Game Facts Date: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 Time: 5:30 p.m. Site: Topeka, Kan. - Lee Arena (3,904) Radio: 106.9 KTPK Online Audio:  wusports.com Live Stats: wusports.com Live Video: wusports.com Television: KTWU channel 11 in Topeka and Cox Kansas 22

Washburn Lady Blues (21-3, 15-3 MIAA) Polls 13th in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach: Ron McHenry Alma Mater: Washburn, 84 WU Record:    262-52, 10th season Career Record: 262-52, 10th season Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Pittsburg State Gorillas (12-12, 10-7 MIAA) Polls Not ranked in USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll Coaches Head Coach:     Lane Lord Alma Mater: Tabor, 93 PSU Record: 42-38, third season Career Record: Same Basketball Page Roster Statistics Schedule Game Notes Media Guide Athletic Web Site

Lady Blues Return home for final time . . .
The No. 13-ranked Washburn Lady Blues return home for their final home game of the season against Pittsburg State on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Blues are coming off an 81-57 win over Missouri Southern on Wednesday night, while the Gorillas upset Emporia State 71-66 in Pittsburg.
With Emporia's loss and the win over MSSU the Lady Blues are now tied for first in the MIAA with two games remaining.
Washburn's four seniors will be honored between the women's and men's games.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game will be broadcast live on 106.9 KTPK Topeka 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 game will also be broadcast on television on KTWU channel 11 in Topeka and statewide on Cox Kansas 22.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 262-52 (.834) overall record, including a 143-37 (.794) 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 (.834) 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.)
Pittsburg State head coach Lane Lord, is in his third season leading the Gorilla program. Pittsburg State is 42-38 overall during that span. Last season, Lord led the Gorillas to a 20-9 overall record, including a 14-6 mark in the MIAA good enough for third place. Lord is a 1993 graduate of Tabor College and came to Pittsburg State from Barton County Community College where he was the head women's coach for three seasons.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
Feb. 17, 2010 - JOPLIN, Mo. -- The 13th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues never trailed and rolled to an 81-57 win over Missouri Southern on Wednesday night at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Washburn will be back in action on Saturday night against Pittsburg State. Tip-off on Senior Night is set for 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.
The Lady Blues (21-3, 15-3 MIAA) grabbed a 9-3 lead in the opening minutes. The Lions (13-11, 7-10 MIAA) used a 6-0 run to tie the game at nine with 15:21 to play in the half, but an 8-0 spurt by Washburn gave the Lady Blues the lead for good. MSSU rallied to within two at 20-18 midway through the half, but an 11-2 run gave Washburn an 11-point advantage with 6:46 to play in the opening stanza. The lead was nine at 34-25 following a Lion bucket, but the Lady Blues closed the half on a 10-0 run to lead 44-25 at the intermission.
Washburn opened the second half on a 12-4 run and led 56-29 with 16:06 to play in the game. The Lady Blues pushed the lead to as many as 30 with 10:08 left in regulation. The lead never dipped below 25 the rest of the way and WU cruised to the 81-57 win. With the win and Pittsburg State's win over Emporia State the Lady Blues are now tied for first in the MIAA with two games to play.
Hope Gregory led the Lady Blues with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Dayna Rodriguez added 17 points. Rose Hammond set a new career-high with eight assists. Washburn shot 45 percent, 27-of-60, from the floor, including 10-of-22 for 46 percent from behind the three-point line. The Lady Blues also shot 77 percent, 17-of-22, from the free throw line.
Jasmine Lovejoy and Jolea Apon led Missouri Southern with 12 points apiece.
Washburn out-rebounded MSSU 40-31 and held the Lions to 40 percent from the floor, 21-of-52 and 6-of-19 for 32 percent from behind the arc.
Washburn remained at No. 3 in the NCAA South Central Regional rankings that were released earlier on Wednesday. The four Lady Blues seniors will be honored between the women's and men's games on Saturday night.

Notes from the win over MSSU . . .
• The win, coupled with Emporia's loss moved the Lady Blues into a tie for first in the MIAA with a 15-3 record
• The Lady Blues extended their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 195 games

Washburn/Pittsburg State Series Notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series with Pittsburg State 45-26 after PSU's overtime win in Pittsburg earlier this season. The teams split the regular season series last year with each team winning on their own home floor. Washburn later eliminated PSU from the MIAA tournament with an 83-64 triumph in the semifinals. Washburn has won 17 of the last 19 meetings between the two schools. PSU's 3OT win in Pittsburg last season was its first win against Washburn since Ron McHenry's first season at the helm of the Lady Blues program (2000-01).

About Pittsburg State . . .
The Gorillas come into the contest with a 12-12 overall mark and a 10-7 MIAA record after a 71-66 home win over ninth-ranked Emporia State on Wednesday. The Gorillas are 2-3 in their past five games.
DePrice Taylor leads PSU in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Nicole McCombs is second on the team averaging 13.4 per contest. McCombs also leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 boards per outing.
Pittsburg State is averaging 69.0 points per game, while giving up 70.5. The Gorillas out-rebound their opponents 41.9-39.1. They shoot 38 percent from the floor, while their opponents shoot 41 percent from the floor and 36 percent from behind the three-point line.

Last Meeting with Pittsburg State . . .
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 just 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.

A Win Would . . .
A win would make the Lady Blues 22-3 for the second straight season ... give the Lady Blues a 16-3 MIAA record for the first time ... give McHenry a 263-52 overall record ... give Washburn a season split with Pittsburg State and a 46-26 series lead ... give Washburn a 744-335 record in its 41st season of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
Make the Lady Blues 21-4 for the second time in three seasons ... give the Lady Blues a 15-4 MIAA record for the second straight season ... give McHenry a 262-53 career record ... be the first season sweep by PSU since 2001 and give Washburn a 45-27 series lead over the Lions ... give Washburn a 742-336 record in 41 years of playing collegiate basketball.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 143-37 (.794) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 267-90 (.748) all-time in conference play.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 26th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 325-59 (.846) 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 134-14 (.905) 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 126-9 (.933).

Lady Blues History . . .
Washburn is 743-335 (.689 in 1,078 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 remained at No. 13 for the third consecutive week in the latest USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll. Emporia State is the only other MIAA team ranked. The Lady Hornets moved up one spot to No. 9 in the rankings.
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 131 consecutive polls and has been in the top 25 in 115 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 19 points in win over Northwest 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 scored in double figures in nine games this season
#31 • Rose Hammond • G • 5-10 • Sr. • Leads the MIAA with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio
#32 • Amanda Fessenden • G • 5-9 • Sr. • Has made 13 of 35 3FG attempts during the current eight-game winning streak
#33 • Hope Gregory • G • 5-10 • Jr. • Pulled down career-high 15 rebounds in win over Southwest Baptist
#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. • Scored career-high 32 points in win over Southwest Baptist
#42 • Raychel Boling • F • 6-0 • Jr. • Scored 11 points in win over Missouri-St. Louis
#44 • Laura McMullin • F • 6-1 • Fr. • Pulled down four rebounds in win over Central Missouri

Tip-Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues are 7-4 all-time on February 20 and 2-0 under Ron McHenry.
• The Lady Blues are 9-2 in Saturday games this season.

Up Next . . .
Washburn wraps up the regular season on Wednesday Feb. 24 at Emporia State at 5:30 p.m. The MIAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 4 in Kansas City.