Media Information
Date: Friday, March 4, 2011
Time: 6 p.m.
Rankings: No. 2 Washburn (20th, WBCA; 4th, South Central); No. 7 Missouri Western (unranked)
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Arena: Municipal Auditorium (8,500)
Television: None
Radio: AM 580 WIBW with Mark Elliott (pxp) and Bruce Steinbrock (color)
Live Stats: www.themiaa.com
Audio Web Stream: Through wusports.com

Complete Game Notes

Lady Blues open MIAA Tournament against Griffons
The 20th-ranked Lady Blues open MIAA Tournament play as the No. 2 seed on Friday at 6 p.m. against seventh-seeded Missouri Western.
Washburn finished off the regular season with a 71-51 win at Lincoln on Saturday afternoon. Four players finished in double figures for the Lady Blues, led by Alyssa Mullen's 15 points.
The Lady Blues are led by three players averaging in double figures. Cassie Lombardino leads the team at 15.9 points per game. Stevi Schultz is averaging 15.4 points per outing while Laura Kinderknecht chips in 10.7 points per contest.
Washburn will play a Missouri Western squad that dropped its final two games of the season, including a 70-62 loss at Southwest Baptist in the season finale on Saturday afternoon.

Lady Blues on the air . . .
The Lady Blues game on Friday 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.
If the Lady Blues advance to Saturday's semifinals, that game will be broadcast on Country Legends 106.9 KTPK Topeka and a possible championship game would be broadcast on AM 580 WIBW.

The Coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 289-58 (.833) overall record and a 162-42 (.794) 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 (.833) 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 Western head coach Lynn Plett, is in his fourth season leading the Griffons. His record at Missouri Western stands at 39-68, while his career record in his 17th season as a head coach stands at 315-302. Last season, the 1975 Tabor graduate led the Griffons to a 7-20 overall record and an 11th place finish in the MIAA at 5-15.

Last time out for the Lady Blues . . .
February 26, 2011 - JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The 15th-ranked Lady Blues closed out the regular season portion of their schedule by drubbing Lincoln 71-51 on Saturday afternoon at Jason Gym. Washburn, the No. 2 seed, will open the MIAA tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. against seventh-seeded Missouri Western.
The game was tied in the early going when Stevi Schultz drained a three and Alyssa Mullen scored a bucket to put Washburn (21-5, 17-5 MIAA) in front for good at 12-7. The Blue Tigers (2-24, 1-21 MIAA) pulled to within a pair at 14-12 with 11:36 to play in the half, but a quick 7-0 run put the Lady Blues in front 21-12 with just over seven minutes left in the period.
Washburn extended the lead to 12 on a Schultz three with 4:14 remaining in the opening stanza, but Lincoln scored six of the final eight points of the half to pull within single digits, 30-22, at the break.
The lead was nine with just over 18 minutes to play in the game when the Lady Blues went on a 13-2 run to open a 20-point lead with 12:46 to play in the game. The Blue Tigers got back to within 13 at 59-46 with just under six minutes to play, but back-to-back treys from Laura Kinderknecht and Schultz pushed the lead back to 19 with 4:48 to play. The Blues pushed the lead to as many as 23 in the late stages of the game.
Mullen led four Lady Blues in double figures with 15 points, she also had six rebounds. Kinderknecht had 14 points, while Schultz and Cassie Lombardino had 13 points each. Lombardino had a team-high seven boards, while Megan Lassley tied her career-high with eight assists.
Washburn shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the floor and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three point range. The Lady Blues were 11-of-13 from the foul line and had 17 assists compared to a season-low four turnovers.
Vivian Essuon led the Blue Tigers with 20 points, while Jackeya Mitchell had 14. Lincoln shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from beyond the arc. LU was 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Notes from the win at Lincoln . . .
• Improved the Lady Blues to 17-5 in MIAA play, tying the school record for conference wins in a season
• Improved the Lady Blues to 177-7 under Ron McHenry when scoring 71 points or more
• Lady Blues ran their streak of consecutive games with at least one 3FG to 228 straight games

Washburn/Missouri Western series notes . . .
Washburn leads the series with Missouri Western 43-38 and the Lady Blues are 19-10 against the Griffons under Ron McHenry. The teams split the regular season series with each winning on their home floor. Washburn is 8-1 against MWSU since Lynn Plett took over. The Lady Blues are 5-5 against the Griffons in the MIAA tournament winning the last five, all in Kansas City.

