Game 12 Lady Blues vs Truman

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No. 15 Washburn Lady Blues (9-2, 2-0 MIAA)
vs Truman (7-1, 2-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Topeka, Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena (3,904)
Radio: 106.9 KTPK FM with Mark Elliott (play-by-play) & Jake Lebahn (color)
Video: America One (fee)
Series Record: WU leads 40-8
Last Meeting: WU 62-53 on 02/14/11 (H)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 299-62 (.828) in 12th year at WU and overall
TSU Coach Michael Smith: 38-51 (.427) in 4th year at TSU and overall

McHenry attempts win 300 Saturday as Lady Blues host Truman in MIAA home opener
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry will take his first shot at win number 300 Saturday as the 15th-ranked Lady Blues host Truman in a 1:30 p.m. game at Lee Arena. McHenry will enter the game with a 299-62 record in his 12th year at Washburn.

The Lady Blues are 9-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA while the Bulldogs are off to the fourth 7-1 start in school history and are 2-1 in the league. Washburn will play its MIAA home opener after getting a 67-60 win Wednesday at Fort Hays State. The Bulldogs enter the contest after a 79-54 win at Southwest Baptist Wednesday.

Washburn is 40-8 all-time against Truman and has swept the regular season MIAA series in eight straight years. McHenry is 22-2 all-time against TSU and WU is 25-1 all-time against the Bulldogs at home with the last loss coming in Whiting Fieldhouse in 1979-80.

Last Time Out: Washburn 67, Fort Hays State 60
HAYS, Kan. -- The Lady Blues shot 50 percent in the second half and held Fort Hays State to 27 percent shooting in a 67-60 win on the road to the previously undefeated Tigers.

Stevi Schultz had her ninth career double-double and first of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds, one off her career high. She was 3 for 5 from the field and hit 6 of 8 free throws. Laura Kinderknecht hit two big 3-pointers and had a career-high 11 points.
Schultz made five of her free throws in the final minute. Washburn led by five, 59-54 after a FHSU bucket and then Schultz was fouled. She made two to give the Lady Blues a 61-54 lead with 53 seconds left. The Tigers got within five points three times after that but two more free throws from Schultz with 15 seconds remaining pushed the lead back to seven at 67-60.

The score stayed that way and it marked the 400th straight game that Washburn held its opponent to under 100 points.
Kinderknecht went 4 of 6 from the field and 2 of 4 from long range. Her first 3-pointer came at the 6:36 mark of the first half and helped erase a four-point FHSU lead. Her second 3 came at the 3:49 mark of the second half and gave Washburn a nine-point lead, its biggest of the game.

Ebonie Williams was 5 of 8 from the field for 10 points and Dana Elliott scored a career-high 11, going 4 for 4 from the field with seven rebounds, also a career-high.

The game featured the MIAA's two toughest defenses as Washburn was allowing just 48.4 a game and FHSU was allowing 50.4 a game.

It took 6:27 for any team to reach double figures. A 3-pointer gave FHSU an 11-6 lead. The Lady Blues later trailed the Tigers by four at the 9:14 mark. Sierra Moeller hit a jumper and then Kinderknecht scored five straight off a jumper and 3-pointer. Brittney Lynch then scored her first points of the night to put Washburn up by five. The Tigers scored two after that and Lynch hit a lay-up to make the score 25-20, WU at the 3:51 mark.

Washburn didn't score again after that in the half and FHSU ended the half scoring seven straight to lead by two, 27-25 at halftime.
The Lady Blues shot 44 percent in the opening half while the Tigers were 46 percent. Washburn made just 1 of 4 3-pointers while the Tigers hit 4 of 9.

The Lady Blues answered in the second half, making 14 of 28 shots and going 4 for 7 from 3-point range. They were 10 of 15 from the free throw line after not taking a single attempt in the first half. The Tigers were 7 of 26 from the field in the closing 20 minutes and 2 of 7 from 3-point range.

Washburn had 20 turnovers while the Tigers had 13. Washburn led the rebound battle 43-25 and each team blocked three shots. Crista Bechard led FHSU with 12 points and Katelyn Edwards had 10.

Final notes on the FHSU game
The game marked the 400th straight that Washburn kept opponents under 100 points...the Lady Blues have only given up 100 once in 1998-99 to Emporia State...Ron McHenry improved to 299-62 in his 12th year at Washburn...the Lady Blues improved to 42-26 all-time against FHSU and they have won 17 of 18 in the series...Stevi Schultz had her ninth career double-double and double-digit rebounding game...this was Washburn's second double-double of the year...Dana Elliott had a career-high 11 points and her first double-figure game in her three years at Washburn.

McHenry takes first crack at 300th win
Ron McHenry began his 12th season with the Lady Blues in 2011-12 and he needs just one more win to reach 300 in his career, all at WU. After going 9-2 to start the season, McHenry has a 299-62 (.828) record.

