37.5 percent.
Missouri Western opened the second half on an 11-2 run to open a 44-18 lead with 13:42 to play in the game. Washburn's shooting struggles continued during the second half as MWSU's lead grew to as many as 28 midway through the second half. The Lady Blues were able to get back to within 16 on a couple of occasions, but would get no closer.
Schultz led Washburn with 14 points and Naudia Campbell chipped in 12. Alyssa Mullen led WU with a game-high 10 rebounds. The Lady Blues were 15-of-52 for 29 percent from the field and shot just 14 percent (3-of-22) from behind the arc. WU was 8-of-17 from the foul line for 47 percent. Washburn did out-rebound the Griffons 39-32.
Lauren Nolke led MWSU with 14 points and Jessica Koch had 10. The Griffons shot 45 percent (23-of-51) from the floor, including 44 percent (8-of-18) from three-point range. They were 6-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Notes from the Loss at Missouri WEstern . . .
• Washburn fell to 4-1 in MIAA play for the first time since the 2007-08 season
• Snapped Washburn's eight-game winning streak over the Griffons
• Snapped Washburn's 14-game regular season MIAA winning streak
• Gave the Lady Blues just their fifth loss under Ron McHenry during the month of December

Washburn/Central Missouri series notes . . .
Washburn leads the series with Central Missouri 33-13 and the Lady Blues are 20-4 against the Jennies under Ron McHenry. The Blues have won five straight games in the series and 19 of the past 21 meetings. The Lady Blues were 4-0 against UCM last season.

About Central Missouri . . .
The Jennies are 6-5 on the season and 2-3 in MIAA play after a 74-64 home loss to Pittsburg State before the holiday break. UCM  has lost three of its past four games after starting out 5-2.
Senior center Rebecca Roberts leads the Jennies scoring 13.9 points per game, she also pulls down 7.3 rebounds per contest. Nicole Caddell is second on the team in scoring at 12.1 per outing, while leading the team with 8.3 boards per game. Senior guard Kara Fleming is the only other Jennie averaging in double figures at 11.6 per contest, but that number increases to 12.8 per outing during MIAA play. Fleming leads the team with 5.3 assists per game.
The Jennies are averaging 68.5 points per game as a team, while holding their opponents to 61.0 each time out. UCM shoots 39.6 percent from the floor and holds opponents to 34.7 percent shooting. Central Missouri has made 67 three-pointers and shoots 32.8 percent from behind the arc. The Jennies shoot 73.6 percent from the foul line and have made 176 FT attempts, while their opponents have only attempted 126 shots from the charity stripe.

Last Time out for Central Missouri . . .
December 18, 2010 - WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Jennies basketball dropped a 74-64 contest to Pittsburg State at home on Saturday afternoon. UCM was led by senior Becca Roberts and junior Erin Redmond, both of whom scored 16 points.
Pittsburg State (4-5, 2-3 MIAA) started the game hot, taking an 11-2 lead before Central Missouri (6-5, 2-3 MIAA) called a timeout to regroup with 16:03 on the clock. The Jennies came to within six points multiple times; their last was after a jumper by Roberts with 11:41 left. Pittsburg State ended the game with a 23-19 run, and headed into the locker room with a 40-28 advantage.
In the half, the score was never tied nor were there any lead changes. Central Missouri had a 7-4 margin in second chance points and had an even 10-10 points off the bench. The Jennies went 3-for-7 (.429) from beyond the arc, as Pittsburg State was 4-for-11 (.364) from the same spot.
Roberts tallied three points in the half, as Redmond led the Jennies with eight points.
In the second half, Pittsburg State held the Jennies to about a 10-point deficit until junior Renae Shippy hit a pair of free throws that cut the score to 58-54 at 6:07. That would be the closest that Central Missouri got to tying the game.
The scored was never tied nor was there a lead change in the stanza. The Jennies had a 14-9 advantage from the bench in the stanza.
Roberts was 8-for-10 from the free throw line, as she recorded 16 points. She also grabbed eight rebounds. Redmond hit two shots from long distance, and was 7-for-12 from the floor and she tallied a personal game-high 16 points. Senior Kara Fleming collected 13 points, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Central Missouri . . .
March 12, 2010 - CANYON, Texas -- The No. 7 Washburn Lady Blues jumped out to a big lead and staved off a Central Missouri comeback to win 72-61 in the NCAA South Central regional on Friday afternoon at the First United Bank Center. The Lady Blues advance to the semifinals where they will take on Northeastern State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Central Missouri (19-12) jumped out to a 5-0 lead before a Hope Gregory three at the 17:46 mark got Washburn (27-3) on the board. The Jennies led 7-3 with just over 17 minutes to play in the first half, but a 15-0 run by the Lady Blues put Washburn in front for good. WU pushed the first half lead to as many as 15 and led 33-19 at the intermission.
Dayna Rodriguez scored Washburn's first six points of the second half and the lead was 17 at 39-22 with 16:54 to play. The lead ballooned to 21 on a couple of occasions, including 49-28 with 10:29 to play in the game. A 9-1 run by UCM pulled the Jennies to within 13 at 50-37 with 8:49 remaining. Washburn quickly pushed the lead back to 18 with just over seven minutes to play in the game. Central Missouri used a 17-7 run to pull within eight with just under two minutes left in regulation, but could get no closer. The Lady Blues made seven of their final eight tries from the charity stripe to pull out the 11-point win.
Rodriguez led all scorers with 20 points, she added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Brette Ulsaker scored 18 points to go along with four assists, while Gregory chipped in 11 and seven boards.
Washburn shot 46 percent from the floor, 26-of-57, while holding UCM to 39 percent shooting, 20-of-51. Both teams made four three-point field goals, while the Jennies were 17-of-30 from the foul line and the Lady Blues were 16-of-24. Washburn out-rebounded Central Missouri 40-31 and forced 14 turnovers and committed 11.
Kara Fleming led four Jennies in double figures with 15 to go along with five assists. Meghan Waggoner, Danielle Shows and Rebecca Roberts all had 11.
The win was Washburn's fourth over Central Missouri this year. It's the first time the Lady Blues have beaten a team four times in one season since they beat the Jennies four times during the 2005-06 season. Washburn is now 8-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament under Ron McHenry.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 9-1 for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give Washburn a 34-13 lead in the series with Central Missouri ... give WU a 5-1 MIAA start for the third time in four years ... make Washburn 37-12 following a loss under Ron McHenry ... give the Lady Blues six straight wins over the Jennies ... give Washburn a 758-337 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 8-2 record for the first time under Ron McHenry ... snap Washburn's five-game winning streak against Central Missouri ... drop the Lady Blues to 4-2 in the MIAA for the first time since the 2003-04 season ... give Washburn back-to-back losses in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001-02 and 02-03 seasons ... give Washburn a 757-338 record in 42 years of basketball.

