Media Information
Date: Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Rankings: Washburn (15th, WBCA; 4th, South Central); Lincoln (unranked)
Location: Jefferson City, Mo.
Arena: Jason Gym (2,400)
Television: None
Radio: 106.9 KTPK Topeka with Mark Elliott (pxp) and Bruce Steinbrock (color)
Live Stats: www.lubluetigers.com
Audio Web Stream: Through wusports.com
Video Web Stream: Through wusports.com

Complete Game Notes

Lady Blues wrap up regular season at LIncoln
The 15th-ranked Lady Blues wrap up the regular season portion of their schedule at Lincoln on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
The last time out, Washburn rallied from a nine-point second half deficit, but eventually fell in overtime, 61-59 to Emporia State on Wednesday night in Lee Arena. Stevi Schultz and Alyssa Mullen led Washburn with 15 points each.
The Lady Blues are led by three players averaging in double figures. Cassie Lombardino leads the team at 16.0 points per game. Schultz is averaging 15.5, while Laura Kinderknecht chips in 10.5 points per outing.
Washburn will take on a Lincoln squad that is coming off a 68-44 loss to Truman on Wednesday night. The Blue Tigers have lost seven straight games and are 1-20 in MIAA play.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game at Lincoln 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 288-58 (.832) overall record and a 161-42 (.793) 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 (.832) 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.)

Lincoln head coach Katie Vaughn, is in her second season as the head coach of the Blue Tiger program. Her career record stands at 14-38. Vaughn is a 2002 graduate of Central Missouri.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
February 23, 2011 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 15th-ranked Lady Blues rallied from a nine point deficit in the second half, but fell in overtime 61-59 to Emporia State on Wednesday night at Lee Arena. Washburn closes out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln at 1:30 p.m.
Emporia State scored the first four points of the game and controlled the action early on. The Lady Blues (20-5, 16-5 MIAA) were able to close within a point at 8-7 with 14:18 in the half, but the Lady Hornets (17-8, 14-7 MIAA) responded with an 11-2 run and opened a 10-point cushion with 11:17 to play in the opening period.
Washburn responded with a 10-0 run of its own to tie the game at the 7:09 mark only to see ESU go on another 10-0 run to lead 29-19 with 4:09 remaining. A 7-2 run to close the half cut the lead to five and WU trailed 31-26 at the intermission.
The Lady Blues scored the first seven points of the second half to grab their first lead of the game at 33-31 with 15:39 left in the contest. The Lady Hornets responded yet again with an 11-0 run to regain a nine-point advantage.
The lead was still nine at the 12:22 mark when Washburn went on a 6-0 run to pull within three at 6:57. WU closed to within a pair on a jumper from Stevi Schultz, but ESU quickly pushed the lead back to five. The teams traded free throws the next four possessions and the lead was still five after a pair of freebies from Alli Volkens.
A lay-up from Laura Kinderknecht and three from the charity stripe by Schultz tied the game at 53-all with 2:04 left in regulation. Both teams made a pair of free throws on their next possessions and the game was still tied at 55-55 with 1:20 left. After a miss from each team, Emporia State turned the ball over giving the Blues the final shot of the game, but Schultz's shot at the buzzer was short and the game went to overtime.
Volkens gave ESU the lead early in overtime, but a bucket from Alyssa Mullen tied the game at 57. After another Lady Hornet bucket, Megan Lassley calmly hit two free throws to knot the score yet again at 59-59 with 2:59 to play. ESU would score on the next possession to grab the lead and neither team would score again. The Lady Blues had the ball in the closing seconds, but were unable to get a shot off.
Schultz and Mullen led Washburn with 15 points each, while Schultz added a team-high nine rebounds. Cassie Lombardino chipped in 14 points for WU.
Washburn shot 31.3 percent (15-of-48) for the game, but went a combined 6-of-24 in the second half and overtime. The Lady Blues were 6-of-20 for 30 percent from three-point range and 23-of-31 for 74.2 percent from the foul line.
Volkens led ESU with game-highs of 23 points and 15 boards. Kelsey Balcom had 14 points and Jocelyn Cummings chipped in 13.
Emporia State shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the field and 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from beyond the arc. ESU was 12-of-17 for 70.6 percent from the charity stripe.
The Lady Hornets out-rebounded Washburn 37-35 and committed 19 turnovers, while the Blues finished with 17 miscues.

Notes from the loss to Emporia State . . .
 • Dropped the Lady Blues to 16-5 in the MIAA assured them of second place in the league standings
• Washburn dropped to 8-48 under Ron McHenry when trailing with five minutes remaining in the game
• The Lady Blues dropped to 4-8 in overtime games under McHenry
• Gave Washburn five regular season losses for the first time since the 2007-08 season
• Lady Blues ran their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 227 straight games

Washburn/Lincoln series notes . . .
Washburn leads the all-time series 18-0 with the Blue Tigers after  a 52-42 win in Topeka back on January 19. The Lady Blues are 2-0 against Lincoln under Ron McHenry, the other win an 81-29 victory on December 16, 2006.

About Lincoln . . .
The Blue Tigers are 2-23 overall and 1-20 in their first season back in the MIAA. Lincoln is coming off a 68-44 loss to Truman on Wednesday night and the Blue Tigers have now lost seven straight games. LU is averaging 54.9 points per game as a team, while opponenets score 69.3 against the Blue Tigers.
Lincoln is led in scoring and rebounding by Vivian Essuon, who averages a double-double with 16.3 points and 10.4 boards per contest. Cherakie Barrett is second on the team at 9.6 points per outing, but she has not played since Feb. 16 against Missouri Western.
The Blue Tigers shoot 36.9 percent as a team, including 23 percent from three point range, while opponents shoot 42.5 percent from the floor and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc. LU has committed 108 more turnovers than opponents have and the Blue Tigers get out-rebounded by three rebounds per game, 38.7-35.6.

