Game 11 Lady Blues at Fort Hays State

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No. 16 Washburn Lady Blues (8-2, 1-0 MIAA)
at Fort Hays State (7-0, 1-0 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2011
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Hays, Kan.
Arena: Gross Memorial Coliseum (6,814)
Radio: 580 WIBW AM with Mark Elliott (play-by-play) & Jake Lebahn (color)
Video: America One (fee)
Series Record: WU leads 41-26
Last Meeting: FHSU 68-59 on 02/05/11 (A)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 298-62 (.828) in 12th year at WU and overall
FHSU Coach Tony Hobson: 46-43 (.517) in 4th year at FHSU and 257-83 (.756) in 11th year overall

The 16th-ranked Lady Blues will head to Fort Hays State for a 5:30 p.m. game Wednesday looking to hand the Tigers their first loss of the year.

Washburn is 8-2 after opening the MIAA season with a 71-53 win at Northwest Missouri State Saturday. The Lady Blues were ranked 16th in last week's coaches' poll and a new poll is expected this Tuesday. The Tigers are 7-0 and 1-0 in the MIAA with a 71-65 win at Lincoln on November 30 being their last action. They have been receiving votes in the poll but no ranking.

WU head coach Ron McHenry will be going for win number 299 and the Lady Blues will be looking to play their 400th straight game keeping opponents under 100 points. FHSU has the top scoring offense in the MIAA (86.0 points a game) while the Lady Blues are the top defense (48.8 points a game).

Washburn is 41-26 all-time against Fort Hays State and McHenry is 11-1 in the series. The Tigers' 68-59 win in Hays last year snapped 16 straight wins for WU over FHSU.

Last Time Out: Washburn 71, NWMSU 53
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Cassie Lombardino scored a season-high 18 points and the Lady Blues used an early 14-0 run as they opened their MIAA schedule with a 71-53 win at Northwest Missouri State Saturday.

Lombardino was 8 of 11 from the field and she had eight rebounds. Stevi Schultz and Ebonie Williams each had a hat trick with three 3-pointers, giving Schultz 15 points and Williams 13. Sierra Moeller had her fifth double-figure rebounding game with a team-high 10.

The Lady Blues shot 44 percent from the field and 47 percent (6 of 11) from 3-point range. The Bearcats (2-6, 0-2 MIAA) shot 32 percent and were just 3 of 14 from 3-point range. Washburn won the rebounding battle 46-32 and both teams committed 21 turnovers.

The Bearcats took a 7-4 lead on a 3-pointer from Shelly Martin but Washburn went on a 14-0 run to take the lead for good. Washburn started the streak by hitting four straight 3-point attempts. Williams' 3-pointer at 15:46 tied the game and then a 3 from Lombardino gave Washburn the lead. Schultz and then Brittney Lynch followed with treys.

The Bearcats missed four shots and had three turnovers during Washburn's early run. They broke the streak with a jumper by Abby Henry and then they pulled as close as four down at the 4:28 mark of the opening half. Washburn closed the half on an 11-2 run after that to lead 36-23 at halftime.

Washburn scored the first seven points of the second half and built a game-high 20-point lead on a jumper from Laura McMullin at 13:52. A 6-0 run pulled Northwest Missouri within 14 at the 11:50 mark but Washburn pushed it back to 20 and fought off any serious Bearcat threat thereafter.

Megan Lassley led Washburn with four assists. Henry led the Bearcats with 18 points, going 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Annie Mathews had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Final notes on the NWMSU game
Washburn coach Ron McHenry won his 298th game in his 12th year at Washburn, putting him two away from 300...the Lady Blues improved to 16-7 all-time in MIAA openers and have won their last five...the win was Washburn's first in three true road games this year...Washburn improved to 45-10 all-time against the Bearcats and 16-6 in Maryville...this was the second straight game a team scored first on Washburn, the only two times this year...this was Washburn's 399th straight game keeping opponents under 100 points...for the second straight game Williams, Schultz, Lassley, Moeller and Lombardino started for Washburn...Lassley has started two straight and the rest have started all 10 games.