McHenry has had at least 23 wins in every year but his first. He's reached the 30-win mark three times. After a 13-14 record in his first season, 2000-01, McHenry has brought the Lady Blues to the NCAA tournament 10 straight times.

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.

Lady Blues jump to 15th in USA Today ESPN national poll
The Lady Blues went 2-0 last week and jumped one spot to 15th in this week's USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released Tuesday. Washburn is 8-2 overall and is the highest ranked MIAA team. Central Missouri climbed from 25th to 22nd and PIttsburg State, Fort Hays State, Emporia State and Truman all got votes but no ranking.

This is the fourth straight week Washburn has been ranked and the 167th time in school history.  The Lady Blues were left out of the final poll last year but have been ranked in 144 of the last 145 polls, dating back to week three of the 2002-03 season.

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.

November a month to remember, December not too bad either for Lady Blues' under McHenry
Washburn is 62-5 (.924) all-time in the month of December under head coach Ron McHenry with a 2-0 start to this December. 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.

Wednesday at FHSU she went without a 3-pointer for the first time since the end of the 2009-10 season. She made one in all 29 games last year and the first 10 this year.

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 12.2 points a game hitting double digits in eight of the 11 games this year. She's shooting 52 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 8.4 rebounds a game, getting to double figures five times. She's scored in double figures three times and averages 7.3 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.

Lending a helping hand...
The Lady Blues are leading the MIAA with 18.7 assists a game, getting helpers on 65 percent of made baskets. Washburn's opponents are averaging 8.6 assists a game and averaging assists on 52 percent of made baskets.
Washburn's assists totals have been well distributed as only one player is in the top 15 in the league (Stevi Schultz was 11th with 2.9 a game).

Season Flash Backs: Don't Forget...
400 straight under 100: The Lady Blues 67-60 win at Fort Hays State on December 7 marked the 400th straight game Washburn has kept opponents under 100 points. The last time was on January 27, 1999, at Emporia State.
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 Truman
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Stevi Schultz scored all 19 of her points in the second half, including Washburn's final 11 as the Lady Blues rallied past Truman 62-53 on February 14 at Lee Arena. Schultz scored 16 of Washburn's final 22 points as the Lady Blues closed the game on a 22-4 run.

Washburn shot just 23.3 (7 of 30) percent in the first half compared to 46.7 (14 of 30) percent by Truman State.
Schultz finished with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds to go along with five steals and two assists. Cassie Lombardino had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Laura Kinderknecht finished with 11 points and three assists. Alyssa Mullen finished with nine points, nine boards, four assists and two steals.

Washburn shot 53.6 percent in the second half and finished at 37.9 (22 of 58) for the game. The Lady Blues were 6 of 20 for 30 percent from three-point range and 12 of 16 from the foul line.

Breanna Daniels led Truman with 14 points and nine rebounds, while McHenry chipped in 12 points.
The Bulldogs shot 40.4 percent (23 of 57) from the field and 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from beyond the arc. TSU was 0 of 1 from the charity stripe.

Truman out-rebounded the Lady Blues 36-34, while WU forced TSU into 17 turnovers.

Up next for the Lady Blues
The Lady Blues will play one more home game with a December 17 contest against Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m. before taking off for 13 days. They'll resume play on New Year's Eve at Central Missouri in a 1:30 p.m. MIAA game.

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 five..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 11 games and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range...averaging 1.7 assists a game with at least one every game but one...had career-high four November 28 against Evangel...scored career-high eight points twice, first against Southwestern November 16 and second on November 28 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 11 games this year...averaging 3.5 points and 1.6 rebounds a game off the bench...averaging 1.5 assists a game...had season-high 11 points December 7 at FHSU while going 4 of 6 from the field with two 3-pointers...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 but one game 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 three 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 11...averaging 4.8 points, 1.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds...since moving to non-starting role in last three games, has gone 8 of 10 and is averaging 6.7 points a game...had a career-high 11 points and seven rebounds December 7 at Fort Hays State...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 nine games to push her season average to 9.6 points a game...averaging 5.9 rebounds and team-high 1.7 blocks a game...had season-high 18 points December 3 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 has started the two since then...shot 5 of 6 November 14 against Tabor for 14 points, one off her career high...scoring 4.9 points with 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 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 three...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 11 games...shooting 57 percent this year and 51 percent from 3-point range...has scored in double figures in eight of her 11 games this year...leads Washburn with 12.2 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...had first double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds at FHSU on December 7...has reached double figures in eight of last nine games...second on team with 12.0 points a game while averaging 2.9 assists and 5.3 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 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds...shooting 48 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 11 games in her Washburn debut after sitting out two straight years...leading the team with 8.4 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 13 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 7.3 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
Played in the first 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.