Last Time out for Lincoln . . .
Lincoln Sports Info. - February 23, 2011 - JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Lincoln University women's basketball team stayed with Truman throughout the first half, leaving the game tied at halftime. Truman though wore the Blue Tigers down in the second half to pull away for the 68-44 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) victory Wednesday night inside Jason Gym.
Lincoln (2-23, 1-20 MIAA) opened up a three-point lead at the 13:28 mark on a layup by junior center Vivian Essuon (Brampton, Ontario/Mineral Area College) for the 7-4 lead.
Truman (12-13, 10-11 MIAA) (TSU) opened up a nine-point lead, 21-12, at the 5:19 mark, before Lincoln fought back.
Junior guard Quenita Washington (Dallas, TX/Kimball HS) connected on a three-pointer to trim the lead to six, 21-15.
After the teams exchanged points, freshman forward Bria Dillard (Memphis, TN/White Station HS) nailed one from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to three, 23-20, at the 2:33 mark.
The Blue Tigers would hold a slight two-point lead on another layup from Essuon before Truman tallied a late jumper to send the game into halftime tied at 27.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with the first three points and never looked back, as they quickly pushed the lead to 10 a little over six minutes in, 41-31.
A layup by freshman guard Jackeya Mitchell (Memphis, TN/Overton HS) would trim the lead to eight, but that would be as close as Lincoln would get over the final 13 minutes.
Essuon recorded yet another double-double, her 12th of the season, going for a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, as she went 10-for-20 from the field. Washington was the next closest scorer to Essuon as she tallied eight points, including two three-pointers.
Truman shot over 50 percent from the field (50.9, 29-57), while Lincoln was held to just over 35 percent (35.4, 17-48). Truman made three more three-pointers (6-3) and turned the ball over nine less times (23-14).
Truman outscored Lincoln in the paint (38-26), points off turnovers (20-16), second-chance (15-12) and fastbreak points (12-2).
Lincoln will close the 2010-11 season this Saturday when they host Washburn with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m. inside Jason Gym.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and Lincoln . . .
January 19, 2011 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The sixth-ranked Lady Blues won for the sixth straight time and 18th straight over Lincoln as they were able to get past the Blue Tigers 52-42 on Wednesday night at Lee Arena. Washburn is back in action Saturday evening at Nebraska-Omaha at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Blues (14-1, 10-1 MIAA) raced out to an early 8-2 lead behind four points from Cassie Lombardino and Alyssa Mullen, but Lincoln (1-14, 0-11 MIAA) rallied with an 9-0 run of their own grab an 11-8 lead with 13:46 to play in the half. Washburn came right back to regain the lead with just over 11 minutes to play at 16-13. WU was able to push the lead to as much as eight in the first half, but went into the intermission leading 31-25 after a Lincoln bucket in the closing seconds.
Neither team scored in the first three plus minutes of the second half. A layup by Vivian Essuon cut the Washburn lead to four, but the Lady Blues responded with an 18-3 run over the next 11 minutes to go in front by 19 at 49-30. The Blue Tigers used a 10-1 run to get within 10, but it was too little too late and Washburn held on for win No. 14 on the season.
Lombardino led Washburn with 17 points, while Stevi Schultz recorded her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Mullen finished with four points, but added nine boards and three assists. Megan Lassley had eight points, six boards and four assists.
The Lady Blues shot 33 percent (19-of-58) form the field and were just 5-of-27 from behind the arc for 19 percent. WU was 9-of-13 from the foul line for 69 percent and out-rebounded Lincoln 41-33.
Essuon led all scorers with 18 points and added 12 rebounds. Quenita Washington added 12 points on three treys. The Blue Tigers shot 30 percent (15-of-50) from the floor and 24 percent (5-of-21) from three-point range. LU was 7-of-11 from the foul line for 64 percent.
Washburn had 14 assists to nine for Lincoln and the Lady Blues forced 14 Blue Tiger turnovers and committed 11 of their own.

A Win Would . . .
A win would give the Lady Blues a 21-5 record ... give Washburn a sweep in the season series with Lincoln... give WU 19 straight wins over the Blue Tigers ... give the Lady Blues a 17-5 MIAA record and tie the school record for MIAA wins in a season ... give Washburn a 770-341 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 20-6 record ... drop the Lady Blues to 16-6 in the MIAA ... snap Washburn's 18-game winning streak against Lincoln and give the Blue Tigers their first ever win against WU ... give Washburn six regular season losses for the first time since 2000-01, Ron McHenry's first year as head coach ... give Washburn a 769-342 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 161-42 (.793) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 285-95 (.750) all-time in conference play.  

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 27th season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 338-60 (.849) overall at home, including 12-1 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 147-15 (.907) 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 139-10 (.933).

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 769-341 (.693 in 1,110 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 released on Wednesday afternoon. 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 16-of-45 from three-point range over her last eight 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 21 of 25 games this season
#22 • Megan Lassley • G • 5-4 • Jr. • Had eight points, four rebounds and four 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. • Had 13 points and 11 boards in the first meeting against Lincoln
#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 5-2 all-time on February 26 and 2-0 on this date under Ron McHenry. Washburn is 1-0 against Lincoln on this date, a 76-42 win in Jefferson City on Feb. 26, 1992.

Up Next . . .
The Lady Blues tip-off the MIAA Postseason Tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Washburn will be the No. 2 seed and will play the No. 7 seed, which is still to be determined. If WU wins, the semifinal game against either the No. 3 seed or No. 6 seed will be on Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m. The tournament championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m.