Media Information
Date: Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Rankings: Washburn (16th, WBCA; 4th, South Central); Missouri Southern (9th, South Central)
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 host Lions on Think Pink night
The 16th-ranked Lady Blues look to win their fourth straight game as they host Missouri Southern in the WBCA Pink Zone game on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.
The last time out, Washburn rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Truman 62-53 on Monday night. Stevi Schultz led WU with 19 points, all in the second half. Cassie Lombardino had 17 and Laura Kinderknecht chipped in 11.
The Lady Blues are led by three players averaging in double figures. Lombardino leads the team at 16.3 points per game. Schultz is averaging 15.1, while Laura Kinderknecht chips in 10.8 points per outing.
Washburn will take on a Missouri Southern squad that is coming off an 82-74 overtime win over No. 20-ranked Emporia State on Saturday afternoon and has won four of its last five games.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game against Truman State will be broadcast on AM 580 WIBW. Mark Elliott will be calling the play-by-play action with Bruce Steinbrock providing 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 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 286-57 (.834) overall record and a 159-41 (.795) record in the MIAA with six MIAA regular season championships and the 2005 NCAA National Championship during his 11 seasons as head coach. 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 (.838) 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.)

Missouri Southern head coach Maryann Mitts, is in her 10th season leading the Lion program. Mitts' record at MSSU is 164-112, while her career record stands at 247-171 in her 14th season as a head coach. Last season, the Rockhurst graduate led the Lions to a 15-13 overall record and a fifth place finish in the MIAA at 9-11.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
February 14, 2011 - 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 Monday night 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 (18-4, 14-4 MIAA) led early at 2-0 and 4-2, but the Lady Blues went cold from the field and Truman (11-11, 9-9 MIAA) seized control with a 10-2 run and led 12-6 with 12:57 to play in the half. Washburn was able to battle back and regain the lead at 18-17 on a Laura Kinderknecht three with seven and half remaining, but the Bulldogs got the lead right back on a lay-in by Nicole Gloor. That bucket ignited a 16-3 run that finished with another bucket by Gloor and Truman led 33-21 at halftime.
Washburn shot just 23.3 (7-of-30) percent in the first half compared to 46.7 (14-of-30) percent by Truman State.
The Bulldogs got a bucket from Bianca Szafarowicz to open the second half and push TSU to its biggest lead of the night 35-21 with 19:18 to play in the game. A quick 10-0 run got Washburn to within four with 17:34 remaining only to see Truman push the lead back to nine by the 12:19 mark. Another Kinderknecht trey and a Cassie Lombardino jumper pulled Washburn back to within four, but the Bulldogs scored five quick points and once again led by nine at 49-40 with 7:32 on the clock and that's when Schultz took over.
A traditional three-point play by Schultz followed by a pair of free throws from Alyssa Mullen cut the lead to four with just under seven minutes to play. Lombardino hit a layup to cut the lead to two and Schultz's jumper with four and half to play tied the game at 49. The Bulldogs regained the lead on a Megan Sharpe lay-in, but Lombardino answered with a jumper to knot the game at 51-all with 3:42 to play.
Schultz hit a three to put Washburn in front for good at the 2:30 mark. She followed that up with a layup and a pair of free throws to push the Lady Blues to a seven point lead with 1:25 to play. The Bulldogs got a bucket from Becka McHenry to pull within five, but Schultz finished the game off with a layup and two from the charity stripe.
Schultz finished with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds to along with five steals and two assists. Lombardino had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Kinderknecht finished with 11 points and three assists. Mullen had another solid outing finishing 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.
Washburn is back in action on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. against Missouri Southern. Thursday's game is the WBCA Pink Zone game and fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

Notes from the win over Truman State . . .
• Extended Washburn's win streak to 18 straight over the Bulldogs
• Improved the Lady Blues to 14-4 in MIAA play and kept them in second place, one game behind NWMSU
• Was Washburn's first win this season when trailing with five minutes to play, the Lady Blues are now 8-47 under Ron McHenry when trailing with five minutes to play in the game.

Washburn/Missouri Southern series notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series with Missouri Southern 41-26, including a 15-6 advantage under Ron McHenry after WU's 75-71 win in Joplin back in January. The teams have split the season series the past three years. The Lady Blues are 8-2 against MSSU in Topeka under McHenry.