About Missouri Western . . .
The Griffons enter the MIAA tournament at 14-12 overall and 11-11 in conference play. MWSU has lost two straight after winning three in-a-row. Second team all-MIAA selection Jessica Koch leads the team at 16.5 points per game and also pulls down 5.9 rebounds per contest. Rachel Luteyn averages 12.3 points per outing and Lauren Nolke chips in 11.3 per game. The Griffons average 67.4 as a team and give up 63.7 to opponents.  Missouri Western averaged 67.0 points per game in the two meetings with WU this season.
MWSU shoots 41.9 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three point range, while opponents shoot 36.4 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The Griffons are led in rebounding by Alicia Bell at 7.2 per game, but they get out-rebounded by their opponents, 41.2-37.8.

Last Time out for Missouri Western . . .
MWSU Sports Info. - February 26, 2011 - BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women wrapped up the 2010-2011 regular season with a 70-62 loss at Southwest Baptist. The loss dropped the Griffons to 14-12 overall with an 11-11 mark in MIAA play.
Missed opportunities down the stretch ended a comeback attempt by the Griffons. After two Alicia Bell free throws brought the Griffons within one at 60-59, the Bearcats went on a 12-2 run to finish out the game.
The Griffons maintained a lead through the majority of the first half, never leading by more than five. SBU briefly grabbed a two point lead, but Jessica Koch's 12 first half points left Western with a 29-26 halftime lead.
The Bearcats quickly tied the score at 29 with a three to open the second half. Western would again jump ahead, as both teams traded baskets early in the second half. After SBU pulled ahead 52-47, the Griffons came back and regained the lead, 54-52 on a jumper from Koch.
Koch led all scorers with 27. Rachel Luteyn and Lauren Nolke each chipped in 10 for the Griffons. Luteyn also added 3 blocks. Bell led Western with 13 rebounds. The Griffons shot 41 percent from the field and just 22 percent from behind the arc.
Ashleigh Gallio paced the Bearcats with 21. SBU shot 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. SBU finished the season with a 9-17 overall record, 6-16 in the MIAA.
Western will be the #7 seed in the MIAA Tournament next week in Kansas City, Mo. The Griffons will take on the #2 seed Washburn Lady Blues on Friday, March 4 in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Game time is set for 6:00 pm.

Last Meeting Between Washburn and MWSU . . .
January 29, 2011 - TOPEKA, Kan. -- The ninth-ranked Lady Blues buried a school-record 17 three-pointers, including eight from Stevi Schultz and rolled to a 95-74 win over Missouri Western on Saturday night at Lee Arena. Washburn avenged its first loss of the season against the Griffons and now find themselves in a tie for first place in the MIAA.
The Lady Blues (15-3, 11-3 MIAA) opened the game on a 21-4 run and never looked back. The game was tied early at 2-2 and Washburn never trailed in the game. Schultz buried her first trey at the 14:57 mark to give Washburn a 5-2 lead. A three by Megan Lassley pushed the lead to 17 and a layup from Laura McMullin gave the Lady Blues their biggest lead of the half at 25-6 with 10:01 to play in the half. The Griffons (10-7, 7-6 MIAA) used a quick 7-0 run to get back to within 12, but a layup from Naudia Campbell and another Schultz trey put Washburn back up 17 and the Lady Blues went into the intermission leading 46-30.
A 17-5 run out of halftime put Washburn up 28 and the rout was on. Washburn used a 7-0 run to gain its largest advantage of the night at 82-50 with 7:14 to play. A 20-6 run late in the game got Missouri Western to within 18, but the game was never in doubt as the Lady Blues cruised to the 21-point win.
Schultz led Washburn with her second consecutive double-double and fifth of the season. She tied a career-high with 26 points and set a new career-high with 14 rebounds. Her eight treys were also a career-high.
Campbell scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and Megan Lassley chipped in 11 with a career-high eight assists and only one turnover. Washburn dished out 24 assists on the night compared to just 11 for MWSU. 12 of the 13 players who saw time for the Lady Blues scored.
Washburn shot 48 percent (36-of-75) from the field and 42.5 percent (17-of-40) from beyond the arc. The 40 attempts tied a school record. WU was 6-of-7 from the foul line. The Lady Blues out-rebounded the Griffons 43-31.
Rachel Luteyn led Missouri Western with 24 points, while Alicia Bell and Brittany Casady chipped in 16 and 11 points, respectively.
The Griffons shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor and were 6-of-17 from behind the three point line for 35.3 percent. MWSU was 26-of-30 from the charity stripe as Washburn was whistled for 20 fouls compared to just 12 for the Griffons.
Washburn is back in action next Wednesday night as they host Truman State at 5:30 p.m. inside Lee Arena.

