Game 16 Lady Blues vs Missouri Southern
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No. 20 Washburn Lady Blues (12-3, 5-1 MIAA)
vs Missouri Southern Lions (5-8, 1-6 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, January 7, 2012
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Topeka, Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena (3,904)
Radio: 106.9 KTPK FM with Mark Elliott (play-by-play) & Jake Lebahn (color)
Video: America One (fee)
Series Record: WU leads 42-26
Last Meeting: WU 70-56 on 02/17/11 (H)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 302-63 (.827) in 12th year at WU and overall
MSSU Coach Maryann Mitts: 172-122 (.585) in 11th year at MSSU and 255-178 (.589) in 15th year overall
Micro-Blogging the Blues
(Around) 140-character or less tweets highlighting the season
Ebonie Williams had a team season-high 23 points Saturday at SBU and leads the Lady Blues with 12.9 points a game #HighScoring
The Lady Blues have topped 50% in each of the last 4 games and are shooting .562 during that stretch #BetterThanHalf
Washburn is 5th in the nation in FG% (.477), 14th in FG% Defense (.332), 7th in scoring margin (+22.7) and 3rd in rebound margin (+14.8) #Top10InNation
Tiara George is 14 for16 from the field (.875) in her 3 games and averaging 10.3 ppg #RoyalDebut
Washburn has out-rebounded its opponents in every game this year but one, the loss at Drury #HotOffTheIron
McHenry became the 37th active coach to get to 300 wins on Dec. 17 and among those coaches, he leads them all with an .827 winning pct. #300wins
The Lady Blues are averaging 22.3 turnovers a game in their three losses and just 15.0 a game in their 11 wins #KeepTheBall!
Washburn is shooting 48% overall, 56% in home games and 52% in MIAA games #SolidFromTheFloor
Washburn has scored first every game but two and led at halftime in all but three games this year #QuickStart
Stevi Schultz has moved into 2nd in career 3s at WU, now with 177 #WayDownTown
Lady Blues return to Lee Arena to host Missouri Southern Saturday
The Lady Blues will return to Lee Arena to host Missouri Southern Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in an MIAA contest. The game will be carried live on 106.9 KTPK FM and links to live video, audio and stats are available at wusports.com.
No. 20 Washburn won 82-45 Tuesday at Southwest Baptist and is now 12-3 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA. The Lady Blues haven't played at home since December 17 when head coach
Ron McHenry earned his 300th career win and he will be honored prior to this Saturday's game for that milestone. The Lions enter the game 5-8 and 1-6 in the MIAA after a 74-55 loss Wednesday to Emporia State.
The Lady Blues enter the game with the fifth best field goal percentage in the nation and they have topped 50 percent in each of the last four games. Their 58 percent effort Tuesday pushed their season average to 48 percent and they're shooting 52 percent in MIAA games.
Ebonie Williams, 10th in the nation shooting 59 percent when the week began, leads the Lady Blues with 12.9 points a game.
Missouri Southern is led by Erin Rice with 14.6 points a game. She entered the week sixth in the MIAA in scoring and eighth with a .451 field goal percentage.
The Lady Blues lead the all-time series against Missouri Southern 42-26. Washburn swept the Lions last year and has won four of the last five in the series.
Last Time Out: Washburn 82, Southwest Baptist 45
BOLIVAR, Mo. -
Ebonie Williams set a team season-high in scoring and Washburn shot 77 percent in the second half in an 82-45 win Tuesday night at Southwest Baptist.
The Lady Blues, now ranked 20th in this week's USA Today ESPN Coaches' Poll, won their fourth straight road game and improved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA. They'll return home Saturday to host Missouri Western at 1:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.
Williams went 7 of 13 from the field for 23 points, the highest point total this year for a Lady Blue. She hit 5 of 5 free throws and 4 of 7 3-point attempts.
Stevi Schultz went 4 of 7 from the field with three 3-pointers for 13 points.
Washburn shot poorly in the first half but led all but once throughout the game. The Lady Blues made 13 of their first 14 shots in the second half and finished the half shooting 77 percent (20 of 26). They shot 57 percent in the game to shoot better than 50 percent for the fourth straight game.