About Missouri Southern . . .
The Lions come into the game at 14-8 overall and 12-6 in MIAA play and winners in four of their last five games. Missouri Southern beat then-No. 20 Emporia State 82-74 in overtime on Saturday night in Joplin.
Jasmine Lovejoy leads the team and the MIAA in scoring at 18.0 points per game, she also leads the team pulling down 8.0 rebounds per game. Erin Rice also averages in double figures at 13.9 points per contest. Kelby Fritz chips in 8.4 points and leads the squad with 3.1 assists per outing.
The Lions average 66.7 points per game as a team and are shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three point range. Opponents shoot 39.9 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from behind the arc, while averaging 63.6 points per outing. MSSU has attempted the exact same number of free throws (452) as the opponents have.

Last Time out for Missouri Southern . . .
MSSU Sports Info. - February 12, 2011 - Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Lions women (14-8, 12-6 MIAA) welcomed the defending NCAA Division II National Champions and 20th ranked Emporia State Lady Hornets (15-7, 12-6 MIAA) and promptly sent the Lady Hornets packing with another road loss, 82-74 in overtime.
Senior Jasmine Lovejoy set a new career-high scoring 38 points while sophomore Erin Rice added 18, and sophomore Kelby Fritz added 11 for the Lions.  Lovejoy also secured her sixth double-double of the season by leading Southern with 10 rebounds.
The Lady Hornets started the game on a 11-0 run before Southern answered with a lay-up by Lovejoy.  Emporia State would then go on to lead by as many as 10, 14-4 with 14:10 left in the half, before the Lions would scratch and claw their way back into the game.
Southern would then use a 7-0 run, all by Lovejoy, to close out the half with the 32-30 lead.
The Lions used 14 points off of 11 Emporia State turnovers, while only turning the ball over five times themselves.
Lovejoy led all scorers in the first half with 17 and Fritz added nine, all from downtown, for Southern.
The Lions would lead by as many as seven, 49-42, early in the second half off of a lay-up by Rice with 10:41 to play.  Emporia State would answer with a 7-0 run to tie the game and then eventually take the lead at 58-57 with just under five minutes to play.  Rice would then hit a long shot from downtown as the shot clock expired and senior Jasmine Lovejoy would nail two charities to take the lead back at 62-60.  Senior Afton Baldwin would then add another two freebies to make it 64-60 with 2:50 left to play.
After a free-throw and a lay-up by the Lady Hornets to pull within one, 64-63, with just under two minutes to play, Rice hit one-of-two from the charity stripe with 1:38 left to play.
Rice went to the line and hit another one-of-two and Lovejoy hits a slashing lay-up to put the Lions up over the Lady Hornets 67-63 with just under a minute to play.  Emporia then went down the court and converted on a lay-up to pull within two with 50 seconds remaining.
After a missed shot, Baldwin would disrupt the out-let pass and the Lady Hornets would hit a lay-up to tie the game at 67-67 with 15.2 seconds remaining.
Baldwin hits a three-pointer to give Southern a 76-73 lead with 0:48 left in the first OT.  With free-throws from Fritz, Lovejoy, and Rice, two each, down the stretch in OT; the Lions held on for their third overtime victory of the year and their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Lions will travel to Topeka, Kan. on Thursday to take on the 16th ranked Lady Blues of Washburn University.  Game time is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Missouri Southern . . .
January 8, 2011 - JOPLIN, Mo. -- The eighth-ranked Lady Blues built a big first half lead then held off Missouri Southern 75-71 behind 30 points from Cassie Lombardino at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Washburn (11-1, 7-1 MIAA) scored the first point of the game on a free throw from Lombardino a minute into the game, but the Lions (7-5, 5-3 MIAA) rattled off the next nine points to take a 9-1 lead with 17:28 to play in the half.
A 14-4 run over the next six and a half minutes gave Washburn the lead 15-13 with 10:45 remaining in the stanza. The game was tied at 15 when the Lady Blues went on a 16-3 run to take a 31-18 lead with 5:53 to play in the half. The lead was still 13 at the 4:33 mark, but Missouri Southern ended the half on a 16-4 run and Washburn's lead was just one, 37-36, at the half.
The Lady Blues were able to extend their lead to six in the early going of the second half, but the Lions kept pace. Threes by Stevi Schultz and Laura Kinderknecht pushed the lead back to seven with 6:42 to play in the game.
Four quick points brought MSSU to within three at 67-64 with 4:33 to play. A pair of free throws by Lombardino put WU back up five with just over three minutes to play. Two Lion free throws brought it back to a three-point game, but Lombardino answered with a bucket to put the Lady Blues back up by five with 30 seconds to play. A traditional three-point play by Kelby Fritz pulled MSSU to within a pair at 71-69, but the Lions could get no closer. Kinderknecht and Schultz both hit a pair from the charity stripe in the final 12 seconds to ice the game for Washburn.
Lombardino led Washburn with 30 points, her second straight 30-point performance. Kinderknecht finished with 15 points and four assists, while Schultz added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Washburn shot 43.4 percent for the game, 23-of-53, and were 8-of-21 from beyond the arc for 38.1 percent. The Lady Blues were 21-of-25 from the foul line for 84 percent. Washburn also out-rebounded MSSU 37-31.
Erin Rice led Missouri Southern with 30 points and added nine rebounds. Jasmine Lovejoy finished with 18 points and added eight boards.
The Lions shot 48.3 percent for the game, 29-of-60, and were just 4-of-17 from three-point range for 23.5 percent. MSSU was 9-of-15 from the foul line for 60 percent.
Washburn is back in action on Wednesday night at home against Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m.