Hays matchup gives Lady Blues challenge as they go for 400th straight game keeping opponent under 100 points
The MIAA's top scoring offense will meet the top defense in the league in Wednesday's match at Hays. The Tigers lead the MIAA scoring 86.0 points a game and Washburn leads the league allowing just 48.8 a game. Fort Hays State is second in scoring defense allowing 50.4 a game. FHSU is No. 1 with a +35.6 scoring margin and Washburn is second with a+28.1 margin. The Lady Blues lead the MIAA keeping opponents to .307 shooting from the field.

The Lady Blues will go for their 400th straight game keeping opponents under 100 Wednesday. They have allowed teams to score in triple digits just once, 1998-99 to Emporia State. WU coach Ron McHenry has never allowed FHSU to score more than 71 in his 12 years.

Lady Blues 16th in latest national poll
The Lady Blues dropped to 16th in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released last Tuesday. Since then, Washburn went 1-0 with a win at Northwest Missouri State. A new poll is expected this Tuesday.

Washburn (8-2) is the highest ranked MIAA team. Central Missouri earned its first ranking at No. 25 while Emporia State, Pittsburg State and Fort Hays State continue to earn votes but no ranking.

This is the third straight week Washburn has been ranked. The Lady Blues started the season ranked 10th and then dropped to 11th in last week's first regular season poll. The Lady Blues open MIAA play Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Northwest Missouri State.

McHenry two wins shy of 300 in his 12th year at Washburn
Ron McHenry began his 12th season with the Lady Blues in 2011-12 and he needs just two wins to reach 300 in his career, all at WU. After going 8-2 to start the season, McHenry has a 298-62 (.828) record.

McHenry entered the season second in NCAA Division II history with an .829 winning percentage (among coaches with at least 10 years) and second among active coaches in winning percentage (among coaches with at least five years). Thirty-six active DII coaches have reached the 300-win level and McHenry is looking to become the 37th.

McHenry, a national champion in 2004-05, has won 79 percent of his MIAA games with a 162-42 record. He is the Washburn career leader in winning percentage among the five coaches since the program started in 1969-70. He is second in career wins at WU behind Patty Dick with 431 from 1977-00.

MIAA coaches and media pick Lady Blues first
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Lady Blues were picked as the team to beat in the MIAA's coaches and media preseason polls released during the MIAA Virtual Media Day. Washburn was a unanimous pick in the coaches poll and earned 12 of 16 first place votes in the media poll.

The Lady Blues, second-place finishers last year with a 22-7 overall record and a 17-5 MIAA mark, were picked in front of Emporia State in both polls. Defending regular season and tournament champion Northwest Missouri was picked third in the media poll and tied for fifth in the coaches poll.

Lady Blues going for 400th straight game keeping opponents under 100
If the Lady Blues can keep Fort Hays State to 99 points or less, the game Wednesday will be the 400th straight that Washburn has kept opponents under 100.

The Lady Blues have allowed an opponent to score in triple digits just once in their history. Emporia State did so in a 106-66 win over WU on January 27, 1999 and since then the Lady Blues have gone 399 games keeping opponents under 100.
Only three teams have scored in the 90s since then. Pittsburg State was the closest to 100, getting 94 in a triple-overtime game in 2008-09.

November a month to remember, December not too bad either for Lady Blues' under McHenry
Washburn is 61-5 (.924) all-time in the month of December under head coach Ron McHenry. The Lady Blues finished November 7-2, dropping just the second and third opening-month games under McHenry. Washburn had won 50 straight games in the month of November before dropping a game November 19 at Midwestern State and then again on November 22 at Drury. McHenry is 52-3 all-time coaching in the opening month of the season. Washburn's previous loss in November, and McHenry's only before the last two, was November 23, 2000 to Hillsdale by three points.

Schultz takes over 2nd in career 3-pointers at Washburn
Senior guard Stevi Schultz moved into second in school history, now with 168 3-pointers in her career. She recently passed Lora Westling, who had 144 from 2001-05. Brooke Ubelaker (2003-07) is the career leader with 236 at WU.

This year she's 32 of 75 from long range for a .427 percentage. Schultz' 82 3-pointers last year was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.