Lady Blues Following a Loss . . .
The Lady Blues are 36-12 following a loss during the Ron McHenry era. Washburn was 1-2 last season following a loss. WU was 23-3 during the 2009-10 regular season with all three losses coming during a three-game losing streak mid-year.

Against Ranked Opponents . . .
The Lady Blues are 38-23 when facing a ranked opponent under Ron McHenry. Washburn was 2-1 against ranked competition last year. The Lady Blues are 11-5 against ranked teams over the past three seasons.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 149-38 (.797) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 273-91 (.750) all-time in conference play.  

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 27th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 331-59 (.849) 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 47 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 140-14 (.909) in home games under Ron McHenry. Five of the 14 losses came in his first year on the Lady Blues bench. In the last 10 seasons, Washburn is 132-9 (.936).

Lady Blues on the road . . .
The Lady Blues are 78-31 (.716) on the road under Ron McHenry. Washburn's best road record under McHenry was 8-0 during the 2005-06 season. The Lady Blues were 10-1 on the road last season, including 9-1 during MIAA play.

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 757-337 (.692 in 1,094 games) in its 42nd season of intercollegiate action. The Lady Blues have won seven MIAA regular season titles and eight MIAA postseason tournament championships since becoming eligible for conference championships in 1990-91.

Washburn in the National Poll . . .
Washburn is holding steady at No. 4 in the latest WBCA USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released last week.
The Lady Blues were No. 10 in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 WBCA Coaches Poll of the 2009-10 season. Overall, Washburn has received votes in the last 141 consecutive polls and has been ranked in the top 25 in 125 consecutive polls, the longest active streak in NCAA-II.

Blues Clues . . .
#1 • Naudia Campbell • C • 6-2 • Jr. • Scored 12 points with five rebounds in loss at Missouri Western
#4 • Lindy Arndt • G • 5-11 • Fr. • Hit two 3FG's in win over CSU Dominguez Hills
#5 • Laura Kinderknecht • G • 5-7 • So. • Scored a career-high 17 points in the win over UNO
#10 • Dana Channel • G •5-10 • Fr. • Scored four points in the win over Fort Hays State
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • Sr. • Scored career-high 17 points in the win over Northwest Missouri State
#15 • Sami McHenry • G • 5-8 • Fr. • Scored two points against Missouri Western
#20 • Dana Elliott • F • 5-11 • So. • Tied career-high with five points in just four minutes of action against Drury
#21 • Cassie Lombardino • C • 6-3 • Jr. • Scored career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the win at Truman State
#22 • Megan Lassley • G • 5-4 • Jr. • Scored 15 points in first game as a Lady Blue
#24 • Ebonie Williams • G • 5-8 • Sr. • Will sit out the 2010-11 season after transferring from Seton Hall
#25 • Stevi Schultz • G • 5-9 • Jr. • Scored career-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds in the win over Fort Hays State
#32 • Sierra Moeller • F • 6-1 • Jr. • Suffered a season-ending injury in exhibition game at Kansas State
#33 • Amy Green • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Grabbed four boards in 13 minutes in first game for Washburn
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Sr. • Grabbed career-high seven boards in season-opening win over Southwestern
#44 • Laura McMullin • F • 6-1 • So. • Scored five points and grabbed five rebounds in season-opening win over Southwestern

Tip-Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues are 1-0  in games played on New Year's Eve ... a 77-58 win over Fort Hays State on December 31, 2008.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues tip-off 2011 hosting Southwest Baptist on January 5 at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Blues then travel to Missouri Southern on Saturday, January 8 for a 1 p.m. game against the Lions.