Washburn led the rebound battle 35-25 and had 14 turnovers to Southwest Baptist's 17.
Cassie Lombardino led Washburn with seven rebounds and
Sierra Moeller had five boards with eight points.
Southwest Baptist led for the only time, 11-10, after a 3-pointer from Samara Gallaher at the 12:41 mark. The Lady Blues answered with a 14-0 run to build a 24-11 lead at the 7:25 mark. Williams scored 11 of those points. She started the run with two straight 3s and then after a trey from Schultz, Williams' jumper and 3-pointer finished the run.
Williams and Schultz scored 22 of Washburn's first 24 points and the two were 6 of 9 from the field after the 14-0 run that gave Washburn a 13-point lead. The rest of the team was 1 of 9.
Washburn pushed its lead to 18 with 4:04 to go in the half but the Bearcats ended the half on a 9-2 run to make it 34-23, Washburn at halftime.
The Lady Blues finished the half shooting 38 percent (10 of 26) and the Bearcats were 7 of 24 for a 29 percent effort. Williams tied her season high with 16 points in the first half. She was 4 of 8 from the field with three 3-pointers and she went 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
Washburn's 13 of 14 run to start the second half made the score 62-32 with 11:13 remaining. A 9-0 run later gave the Lady Blues their biggest lead, 37 points at 71-34 with just under five minutes remaining.
The Lady Blues went 10 of 20 from 3-point range during the game and 12 of 13 from the free throw line for a 92 percent effort. The Bearcats shot 31 percent from the field and 22 percent from long range. They were 9 of 12 (75%) from the free throw line.
Brittney Dukes shot 5 of 11 and led SBU with 11 points. LaKendra Smith added 10. The Bearcats fell to 5-7 and 1-6 in the MIAA.
Final notes on the UCM game
The Lady Blues improved to 33-11 all time against Southwest Baptist and they've won nine straight in the series...the 45 points scored by SBU was the lowest in the series since the Bearcats scored just 41 in 2003-04...
Ebonie Williams' 23 points was the most by a Lady Blue since
Stevi Schultz scored 25 on February 19 last year at Pittsburg State.
McHenry reaches milestone 300th win
Ron McHenry began his 12th season with the Lady Blues in 2011-12 and his 87-63 win on December 17 against Missouri Western game him the 300th win in his career, all at WU. McHenry has a 302-63 (.827) record.
McHenry entered the season second in NCAA Division II history with an .829 winning percentage (among coaches with at least 10 years) and second among active coaches in winning percentage (among coaches with at least five years). Thirty-six active DII coaches have reached the 300-win level and McHenry is looking to become the 37th. Among coaches who have at least 300 wins, only Lloyd Clark (Delta State 1984-2002) has a betting winning percentage (.834).
McHenry has had at least 23 wins in every year but his first. He's reached the 30-win mark three times. After a 13-14 record in his first season, 2000-01, McHenry has brought the Lady Blues to the NCAA tournament 10 straight times.
McHenry, a national champion in 2004-05, is the Washburn career leader in winning percentage among the five coaches since the program started in 1969-70. He is second in career wins at WU behind Patty Dick with 431 from 1977-00.
Lady Blues 20th in USA Today ESPN national poll
The Lady Blues jumped up one spot to 20th in the latest USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released Tuesday.
Washburn is one of three ranked MIAA teams. Pittsburg State moved from 18th to 13th and Emporia State moved from 23rd to 19th. Fort Hays State, Central Missouri and Truman are getting votes but no ranking.
The Lady Blues were 21st in the previous poll and they have been ranked in all six polls this year. They were left out of the final poll last year but have been ranked in 146 of the last 147 polls, dating back to week three of the 2002-03 season.
MIAA coaches and media pick Lady Blues first
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Lady Blues were picked as the team to beat in the MIAA's coaches and media preseason polls released during the MIAA Virtual Media Day. Washburn was a unanimous pick in the coaches poll and earned 12 of 16 first place votes in the media poll.
The Lady Blues, second-place finishers last year with a 22-7 overall record and a 17-5 MIAA mark, were picked in front of Emporia State in both polls. Defending regular season and tournament champion Northwest Missouri was picked third in the media poll and tied for fifth in the coaches poll.
