Media Information
Date: Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Rankings: Washburn (16th, WBCA; 4th, South Central); Pittsburg State (unranked)
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Arena: John Lance Arena (5,500)
Television: None
Radio: 106.9 KTPK Topeka with Mark Elliott (pxp) and Bruce Steinbrock (color)
Live Stats: www.pittstategorillas.com
Audio Web Stream: Through wusports.com
Video Web Stream: Through wusports.com

Complete Game Notes

Lady Blues head to Pitt State
The 16th-ranked Lady Blues look to continue their late season surge at they travel to Pittsburg State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Washburn has won four in-a-row and will look to make it five straight when they take on the Gorillas.
The last time out, Washburn pulled away midway through the second half and beat Missouri Southern 70-56 on Thursday night at Lee Arena. Cassie Lombardino and Stevi Schultz led the way with 16 points each, while Lombardino had a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Four of the five starters scored in double figures as Washburn improved to 19-4 overall and 15-4 in MIAA play.
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 Pittsburg State team that is coming off a 73-71 win at No. 25 Emporia State on Wednesday night. The Gorillas made two FT's with 1.3 seconds remaining to get the win.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game at Pittsburg State will be broadcast live on Country Legends 106.9 KTPK Topeka. 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 website main page at www.wuports.com.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 287-57 (.834) overall record and a 160-41 (.796) 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.)

Pittsburg State head coach Lane Lord, is in his fourth season leading the Gorilla program after three seasons at Barton County Community College. Lord's record at PSU and in his career is 58-49. Last season, the Tabor graduate led the Gorillas to a 14-14 overall record and a fourth place finish in the MIAA at 12-8.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
February 17, 2011 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 16th-ranked Lady Blues pulled away in the second half and beat Missouri Southern 70-56 on Thursday night at Lee Arena. Washburn is back in action on Saturday at Pittsburg State at 1:30 p.m.
Washburn (19-4, 15-4 MIAA) led by three in the early going only to see Missouri Southern (14-9, 12-7 MIAA) go on a 7-0 run to lead 13-9 with 12:48 to play in the first half. The Lady Blues used a quick 6-0 run of their own to regain the lead at 15-13. WU extended that lead to as many as six with 8:36 remaining in the opening period, but an 8-0 run by the Lions put them back in front 22-20 with 5:54 to play.
Washburn scored seven straight points to regain the lead for good at 27-22. After a three by Kelby Fritz cut the lead to two Laura Kinderknecht answered with a trey of her own to send the Lady Blues into halftime with a 30-25 lead.
Washburn opened the second half on a 9-0 run and led by 14 with 17:24 to play in the game. The Lions, however, used a 12-1 run of their own to get within three at 40-37 with 14:43 to play, but Washburn responded with a 13-4 run to push the lead back to 12 with under 10 minutes to play in regulation.
The Lions were able to cut the lead back to 10 on several occasions, but could get no closer as the Lady Blues rolled to their fourth straight win.
Cassie Lombardino and Stevi Schultz each had a game-high 16 points, while Lombardino added a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Schultz added nine boards as well.
Alyssa Mullen had 12 points to go along with six boards and Kinderknecht chipped in 10 with four assists.
Washburn shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range. The Blues were 14-of-19 from the charity stripe for 73.7 percent.
Afton Baldwin led the Lions with 14 points, while Jasmine Lovejoy chipped in 13. MSSU shot 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the floor and 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from beyond the arc, while going 13-of-18 for 72.2 percent from the foul line.
Washburn out-rebounded Missouri Southern 43-30 and dished out 16 assists compared to nine for the Lions.