A Win Would . . .
A win would give the Lady Blues a 19-4 record for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give Washburn a sweep in the season series with Missouri Southern for the first time since the 2006-07 season ... give WU three straight wins over the Lions ... give the Lady Blues a 15-4 MIAA record ... give Washburn a 768-340 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 18-5 record for the first time since the 2001-02 season ... drop the Lady Blues to 14-5 in the MIAA ... snap Washburn's two-game winning streak against Missouri Southern and give WU four straight season splits with the Lions ... give Washburn five regular season losses for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give Washburn a 767-341 record in 42 years of basketball.

Against Ranked Opponents . . .
The Lady Blues are 39-24 when facing a ranked opponent under Ron McHenry, including 1-1 this season. Washburn beat then-No. 10 Emporia State 66-60 on Jan. 15 and lost at No. 23 Northwest Missouri 71-63 on Wednesday night. Washburn was 2-1 against ranked competition last year and the Lady Blues are 12-6 against ranked teams over the past four seasons.

Lady Blues in The MIAA . . .
The Lady Blues are 159-41 (.795) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 283-94 (.751) all-time in conference play.  

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 27th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 337-59 (.851) overall at home, including 11-0 this season. 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 146-14 (.913) 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 138-9 (.939).

Lady Blues on the road . . .
The Lady Blues are 82-34 (.707) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 5-4 this season. 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 767-340 (.693 in 1,107 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.

Lady Blues in the Regional Rankings . . .
Washburn dropped one spot to No. 4 in the most recent NCAA-II South Central Regional Rankings. The rankings will be released every Wednesday through the remainder of the season with the top eight teams in the final rankings on Sunday, March 6 qualifying for the South Central Regional at a campus site to be determined. Washburn has qualified for nine straight NCAA Tournaments under head coach Ron McHenry.

Washburn in the National Poll . . .
Washburn remained at No. 16 in the latest WBCA USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released on Tuesday afternoon.
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 148 consecutive polls and has been ranked in the top 25 in 132 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. • Is 13-of-37 from three-point range over her last five games
#10 • Dana Channel • G •5-10 • Fr. • Scored four points in the win over Fort Hays State
#14 • Alyssa Mullen • F • 5-11 • Sr. • Career-high 16 rebounds against Pittsburg State were the most by a Lady Blue since 2002
#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. • Has at least two blocked shots in nine of her last 11 games
#22 • Megan Lassley • G • 5-4 • Jr. • Averaging 4.9 assists/game over her last five games
#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 all 19 of her points in the second half against Truman, including 16 of the last 22 and Washburn's final 11 of the game
#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 8-4 all-time on February 17 and 1-2 on this date under Ron McHenry, including an 81-57 win at Missouri Southern last season.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues will head to Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday to take on the Gorillas at 1:30 p.m. before returning home to host Emporia State on Wednesday night, Senior Night, at 5:30 p.m.