Game 17 Lady Blues vs Missouri Southern
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No. 20 Washburn Lady Blues (13-3, 6-1 MIAA/t-2nd)
at No. 13 Pittsburg State (14-0, 8-0 MIAA/1st)
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Arena: John Lance Arena
Radio: 106.9 KTPK FM with Mark Elliott (play-by-play) & Jake Lebahn (color)
Video: America One (fee)
Series Record: WU leads 48-26
Last Meeting: WU 64-47 on 02/19/11 (A)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 303-63 (.828) in 12th year at WU and overall
PSU Coach Lane Lord: 74-52 (.587) in 5th year at PSU and overall
Micro-Blogging the Blues
(Around) 140-character or less tweets highlighting the season
The Lady Blues have topped 50% in 4 last 5 games and are shooting .542 during that stretch #BetterThanHalf
Washburn's in the top 10 in the nation in FG%, FG% Def., Scoring margin, RB margin, 3-pt FG% and assists/game #Top10InNation
Tiara George is 19 for 22 from the field (.864) in her four 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 .828 winning pct. #300wins
The Lady Blues are averaging 22.3 turnovers a game in their three losses and just 15.1 a game in their 13 wins #KeepTheBall!
Washburn is shooting 48% overall and 52% in MIAA games. They've topped 50% 7 times this year. #SolidFromTheFloor
Washburn has scored first every game but three 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 179 #WayDownTown
Undefeated Pittsburg State awaits Lady Blues Wednesday
The Lady Blues will hit the road to take on undefeated and 13th-ranked Pittsburg State Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in John Lance Arena. The game will be carried live on 106.9 FM KTPK and links to live video, audio and statistics can be found on www.wusports.com.
No. 20 Washburn defeated Missouri Southern 76-53 Saturday to improved to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA. The Lady Blues have won four straight games overall and all four of their MIAA road games. PIttsburg State is 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the MIAA after a 66-60 win Saturday at Emporia State. The win kept the Gorillas in first place and dropped the Lady Hornets into a tie for second with Washburn.
Ebonie Williams leads the Lady Blues with 12.9 points a game and she's one of four Lady Blues scoring in double figures. Williams was 11th in the nation shooting .586 from the field and Washburn is third as a team shooting .483 and fourth in scoring margin with a +23.7 advantage. Pittsburg State is eight in the nation scoring 79.4 points a game and sixth shooting .471 from the field.
Last Time Out: Washburn 76, Missouri Southern 53
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Lady Blues shot 52 percent in the second half to lead to a 76-53 win over Missouri Southern Saturday at Lee Arena.
No. 20 Washburn won its fourth straight game and improved to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA. The Lady Blues will resume action Wednesday at Pittsburg State in a 5:30 p.m. game. Missouri Southern fell to 5-9 and 1-7 in the league.
Cassie Lombardino went 6 of 10 from the field to lead Washburn with 14 points.
Ebonie Williams added 13 points and
Tiara George had her third double-figure game in her four appearances this year with 10 points.
George added a team-high eight rebounds and Washburn out-rebounded the Lions 50-26.
Laura Kinderknecht, starting her first game this year, also grabbed eight rebounds to give her a career high. Lombardino and
Sierra Moeller each had seven rebounds.
The score was tied 29-29 late in the first half but the Lady Blues went on an 11-2 run in the final 4:07 of the half.
Casyn Buchman started the run with a 3-pointer and a lay-up from Lombardino was joined by six made free throws for the Lady Blues to give them a 40-31 lead at halftime.
Washburn shot 43 percent in the first half while the Lions were 41 percent. The Lady Blues' second-half effort nearly pushed their shooting percentage above 50 percent for the fifth straight time but they ended just short at 48 percent.
Washburn scored first in the second half to push its lead to double figures and the Lions only got within nine points once more in the game. A 7-0 run gave the Lady Blues a 49-33 lead and a lay-up from
Stevi Schultz gave the Lady Blues a 19-point lead at the 8:09 mark.
George's lay-up at the 2:24 mark pushed it to 20 for the first time and
Sami McHenry's first field goal of the year was the final points of the day, giving the Lady Blues a game-high 23-point lead.
Kinderknecht made a pair of 3-pointers for eight points. Schultz also added eight and Moeller led the Lady Blues with four assists. George blocked two shots.
The Lady Blues ended the game 28 percent (5 of 18) from 3-point range while the Lions were 29 percent (9 of 31). Washburn shot 68 percent from the free throw line while MSSU made all four of its attempts.
Missouri Southern was led by Kelby Fritz with 13 points and Erin Rice with 11. The Lions shot 32 percent from the field and lost their fifth straight game.
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 gave him the 300th win in his career, all at WU. McHenry now has a 303-63 (.828) 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 had reached the 300-win level and McHenry became 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 last week. A new poll is scheduled to be 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 six different statistical categories in the January 5 NCAA report. Washburn is third with with a .483 field goal percentage and 10th with a .330 field goal percentage defense. The Lady Blues are fourth with a +23.7 scoring margin and third with a +14.5 rebounding margin.
The Lady Blues are second in the nation and in the MIAA behind Truman with a .407 3-point field goal percentage. The Bulldogs are shooting .414 in the latest report. The Lady Blues are ninth in the nation with 18.3 assists a game.
Ebonie Williams ranks 11th in the nation with a .586 field goal percentage.
Stevi Schultz is 24th 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 179 3-pointers in her career. Earlier this year she 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 876 career points in her four years at Washburn and her 11.4 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 12 of the 16 games this year. She had a Washburn season-high 23 points January 3 at Southwest Baptist. She's 11th in the nation shooting 59 percent from the field and she's 47 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 and is eighth in the MIAA with 8.1 rebounds a game, getting to double figures seven times. She's scored in double figures four times and averages 7.2 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...
Four in a row over 50: The Lady Blues topped the 50 percent mark in field goal shooting in four straight games, all MIAA contests, from December 10 to January 3. They averaged .562 field goal percentage during that stretch.
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 PIttsburg State
PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The 16th-ranked Lady Blues rolled past the Pittsburg State Gorillas 64-47 on February 19, 2011, 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 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.
Stevi 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.
Up next for the Lady Blues
The Lady Blues will return to Lee Arena to host Emporia State, Saturday, January 14, at 1:30 p.m. They will then travel to Lincoln on January 18 for a 5:30 p.m. game.
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 1.4 assists a game with at least one every game but three...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 11 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 16 games this year and made her first start January 7 against MSSU...averaging 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds a game...averaging 1.8 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...had a career-high eight rebounds January 7 against MSSU...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 11 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 four games this year with three rebounds and two points in 10 minutes...scored her first field goal of the year January 7 against MSSU...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 16...averaging 4.6 points, 1.9 assists and 3.2 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 10 games this year and four of the last five...third on the team averaging 10.5 points a game...second on team averaging 5.4 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 had started seven straight before missing the January 7 game against MSSU with an injury...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 12 games...averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds...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 16 games...shooting 59 percent this year, which was third best in the MIAA and 11th in the nation in most recent reports, and 47 percent from 3-point range...has scored in double figures in 12 of her 16 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 179...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 16 games...second on team with 11.4 points a game while averaging 3.1 assists and 4.5 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 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds...shooting 56 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 16 games in her Washburn debut after sitting out two straight years...leading the team with 8.0 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 18 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 and has scored double figures in three of her four games this year...is 19 of 22 (.864) from the field this year...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 14 games and is averaging 5.9 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 48 percent from the field this year...averaged 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds last year off the bench.