Notes from the win over Missouri Southern . . .
• Gave Washburn three straight wins over the Lions and a 42-26 lead in the overall series
• Improved the Lady Blues to 15-4 in MIAA play and kept them in second place, one game behind NW Missouri State
• Cassie Lombardino recorded her first career double-double after pulling down career-high 11 rebounds
• Lady Blues improved to 273-10 under Ron McHenry when leading with five minutes remaining

Washburn/Pittsburg State series notes . . .
Washburn leads the overall series with Pittsburg State 47-26, including a 19-4 advantage during the Ron McHenry era after Washburn's 65-57 win in the season's first meeting. The teams have split the regular season series each of the past two years with each team winning on their own home floor. Washburn had won 16 straight games against PSU before falling in triple overtime in the second meeting of the 2008-09 season.

About Pittsburg State . . .
The Gorillas come into the match-up at 14-9 overall and in a tie for third in the MIAA at 12-7. PSU is coming off a 73-71 last-second win over No. 25 Emporia State on Wednesday night.
Drew Roberts leads Pittsburg State in scoring at 12.2 points per game. The Gorillas are averaging 65.6 per game as a team and are giving up 61.2. PSU shoots 40.2 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range, while opponents shoot 37.8 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Gorillas have 49 more assists than their opponents and have forced 39 more turnovers.
Kylee Baldetti leads the team in rebounding at 7.8 per outing, while Laura Glenn pulls down 5.6 boards per contest. Pittsburg State does, however, get out-rebounded by its opponents by 1.5 per game (40.0-38.5).

Last Time out for Pittsburg State . . .
PSU Sports Info. - February 16, 2011 - EMPORIA, Kan. -- Drew Roberts made two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining to break a tie game and lift the Pitt State women's basketball team to a 73-71 victory over No. 25 ranked Emporia State Wednesday (Feb. 16) at William L. White Auditorium.
The Gorillas (14-9, 12-7 MIAA) pulled the upset victory over the Lady Hornets (15-8, 12-7 MIAA) 48 hours after Pitt State graduate assistant coach Tisharria Huggins tragically died in an two-car accident south of Pittsburg.
The win marked the first time that the Gorillas swept the season series against the Lady Hornets since the 1988-89 season. The two teams met just once a season from 1991-97. The Gorillas also snapped a three-game road losing streak against the Lady Hornets, winning for just the second time in their last 14 trips to the facility.
Pitt State trailed for just 12 seconds in the first half, building a 44-33 lead with 2:39 remaining in the initial period, before Emporia State utilized a 9-0 run to trim the margin to two, at 44-42, at the break.
The Gorillas and Lady Hornets traded shots in the second half with Pitt State taking its largest lead at 68-61 with 6:07 to play.
ESU scored the game's next seven points to draw even at 68-68, but Roberts made a pair of free throws for a 70-68 lead with 1:29 remaining.
Alli Volkens, who led all scorers with 28 points, made one of two free throws with 24.5 seconds to play.
Pitt State's Kylee Baldetti missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation with 23.3 ticks left, after rebounding Volkens' missed shot. The Lady Hornets turned the miss into a driving basket by Jocelyn Cummings and a 71-70 Emporia State lead with 15 seconds to go.
Pitt State's Courtney Tate made one of two free throws with nine seconds left, and Cummings turned the ball over in transition for the Lady Hornets with 4.0 seconds remaining.
Emporia's Rachel Hanf, who scored 17 points in the game, then was whistled for a foul as she reached in on Roberts as she tried to hustle up the floor with the clock winding down.
Roberts, who scored 10 of her team-leading 16 points in the second half, then calmly made both charity shots to lift the Gorillas to the win.
The Gorillas overcame 28 percent shooting in the second half to win the game by holding the Lady Hornets to 37 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes -- after ESU had made 53.8 percent of its shots in the first half.
Laura Glenn (12), Tate (10) and Lauren Brown (10) also scored in double figures for Pitt State. Tate posted her first career double-double by adding 10 assists.
Emporia, which committed 20 turnovers in the contest, got 11 points from Kelsey Balcom and 10 more from Cummings.
Pitt State will return to action Saturday (Feb. 19) by hosting No. 16 ranked Washburn at John Lance Arena. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. (CST).