A Win Would . . .
A win would give the Lady Blues a 22-5 record ... improve the Lady Blues to 33-12 all-time in the MIAA tournament ... advance Washburn to the tournament semifinals for the 10th straight year ... be Washburn's seventh straight in the MIAA tournament ... give Ron McHenry 290 wins in his 11th season as head coach ... give Washburn a 771-341 record in 42 years of basketball.

A Loss Would . . .
A loss would give the Lady Blues an 21-6 record overall record ... eliminate WU in the first round of the MIAA tournament for the first time since 2001, also a loss to Missouri Western ... be Washburn's first in Kansas City to a school other than NWMSU ... give Washburn a 770-342 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 162-42 (.794) under head coach Ron McHenry in MIAA games and 286-95 (.751) 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 84-34 (.712) on the road under Ron McHenry, including 7-4 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 770-341 (.693 in 1,111 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 top eight teams in this Sunday's final rankings will qualify for the NCAA-II South Central Regional at a campus site to be determined. Washburn has qualified for nine straight NCAA Tournaments under head coach Ron McHenry.

Lady Blues in the MIAA Postseason Tournament . . .
• Ron McHenry has won more MIAA Tournament Titles (6) than any other coach in MIAA history.
• Washburn has lost only two games - both to Northwest Missouri - when the MIAA Tournament is played in Kansas City.
• The Lady Blues are looking to win their ninth MIAA Tournament Championship and their sixth in the last seven years. This season is the 21st trip to the tournament for the Lady Blues and they are 32-12 (.727) all-time.
• The Lady Blues have won the postseason tournament six of the eight seasons that it has been played in Kansas City (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010).
• The Lady Blues have two second place finishes in the postseason tournament.
• Washburn has won the most postseason championships with eight.
• In Kansas City, the Lady Blues are a combined 20-2 with the only losses coming to Northwest Missouri. They have five wins over Missouri Western; three wins over Emporia State and Southwest Baptist; two wins over Central Missouri, Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State and Truman and a single win over Fort Hays State.

2011 Washburn Postseason Honors . . .
Junior Stevi Schultz was named first team all-MIAA and classmate Cassie Lombardino was named second team all-conference as the MIAA postseason awards were announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Schultz was a first team selection after finishing second on the team and ninth in the MIAA in scoring at 15.4 points per game. She was also second on the team and sixth in the league in rebounding pulling down 7.6 boards per game. She led the league with 2.9 made three-pointers per game, was fourth in free throw percentage (82.1 percent) and fifth in three point field goal percentage (37.6 percent). Schultz finished with seven double-doubles and scored a career-high 26 points on three separate occasions. She was named MIAA Player of the Week one time.
Lombardino earned second-team all-MIAA after leading the Lady Blues and finishing seventh in the league in scoring at 15.9 points per game. She was third on the team and 13th in the league in rebounding at 6.0 boards per game. She finished fifth in the MIAA with 1.7 blocked shots per game and sixth in field goal percentage at 45.8 percent. She had one double-double this season and scored a career-high 35 points against Southwest Baptist, the fourth highest single-game total in school history. She was named MIAA Player of the Week one time.


Washburn in the National Poll . . .
Washburn dropped five spots to No. 20 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 150 consecutive polls and has been ranked in the top 25 in 134 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 22 of 26 games earning second team all-MIAA honors
#22 • Megan Lassley • G • 5-4 • Jr. • Had 11 points and eight assists in the last meeting with Missouri Western
#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 seven double-doubles during the season and was named first team all-MIAA
#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 22-4 in the MIAA tournament under Ron McHenry
• Washburn is 6-1 all-time on March 4, 4-0 under McHenry
• Washburn is 5-0 all-time on March 5, 2-0 under McHenry
• Washburn is 7-2 all-time on March 6, 5-1 under McHenry
• The Lady Blues are 2-0 on Friday's this season
• The Lady Blues are 9-2 in games played on Saturday this year
• Washburn is 0-1 in it's only Sunday game this season
• The Lady Blues shot 42.3 percent from the field in their 21 wins, while only shooting 36.5 percent from the floor in the five losses

Up Next . . .
If the Lady Blues win, they will play the winner of Emporia State and Central Missouri on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. in the second semifinal. A win there would put Washburn into the championship game at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. It would be Washburn's third straight MIAA tournament championship game appearance.
The NCAA-II South Central Regional begins on Friday, March 11 at a campus site yet to be determined.