Lady Blues remain near top of several NCAA statistical categories
The Lady Blues are in the top 10 of three different statistical categories in the January 1 NCAA report and they rank highly in several other categories. Washburn is fifth with with a .477 field goal percentage an 14th with a .332 field goal percentage defense. The Lady Blues are seventh with a +22.7 scoring margin and third with a +14.8 rebounding margin.
Washburn has shot better than 50 percent in four straight games and actually raised its shooting percentage to .483 since the report was released. The Lady Blues lead the MIAA in shooting, shooting defense and rebound margin.
Washburn's scoring offense of 75.9 points a game is the 24th highest and the 53.2 points allowed per game is 14th lowest in the nation.
The Lady Blues have out-rebounded their opponents in every game but one (at Drury on November 22).
Ebonie Williams ranks 10th in the nation with a .592 field goal percentage.
Stevi Schultz is 26th in the nation making 2.7 3-pointers a game.
Schultz takes over 2nd in career 3-pointers at Washburn
Senior guard
Stevi Schultz moved into second in school history, now with 177 3-pointers in her career. She recently passed Lora Westling, who had 144 from 2001-05. Brooke Ubelaker (2003-07) is the career leader with 236 at WU.
This year she's shooting a career-high 41 percent from 3-point range. Schultz' 82 3-pointers last year was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
December 7 at FHSU she went without a 3-pointer for the first time since the end of the 2009-10 season. She made one in all 29 games last year and the first 10 this year.
Schultz nears 1,000 points
Stevi Schultz has 868 career points in her four years at Washburn and her 11.6 points a game this year has her on average to pass 1,000 points before the regular season ends. She would become the 21st Lady Blue to reach 1,000 career points. Corkey Stiger was the last to reach that milestone, scoring 1,047 in two seasons from 2006-08.
After sitting at least a year, pair of DI transfers going strong for Lady Blues
Senior guard
Ebonie Williams was named the Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic MVP as she made her Washburn debut after sitting out a year. The Seton Hall transfer leads Washburn with 12.9 points a game hitting double digits in 11 of the 15 games this year. She had a Washburn season-high 23 points January 3 at Southwest Baptist. She's 10th in the nation shooting 59 percent from the field and she's 52 percent from 3-point range. Williams scored 1,123 for the Division I Pirates and was an all-Big East second team pick in 2008-09, her sophomore year. She transferred to WU after her junior year and sat out last year.
Junior forward
Sierra Moeller played in her first regular season games since 2008-09 and leads the team with 8.1 rebounds a game, getting to double figures seven times. She's scored in double figures four times and averages 7.3 points a game. She played her freshman year in 2008-09 at Boise State, scoring 3.8 points with 3.7 rebounds and then sat out at Washburn in 2009-10 after transferring. Last year she played in two exhibitions before a knee injury kept her out of the regular season.
Season Flash Backs: Don't Forget...
Keeping 'em under 40: The Lady Blues kept their first 13 opponents to under 40 percent shooting. Central Missouri's .469 effort on December 31 was the first to top 40 percent. Prior to that game, teams were shooting just 32 percent against Washburn.
300th win for McHenry: Lady Blues coach
Ron McHenry got his 300th career win, all at Washburn, on December 17 against Missouri Western.
400 straight under 100: The Lady Blues 67-60 win at Fort Hays State on December 7 marked the 400th straight game Washburn has kept opponents under 100 points. The last time was on January 27, 1999, at Emporia State.
School-record margin of victory: Washburn's 92-point win over Tabor on November 14 is the highest in school history. The previous largest was by 87 on November 25, 1983 to St. John's (Kan.), 113-26. This was Washburn's 11th 100-point game in school history and first since winning 102-43 to Southwestern on November 23, 2009.
Another 100-point game!: Washburn made it back-to-back 100-point games for the first time in school history with a 108-60 win over Southwestern on November 16. The Lady Blues had record triple-digit games twice in the same season in 2005-06 and 1983-84 but never in consecutive games.
Happiest Place on Earth: The Lady Blues went 3-0 in the season-opening Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic to claim the trophy.
Ebonie Williams earned MVP honor.
Near DI Upset: A last-second lay-up spoiled Washburn's exhibition upset bid, 52-50, at Kansas State on November 8.