After sitting at least a year, pair of DI transfers start big for Lady Blues
Senior guard Ebonie Williams was named the Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic MVP as she made her Washburn debut after sitting out a year. The Seton Hall transfer leads Washburn with 12.4 points a game hitting double digits in seven of the 10 games this year. She's shooting 57 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range. Williams scored 1,123 for the Division I Pirates and was an all-Big East second team pick in 2008-09, her sophomore year. She transferred to WU after her junior year and sat out last year.

Junior forward Sierra Moeller played in her first regular season games since 2008-09 and leads the team with 8.7 rebounds a game, getting to double figures five times. She's scored in double figures three times and averages 7.2 points a game. She played her freshman year in 2008-09 at Boise State, scoring 3.8 points with 3.7 rebounds and then sat out at Washburn in 2009-10 after transferring. Last year she played in two exhibitions before a knee injury kept her out of the regular season.

McHenry going five-for-five with starters and first group of subs
For the first time since 2009-10, Washburn coach Ron McHenry switched his starting lineup mid-season. Last Tuesday against Evangel, Megan Lassley started in place of Dana Elliott. Guards Ebonie Williams and Stevi Schultz and forward Sierra Moeller and center Cassie Lombardino continued to start together for the 10th straight time Saturday at Northwest Missouri and Lassley started her second straight. In nearly every game, he's played his starters for about five minutes and then replaced them all at once with five fresh players.

The opening five are averaging 45.6 points a game and shooting 47 percent while the non-starters are scoring 31.3 a game and shooting 43 percent. Williams leads the starting group with 12.4 points a game and Laura McMullin leads the first group of reserves with 7.3 a game.

McHenry used the same five players in all his starting lineups last year and included among them were four returners this year - Schultz, Lombardino, Lassley and Kinderknecht.

Lending a helping hand...
The Lady Blues are averaging 19.5 assists a game, getting helpers on 67 percent of made baskets. Washburn's opponents are averaging 8.5 assists a game and averaging assists on 52 percent of made baskets.

The Lady Blues led the MIAA in assists per game in last week's statistical report. Washburn's assists totals have been well distributed as only one player is in the top 15 in the league (Stevi Schultz was 10th with 3.2 a game).

Washburn's opponents have gotten double-digit assists just four times this year.

Season Flash Backs: Don't Forget...
School-record margin of victory: Washburn's 92-point win over Tabor on November 14 is the highest in school history. The previous largest was by 87 on November 25, 1983 to St. John's (Kan.), 113-26. This was Washburn's 11th 100-point game in school history and first since winning 102-43 to Southwestern on November 23, 2009.
Another 100-point game!: Washburn made it back-to-back 100-point games for the first time in school history with a 108-60 win over Southwestern on November 16. The Lady Blues had record triple-digit games twice in the same season in 2005-06 and 1983-84 but never in consecutive games.
Happiest Place on Earth: The Lady Blues went 3-0 in the season-opening Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic to claim the trophy. Ebonie Williams earned MVP honor after averaging 12.0 points a game and shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. Williams was 6 of 7 in the de facto title game, scoring 15 points with three 3-pointers. In her debut, she had 14 points off 5 of 9 shooting.
Near DI  Upset: A last-second lay-up spoiled Washburn's exhibition upset bid, 52-50, at Kansas State on November 8. Ebonie Williams led WU with 15 points.

Last time out against Fort Hays State
HAYS, Kan. – The 11th-ranked Lady Blues allowed a season-high 11 3-point field goals and fell 68-59 at Fort Hays State on February 5, 2011. The loss was Washburn's first against Fort Hays State since 1994, snapping a streak of 16 straight wins for the Lady Blues.

Laura Kinderknecht led Washburn with a career-high 18 points to go along with five assists. Megan Lassley recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Alyssa Mullen also had 10 boards for the Lady Blues, who were out-rebounded 52-34, and gave up 18 offensive boards to FHSU.

A pair of free throws from Megan Lassley tied the game at 16 with 12:30 to play, but FHSU went on a 12-0 run over the next 6:06 to take a 28-16 lead.

The Lady Blues responded with four straight threes and tied the game at 28 with 3:14 to play in the half. A 7-1 run by Fort Hays put the Tigers in front 35-29 with 1:29 remaining in the opening period. Laura Kinderknecht hit a pair from the charity stripe with 42 ticks left and the Tigers led 35-31 at the break.

