Media Information
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Rankings: Washburn (15th, WBCA; 4th, South Central); Emporia State (8th, South Central)
Location: Topeka, Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena (3,904)
Television: None
Radio: 106.9 KTPK Topeka 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 Emporia State on SEnior Night
The Lady Blues, who moved up one spot to No. 15 in this week's WBCA poll, return home for the final time this season as they host Emporia State in the Turnpike Tussle on Wednesday night, Senior Night, at 5:30 p.m. Washburn's two seniors, Raychel Boling and Alyssa Mullen, will be honored during a ceremony after the game.
The last time out, Washburn took an early lead and rolled to a 64-47 win at Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon. Stevi Schultz led the Lady Blues with her seventh double-double of the season, 25 points and 10 rebounds. Laura McMullin had career-highs of eight points and 11 rebounds as well.
The Lady Blues are led by three players averaging in double figures. Cassie Lombardino leads the team at 16.1 points per game. Schultz is averaging 15.5, while Laura Kinderknecht chips in 10.7 points per outing.
Washburn will take on an Emporia State squad that is coming off an 84-44 win over Lincoln on Saturday night. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lady Hornets.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game with Emporia 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 web site main page at www.wuports.com.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 288-57 (.835) overall record and a 161-41 (.797) 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 (.835) 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.)

Emporia State head coach Jory Collins, is in his first season as the head coach of the Lady Hornet program after eight seasons as an assistant. His season and career record stands at 16-8. Collins is a 2002 graduate of Emporia State.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
February 19, 2011 - PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The 16th-ranked Lady Blues rolled past the Pittsburg State Gorillas 64-47 on Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena. Washburn held the Gorillas to 26 percent shooting and led by as many 25 en route to the 20th win of the season.
Washburn (20-4, 16-4 MIAA) scored eight straight points to take the lead for good after Pittsburg State (14-10, 12-8 MIAA) opened the game with a three by Kylee Baldetti. The lead was three at 8-5 when the Lady Blues went on an 11-3 run to open a 19-8 lead with 9:05 to play in the half.
The Gorillas cut the lead to six with a quick 5-0 spurt, but six straight points by Washburn gave the Blues a 25-13 lead with five and half to play in the opening period. Each team scored five points the remainder of the half, including a trey by Stevi Schultz to send Washburn into halftime with a 30-18 advantage.
The Gorillas cut the lead to nine in the opening minutes of the second half on a traditional three-point play by Laura Glenn, but Washburn responded with an 11-2 run to open a 43-25 lead with 12:29 to play in the game. PSU cut the lead to 15, but a 12-2 run gave the Lady Blues their biggest lead of the game, 59-34, with 5:45 to play in the game and Washburn cruised to the 17-point win.
Schultz led Washburn with her seventh double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. Cassie Lombardino finished with 12 points, while Laura McMullin had career-highs of eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Blues shot 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the floor and 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from three point range, while going 8-of-12 for 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. In addition, Washburn out-rebounded the Gorillas 50-38.
Baldetti and Glenn led Pittsburg State with nine points apiece and Glenn added a team-high eight rebounds.
The Gorillas shot 26.2 percent (16-of-61) from the field and just 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from beyond the arc. PSU was 10-of-23 from the foul line for 43.5 percent. The Gorillas did force Washburn into 20 turnovers, while committing just 13 of their own.
The win gives the Lady Blues their 10th straight season with at least 20 wins. The win also assures that Washburn can finish no worse than second place in the league. WU still trails Northwest Missouri by one game in the conference standings with two regular season games left.
Washburn is back in action next Wednesday night, senior night, at home against Emporia State. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. with the WU seniors, Raychel Boling and Alyssa Mullen, being honored between games of the doubleheader.

Notes from the win over Pittsburg State . . .
• Gave Washburn three straight wins over the Gorillas and a 48-26 lead in the overall series
• Improved the Lady Blues to 16-4 in MIAA play and kept them in second place, one game behind NW Missouri State
• Stevi Schultz moved into fourth place in Washburn history with 125 made 3FG's in her career
• Schultz recorded her seventh double-double of the season
• Lady Blues improved to 274-10 under Ron McHenry when leading with five minutes remaining
• Washburn improved to 91-2 under McHenry when holding opponents under 50 points
• Lady Blues ran their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 226 straight games

Washburn/Emporia State series notes . . .
Emporia State leads the overall series 41-40, while Washburn is 20-9 against the Lady Hornets during the Ron McHenry era after a 66-60 WU win in Emporia on January 15. The teams have split the regular season series each of the past two years. Washburn had won four in-a-row before that and the Blues have captured nine of the last 12 meetings.
This will be the first meeting since January 22, 2003 that both teams aren't nationally ranked.

About Emporia State . . .
The Lady Hornets are 16-8 overall and 13-7 in MIAA play after an 88-48 win over Lincoln on Saturday evening. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Emporia State.
The Lady Hornets are led in scoring and rebounding by senior forward Alli Volkens. She scores 17.3 points per game and pulls down 12.2 boards per contest. Three other players average in double figures for ESU. Rachel Hanf scores 11.5 per outing, while Kelsey Balcom and Jocelyn Cummings chip in 11.2 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Emporia State shoots 42.1 percent from the floor as a team and 32.2 percent from three point range, while opponents shoot 36.7 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc. ESU leads the MIAA in rebounding and out-rebounds its opponents 44.3 to 35.2, but has committed 100 more turnovers than the opposition.