Ebonie Williams led WU with 15 points.
Last time out against Southwest Baptist
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 16th-ranked Lady Blues pulled away in the second half and beat Missouri Southern 70-56 on February 17 at Lee Arena.
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. 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 from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range. The Blues were 14 of 19 from the charity stripe.
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.
Up next for the Lady Blues
The Lady Blues will return to the road on Wednesday, January 11, at Pittsburg State for a 5:30 p.m. game. The 13th-ranked Gorillas enter the week undefeated at 12-0 and 6-0 in the MIAA. Washburn will then return to Lee Arena to host Emporia State, Saturday, January 14, at 1:30 p.m.
Blue Notes: Player-By-Player Tip-Ins
#1 Katie Moyer • 5-5 Jr. G • Olpe, Kan. • Independence CC
Had first WU career points with 6 against Tabor...played in first six games this year and seven total..averaged 7.3 points as a sophomore at Independence CC last year.
#3 Casyn Buchman • 5-9 Fr. G • McPherson, Kan. • McPherson HS
Has played in all 15 games...averaging 1.5 assists a game with at least one every game but two...had career-high four November 28 against Evangel...scored career-high eight points twice, first against Southwestern November 16 and second on November 28 against Evangel...scored five straight for Washburn during second-half 8-0 run in win over St. Martin's at Disney...scored 14.0 points a game her senior year at McPherson High School.
#4 Lindy Arndt • 5-11 So. G • Emporia, Kan. • Emporia HS
Has played in 10 games this year...had her first points of year with season-high four November 14 against Tabor...scored 21 points in 11 games last year.
#5 Laura Kinderknecht • 5-7 Jr. G • St. Mary's, Kan. • St. Mary's HS
Has played in all 15 games this year...averaging 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds a game off the bench...averaging 1.7 assists a game...had season-high 11 points December 31 at Central Missouri with five points in the final two minutes to help to an eight-point win...also matched 11 points December 7 at FHSU while going 4 of 6 from the field with two 3-pointers...averaged 10.7 points a game last year, starting all 29.
#10 Dana Channel • 5-10 So. G • Rossville, Kan. • Rossville HS
Had five points twice this year (Tabor and East Central) to tie career high...set a career high November 28 against Evangel with five rebounds...has played in 10 games with 13 points and 12 rebounds...played in 23 games last year scoring 33 points.
#11 Alyssa Nikkel • 5-8 Fr. G • Goddard, Kan. • Cheney HS
Has played in 10 games this year with nine points and three assists...scored five points against CSUDH with a 3-pointer...had her first points in MIAA action with a 3-pointer January 3 at Southwest Baptist...led Cheney High School in scoring, assists and steals as Cardinals went undefeated with a state title her senior year in 2010-11.
#15 Sami McHenry • 5-8 So. G • Topeka, Kan. • Shawnee Heights HS
Has played in three games this year with three rebounds in eight minutes...played as a libero/defensive specialist on the No. 5-ranked Washburn volleyball team that ended its season in the NCAA South Central Region final last weekend...scored two points in eight games last year...father is head coach
Ron McHenry.
#20 Dana Elliott • 5-11 Jr. F • Wamego, Kan. • Rock Creek HS
Started the first eight games this year and has played in all 15...averaging 4.5 points, 1.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds...had a career-high 11 points and seven rebounds December 7 at Fort Hays State...had a career-high six assists November 14 against Tabor and matched that December 17 against MWSU...played 28 games off the bench last year and averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.
#21 Cassie Lombardino • 6-3 Sr. C • Bonner Springs, Kan. • Basehor-Linwood HS
Has started every game this year...has reached double figures in nine games this year and three of the last four...third on the team averaging 10.3 points a game...second on team averaging 5.3 rebounds and leads team with 1.5 blocks a game...had season-high 18 points December 3 at NWMSU off 8 of 11 shooting...had career-high six blocks November 19 at Midwestern State...just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds November 6 against Hawaii Pacific...started every game last year and tied for team lead with 15.0 points a game...earned second team all-MIAA.