An 8-2 run in the second half pushed the FHSU lead to 10 at 55-45. A 12-4 run by the Lady Blues cut the lead to a pair at 59-57 with 1:44 to play in the game, but the Tigers answered with another three and outscored the Lady Blues 11-2 the rest of the way for the win.

The Lady Blues shot 35 percent (21 of 60) from the floor and 31.6 percent (6 of 19) from beyond the arc. WU was 11 of 16 from the foul line for 68.8 percent.

The Tigers were led by a pair of players in double figures. Bechard scored 18 and Traci Keyser added 16. Kara McFarland had a game-high 11 rebounds to pace Fort Hays State.

FHSU shot 31.3 percent (21 of 67) from the floor and 39.3 percent (11 of 28) from three-point range. The Tigers were 15 of 16 from the charity stripe.

Up next for the Lady Blues
The Lady Blues will play their MIAA home-opener Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against Truman in Lee Arena. The game could potentially be Ron McHenry's first chance at getting victory number 300 at Washburn. McHenry is 22-2 all-time against TSU.

Blue Notes: Player-By-Player Tip-Ins
#1 Katie Moyer • 5-5 Jr. G • Olpe, Kan. • Independence CC
Had first WU career points with 6 against Tabor...has played in six games this year, missing the last four..averaged 7.3 points as a sophomore at Independence CC last year.
#3 Casyn Buchman • 5-9 Fr. G • McPherson, Kan. • McPherson HS
Has played in all 10 games and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range...averaging 1.7 assists a game with at least one every game but Saturday's at NWMSU...had career-high four November 28 against Evangel...scored career-high eight points twice, first against Southwestern November 16 and second on Tuesday against Evangel...scored five straight for Washburn during second-half 8-0 run in win over St. Martin's at Disney...scored 14.0 points a game her senior year at McPherson High School.
#4 Lindy Arndt • 5-11 So. G • Emporia, Kan. • Emporia HS
Has played in eight games this year, missing the Drury contest...had her first points of year with season-high four November 14 against Tabor...averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds...scored 21 points in 11 games last year.
#5 Laura Kinderknecht • 5-7 Jr. G • St. Mary's, Kan. • St. Mary's HS
Has played in all 10 games this year...averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds a game off the bench...averaging 1.6 assists a game...shooting 26 percent from the field and 17 percent from 3-point range...averaged 10.7 points a game last year, starting all 29.
#10 Dana Channel • 5-10 So. G • Rossville, Kan. • Rossville HS
Had five points twice this year (Tabor and East Central) to tie career high...set a career high November 28 against Evangel with five rebounds...has played all 10 games with 13 points and 12 rebounds...played in 23 games last year scoring 33 points.
#11 Alyssa Nikkel • 5-8 Fr. G • Goddard, Kan. • Cheney HS
Has played in all but two games this year with six points and three assists...scored five points against CSUDH with a 3-pointer...led Cheney High School in scoring, assists and steals as Cardinals went undefeated with a state title her senior year in 2010-11.
#15 Sami McHenry • 5-8 So. G • Topeka, Kan. • Shawnee Heights HS
Played her only game of year November 28 against Evangel with three minutes and two rebounds...played as a libero/defensive specialist on the No. 5-ranked Washburn volleyball team that ended its season in the NCAA South Central Region final last weekend...scored two points in eight games last year...father is head coach Ron McHenry.
#20 Dana Elliott • 5-11 Jr. F • Wamego, Kan. • Rock Creek HS
Started the first eight games this year and has played in all 10...averaging 4.2 points, 1.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds...had a career-high six assists November 14 against Tabor......went 4 for 7 against CSUDH with season-high nine points...played 28 games off the bench last year and averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.
#21 Cassie Lombardino • 6-3 Sr. C • Bonner Springs, Kan. • Basehor-Linwood HS
Has started every game this year...has reached double figures in six of last eight games to push her season average to 10.4 points a game...averaging 6.1 rebounds and team-high 1.9 blocks a game...had season-high 18 points Saturday at NWMSU off 8 of 11 shooting...had career-high six blocks November 19 at Midwestern State...just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds November 6 against Hawaii Pacific...started every game last year and tied for team lead with 15.0 points a game...earned second team all-MIAA.