Last Time out for Emporia State . . .
ESU Sports Info. - February 19, 2011 - Every Lady Hornet scored and four reached double figures as #25 Emporia State defeated Lincoln 84-44 to snap a three game losing streak.
ESU scored the first ten points of the game and jumped out to an 18-2 lead with 12:11 left in the first half. The lead would grow to 42 points at one point in the second half.
Alli Volkens recorded her 20th double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds. She moved into sixth in career rebounding at ESU with 821, passing Tara Holloway. She also came within a point of tying Aneta Kausaite for 16th in career scoring at ESU. Kelsey Balcom had her second double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Rheanna Egli had 13 points and Jocelyn Cummings added 12 points.
The Lady Hornets will play their final road game of the season on Wednesday when they travel to #16 Washburn. Tip-off for the Turnpike Tussle is set for 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Emporia State . . .
January 15, 2011 - EMPORIA, Kan. -- The seventh-ranked Lady Blues came out on top of 10th-ranked Emporia State 66-60 on Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium in a game that certainly lived up to the top-10 billing. There were seven ties and eight lead changes in the game.
The Lady Blues (13-1, 9-1 MIAA) took an early lead on a bucket from Laura Kinderknecht, but six quick points by the Lady Hornets (11-3, 8-2 MIAA) gave ESU a 6-2 lead. The game was tied at 6-6 when Emporia State went on a 6-0 run during which, Cassie Lombardino picked up her second foul of the game and went to the bench for the remainder of the half.
Washburn used a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 19-16 with 8:52 to play in the half, but ESU used a 7-0 run of its own and grabbed the lead right back. The game went back-and-forth the remaining of the half with both teams holding slim leads. The Blues trimmed ESU's four-point lead to one right before the break, but a half-court shot by Haley Parker banked in at the buzzer to give the Lady Hornets a 36-32 lead at halftime.
A quick bucket out of the break pushed the Emporia State lead to six, but Washburn went on a 17-2 to grab a 49-40 lead with 11:28 to play in the game. The Lady Hornets responded with a 14-2 run of their own to regain the lead at 54-51 with 6:08 to play.
The game was tied three more times over the next 2:24, but Stevi Schultz scored four straight points to put the Lady Blues in front for good at 62-58. An ESU bucket with 36 seconds remaining cut the lead to two, but a Lombardino layup off a feed from Alyssa Mullen put WU in front by four with 10 seconds left. Megan Lassley hit two free throws with :06 remaining to put the game on ice.
Lombardino scored a game-high 20 points, 18 in the second half, to lead Washburn. Kinderknecht had 14 points and tied her career-high with six assists. Schultz had 12 after playing just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and Lassley had 10.
The Lady Blues shot 39 percent (24-of-62) from the floor and 46 percent (5-of-11) from beyond the arc. WU was 13-of-20 from the charity strip for 65 percent and turned the ball over just nine times, while forcing 16 turnovers by ESU.
Alli Volkens led the Lady Hornets with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Kelsey Balcom had 13 points and Jocelyn Cummings chipped in 11. ESU shot 35 percent (20-of-57) from the field and 30 percent (6-of-20) from three-point range. The Lady Hornets were 14-of-16 from the foul line and out-rebounded Washburn 41-38.
The Lady Blues are back in action next Wednesday when they host Lincoln at 5:30 p.m. to close out the first half of the MIAA schedule.

A Win Would . . .
A win would give the Lady Blues a 21-4 record ... give Washburn a sweep in the season series with Emporia State for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give WU three straight wins over the Lady Hornets and victories in 10 of the last 13 meetings ... tie the all-time series with ESU at 41-41 ... give the Lady Blues a 17-4 MIAA record and keep them no worse than one game behind NWMSU for first place ... give Washburn a 770-340 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 20-5 record for the first time since the 2001-02 season ... drop the Lady Blues to 16-5 in the MIAA ... snap Washburn's two-game winning streak against Emporia State and give WU three straight season splits with the Lady Hornets ... give Washburn five regular season losses for the first time since the 2007-08 season ... give Washburn a 769-341 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 161-41 (.797) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 285-94 (.752) 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 83-34 (.709) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 6-4 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 769-340 (.693 in 1,109 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 moved up one spot to No. 15 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 149 consecutive polls and has been ranked in the top 25 in 133 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-43 from three-point range over her last seven 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 scored in double figures in 20 of 24 games this season
#22 • Megan Lassley • G • 5-4 • Jr. • Had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists in her first game against Emporia State
#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 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over her last four 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. • Had career-highs of eight points and 11 rebounds in the win at Pittsburg State

Tip-Ins . . .
• The Lady Blues are 6-5 all-time on February 23 and 3-0 on this date under Ron McHenry. Washburn is 2-0 against Emporia State on this date with both wins coming during the McHenry era.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Lincoln at 1:30 p.m. The MIAA postseason tournament tips-off on Friday, March 4. Washburn will play at either 12 p.m as the No. 1 seed or 6 p.m. as the No. 2 seed.