#22 Megan Lassley • 5-4 Sr. G • Wichita, Kan. • Seward County CC
Made her first start of season November 28 against Evangel and has started seven straight...shot 5 of 6 November 14 against Tabor for 14 points, one off her career high...scoring 4.3 points with 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists this year...hit three 3-pointers against Hawaii Pacific for nine points...had three steals against St. Martin's to tie a career high...was an every-game starter last year, averaging 7.1 points and a team-high 3.5 assists a game.
#23 Stormye Everett • 5-9 Jr. G • Aurora, Colo. • Western Neb. CC
Has played in 10 games...averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11 games this year...had 11 points at Disney against Hawaii Pacific in just nine minutes...hit 5 of 7 shots in that game...averaged 13.7 points a game in 2009-10 as a sophomore at Western Nebraska CC.
#24 Ebonie Williams • 5-8 Sr. G • Hagerstown, Md. • Seton Hall
Has started all 15 games...shooting 59 percent this year, which was third best in the MIAA and 10th in the nation in most recent reports, and 52 percent from 3-point range...has scored in double figures in 11 of her 15 games this year...leads Washburn with 12.9 points a game...set a team season-high with 23 points January 3 at Southwest Baptist...had 15 points against Hawaii Pacific off 6 of 7 shooting...went 3 for 3 from 3-point range that game...named Disney Classic tournament MVP...a DI transfer from Seton Hall where she scored over 1,000 points in her three years there, leading her team every year.
#25 Stevi Schultz • 5-9 Sr. G • Neodesha, Kan. • Neodesha HS
Second in career 3-pointers at Washburn with 177...had first double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds at FHSU on December 7...has reached double figures in 11 of 15 games...second on team with 11.6 points a game while averaging 3.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds...tied a career high with six assists against Hawaii Pacific and then set a career high with seven November 19 at Midwestern State...scored 15 points in exhibition at Kansas State...tied for team lead in scoring last year with 15.0 points a game and earned first team all-MIAA and second team all-region.
#30 Brittney Lynch • 6-1 Fr. F • Omaha, Neb. • Elkhorn HS
Reached double figures for second time this year on December 17 against Missouri Western with 11 points...went 4 of 5 from the field that game...had breakout game with team-high 16 points and nine rebounds November 14 against Tabor...shot 6 of 10 from the field that game...has played off the bench in every game and is averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds...shooting 55 percent from the field...in high school she averaged 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds her senior year.
#32 Sierra Moeller • 6-1 Jr. F • Pierre, S.D. • Boise State
Has started all 15 games in her Washburn debut after sitting out two straight years...leading the team with 8.1 rebounds a game getting double figures seven times...scored season-high 16 points November 28 against Evangel while going 5 of 8 from the field and 6 of 9 from free throw line...second on the team with 17 blocks...missed last year after a knee injury in an exhibition game and missed 2009-10 after transferring from Boise State the year before...scored in double figures for first time with 11 points November 14 against Tabor and then added 15 against Southwestern the next time...averaging 7.4 points a game this year...as a freshman at Boise State in 2008-09 she averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.
#33 Tiara George • 6-1 Jr. F • Baton Rouge, La. • Angelina CC
Played her first game in over a year on December 17 against Missouri Western...went 8 of 9 from the field for game-high 17 points...her second game, Saturday a UCM, she went 5 for 5 for 10 points...is 14 of 16 (.875) in her first three games...transferred to Washburn midway though last year after playing junior college from 2008-09 to 2009-10...averaged 10.1 points and 8.7 rebounds a game and shot 56 percent in 2009-10 at Angelina CC (Texas).
#42 Ashley Timm • 5-10 Fr. G • Pratt, Kan. • Skyline Hs
Had her first collegiate action November 14 against Tabor, playing four minutes without a point...has played in three games for eight total minutes with a rebound...she helped Skyline High School to a sub-state runner-up finish three straight years.
#44 Laura McMullin • 6-1 Jr. F • Sedalia, Mo. • Sacred Heart HS
Has played in 13 games and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds...had a double-double November 18 against East Central with 10 points and 11 rebounds, the first double-double of the year for Washburn and second of her career...scored 11 points in opener against CSUDH off 5 of 7 shooting...also had six rebounds that game...shooting 49 percent from the field this year...averaged 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds last year off the bench.