#22 Megan Lassley • 5-4 Sr. G • Wichita, Kan. • Seward County CC
Made her first start of season November 28 against Evangel and then started again Saturday at NWMSU...has totaled four assists in each of the last three games...shot 5 of 6 November 14 against Tabor for 14 points, one off her career high...scoring 4.6 points with 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists this year...hit three 3-pointers against Hawaii Pacific for nine points...had three steals against St. Martin's to tie a career high...was an every-game starter last year, averaging 7.1 points and a team-high 3.5 assists a game.
#23 Stormye Everett • 5-9 Jr. G • Aurora, Colo. • Western Neb. CC
Has played in every game except Drury and NWMSU contest...averaging 4.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.4 minutes...had 11 points at Disney against Hawaii Pacific in just nine minutes...hit 5 of 7 shots in that game...averaged 13.7 points a game in 2009-10 as a sophomore at Western Nebraska CC.
#24 Ebonie Williams • 5-8 Sr. G • Hagerstown, Md. • Seton Hall
Has started all 10 games...shooting 57 percent (50 of 88) this year and 51 percent (19-37) from 3-point range...has scored in double figures in seven of her 10 games this year...leads Washburn with 12.4 points a game...had 15 points against Hawaii Pacific off 6 of 7 shooting...went 3 for 3 from 3-point range that game...named Disney Classic tournament MVP...a DI transfer from Seton Hall where she scored over 1,000 points in her three years there, leading her team every year.
#25 Stevi Schultz • 5-9 Sr. G • Neodesha, Kan. • Neodesha HS
Second in career 3-pointers at Washburn with 168...has reached double figures in seven of last eight games...second on team with 12.0 points a game while averaging 3.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds...tied a career high with six assists against Hawaii Pacific and then set a career high with seven November 19 at Midwestern State...scored 15 points in exhibition at Kansas State...tied for team lead in scoring last year with 15.0 points a game and earned first team all-MIAA and second  team all-region.
#30 Brittney Lynch • 6-1 Fr. F • Omaha, Neb. • Elkhorn HS
Had breakout game with team-high 16 points and nine rebounds November 14 against Tabor...shot 6 of 10 from the field that game...has played off the bench in every game and is averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds...shooting 47 percent from the field...in high school she averaged 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds her senior year.
#32 Sierra Moeller • 6-1 Jr. F • Pierre, S.D. • Boise State
Has started all 10 games in her Washburn debut after sitting out two straight years...leading the team with 8.7 rebounds a game getting double figures five times...scored season-high 16 points November 28 against Evangel while going 5 of 8 from the field and 6 of 9 from free throw line...second on the team with 12 blocks...missed last year after a knee injury in an exhibition game and missed 2009-10 after transferring from Boise State the year before...scored in double figures for first time with 11 points November 14 against Tabor and then added 15 against Southwestern the next time...averaging 6.3 points a game this year...as a freshman at Boise State in 2008-09 she averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.
#33 Tiara George • 6-1 Jr. F • Baton Rouge, La. • Angelina CC
Will have to sit out the first semester after transferring to WU midway through last year...averaged 10.1 points and 8.7 rebounds a game and shot 56 percent in 2009-10 at Angelina CC (Texas).
#42 Ashley Timm • 5-10 Fr. G • Pratt, Kan. • Skyline Hs
Had her first collegiate action November 14 against Tabor, playing four minutes without a point...has played in three games for eight total minutes with a rebound...she helped Skyline High School to a sub-state runner-up finish three straight years.
#44 Laura McMullin • 6-1 Jr. F • Sedalia, Mo. • Sacred Heart HS
Has played in all 10 games averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds...top scorer off the bench for Washburn...had a double-double November 18 against East Central with 10 points and 11 rebounds, the first double-double of the year for Washburn and second of her career...scored 11 points in opener against CSUDH off 5 of 7 shooting...also had six rebounds that game...shooting 53 percent from the field this year...averaged 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds last year off the bench.