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Pittsburg State . . .
January 12, 2011 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The seventh-ranked Lady Blues used a second half run and held off Pittsburg State 65-57 in a tough battle on Wednesday night at Lee Arena. The back-and-forth battle saw nine ties and eight lead changes.
Washburn (12-1, 8-1 MIAA) grabbed an early three-point lead on three free throws from Laura Kinderknecht. The Gorillas (6-7, 4-5 MIAA) battled back and grabbed their first lead of the game at 7-5 with 16:19 to play in the half. PSU pushed the lead to as many as five before the Lady Blues rallied tie the game at 12-all. The game was tied for the sixth time at 21-21 with 1:19 to play when Megan Lassley drilled a trey to put Washburn up. Drew Roberts answered for Pitt State with a three of her own with :08 left to tie the score, but Lassley uncorked a 35-footer that hitting nothing bet net at the buzzer and WU led 27-24 at halftime.
The Gorillas opened the second half on an 11-1 run to grab their biggest lead of the night at 36-28 with 17:23 to play in the game. Washburn scored six quick points on jumpers from Kinderknecht, Naudia Campbell and Alyssa Mullen to pull within two at the 15:02 mark.
Pittsburg State pushed the lead back to six before, but Washburn used a 10-1 run to take the lead for good at 44-41 with 10:38 remaining. The lead was two when Stevi Schultz rattled off nine straight points for Washburn and the lead grew to nine. A layup by Cassie Lombardino gave the Blues their biggest lead of the night at 56-45 with 6:57 remaining in regulation.
The Gorillas were able to get within five with 1:27 to play, but a bucket by Kinderknecht and a free throw by Lombardino gave WU the final margin of victory.
Lombardino led the Lady Blues with 20 points, while adding nine rebounds. Schultz had 14 points and Kinderknecht added 10. Mullen fiinished with a career-high 16 rebounds, the most by a Lady Blue since Crystal Walker pulled down 16 boards against Emporia State on January 23, 2002.
Washburn shot 39 percent (21-of-54) from the floor and 44 percent (4-of-9) from behind the three-point line, while making 19-of-28 from the charity stripe for 68 percent. Washburn out-rebounded the Gorillas 45-38.
Courtney Tate led three Gorillas in double figures with 13 points. Drew Roberts had 11, while Kylee Baldetti chipped in 10 to go along with 10 rebounds.
PSU shot 37 percent (23-of-61) from the field and were 6-of-21 from three-point range for 29 percent. The Gorillas were 5-of-10 from the foul line as well.

A Win Would . . .
A win would give the Lady Blues a 20-4 record ...give WU 20 wins for the 10th straight season ... give Washburn a sweep in the season series with Pittsburg State for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give WU three straight wins over the Gorillas and victories in 20 of the last 22 meetings ... give the Lady Blues a 16-4 MIAA record and clinch no worse than second in the league ... give Washburn a 769-340 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 19-5 record for the first time since the 2001-02 season ... drop the Lady Blues to 15-5 in the MIAA ... snap Washburn's two-game winning streak against Pittsburg State and give WU three straight season splits with the Gorillas ... give Washburn five regular season losses for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give Washburn a 768-341 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 Jan. 26. 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 160-41 (.796) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 284-94 (.751) all-time in conference play.  

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 27th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 338-59 (.851) overall at home, including 12-0 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 147-14 (.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 139-9 (.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 768-340 (.693 in 1,108 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 stayed at 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 15-of-42 from three-point range over her last six 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. • Shooting 47.7 percent (21-of-44) over her last three 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. • Averaging 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game over her last three games
#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 8-5 all-time on February 19 and 3-0 on this date under Ron McHenry. Washburn is 1-1 against Pittsburg State on this date.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues return home to host Emporia State on Wednesday night, Senior Night, at 5:30 p.m. Washburn's seniors will be honored between the women's and men's games. Washburn wraps up the regular season next Saturday (Feb. 26) at Lincoln at 1:30 p.m.