Game 31 Lady Blues vs Central Missouri
2011-12 MIAA Basketball Championships • Semifinal
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium
Game Notes
Tournament Home Page
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No. 10 Washburn Lady Blues (26-4)
vs Central Missouri Jennies (20-7)
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Arena: Municipal Auditorium (8,500)
Radio: 580 WIBW AM with Mark Elliott (play-by-play) & Jake Lebahn (color)
Series Record: WU leads 35-13
Last Meeting: UCM 69-68 on 02/08 (H)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 316-64 (.832) in his 12th year at WU and overall
UCM Coach Dave Slifer: 145-89 (.620) in eighth year at UCM and 528-188 (.737) in 23rd year overall
Micro-Blogging the Blues
(Around) 140-character or less tweets highlighting the season
Washburn has won eight MIAA tournament titles and is going for its ninth. The Lady Blues clinched their eighth regular season title last week #8GoingOn9
Washburn is No. 1 in the latest NCAA South Central Region ranking and will be looking to make its 11th straight trip to the tournament #GoingDancing
In the last five games
Dana Elliott's shooting 74 percent (14 of 19) and averaging 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a game #HotDownTheStretch
Stevi Schultz scored her 1,000th career point last Wednesday and she moved to 19th in career scoring at Washburn, one point away from 18th #1,000PointClub
Cassie Lombardino blocked her 102nd career shot to move to 4th in WU career history #CassieFromTheBlock
UCM is the only team to shoot 40% against Washburn & the Jennies have done so twice. All other teams are shooting 33% against WU #Denied
Washburn earned its 11th straight 20-win season and 22nd in school history with a win February 4 against FHSU #20WinsSeasons
The Lady Blues are 2nd in the nation shooting .396 from 3-point range and
Ebonie Williams leads the nation shooting .500 from 3-point range #LongRangeSuccess
Washburn has out-rebounded its opponents in every game this year but five, losses against UCM and Drury and wins at PSU, ESU and Lincoln #HotOffTheIron
The Lady Blues are 22-3 in the MIAA tournament since it moved to Kansas City and 6-0 in title games since then #KCMasters
Semifinal match against Central Missouri up next as Lady Blues seek MIAA tourney title
The 10th-ranked Lady Blues will continue action in the MIAA tournament with a semifinal game Saturday against Central Missouri at noon in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium. The two teams earned victories Thursday in the Centennial Basketball Championships first round.
The game will be carried live on WIBW 580 AM and links to live stats and audio can be found at wusports.com.
Washburn, the top seeded team in the tournament, defeated No. 8 Missouri Western 80-63 to improve to 26-4 overall. The No. 4 Jennies beat No. 5 Fort Hays State 73-61 to improve to 20-7. The winner will play Sunday in the championship game at 1 p.m.
Washburn clinched its eighth MIAA regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament with two wins last week.
Ebonie Williams, the MIAA player of the year, hit a jumper in the closing seconds at Emporia State to give Washburn a 53-52 win Wednesday. Minutes later the Lady Blues learned that Pittsburg State had lost its game, clearing the way for Washburn to clinch the title outright in the regular season finale. Washburn did just that with a 72-47 win over Lincoln Saturday in Lee Arena.
The Lady Blues and Jennies split their regular season series this year. Central Missouri is the only team to have shot 40 percent or better against the Lady Blues and the Jennies did it both times. Washburn won 74-66 in Warrensburg on December 31 and the Jennies won in Topeka 69-68 on February 8.
Washburn is 3-1 all-time against UCM in the MIAA tournament. The two last met in 2009-10 in the championship game with the Lady Blues claiming a 68-56 victory for their last tourney title. Washburn is 10-5 all-time in semifinal games and 22-3 in the tournament since it moved to Kansas City in 2002-03.
Last Time Out: MIAA Tournament 1st Round - Washburn 80, Missouri Western 63
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -
Cassie Lombardino had a double-double, leading four players in double figures as the Lady Blues defeated Missouri Western 80-63 Thursday afternoon in the first round of the MIAA Basketball Championships. Washburn, the No. 1 seed in the tournament will now play Saturday at noon against against the winner of the No. 4 Central Missouri/No. 5 Fort Hays State game.
The Lady Blues won their 11th straight opening game in the MIAA tournament and improved to 26-4. The Griffons, the No. 8 seed, finished their year 7-20.
Lombardino had a season-high 19 points and added 10 rebounds for her third career double-double. She went 7 of 11 from the field and 6 of 8 in the second half.
Ebonie Williams and
Stevi Schultz each hit three 3-pointers. Williams finished with 18 points and Schultz had 13 and a career-high nine assists.
Laura Kinderknecht had 10 points and
Dana Elliott had a career-high 11 rebounds, reaching double figures for the first time.
The Griffons led 18-7 after the first six minutes. Jessica Koch hit three 3-pointers in those opening minutes and ended with a game-high 25 points. Washburn answered its slow start by scoring 23 straight points to go up 30-18. The Lady Blues hit six 3-pointers during that stretch as they gained the lead and kept it for good.
Washburn went into the locker room up 43-34 after surviving nine 3-pointers from the Griffons. Koch made five of them and had 18 points. The Lady Blues held a 30-16 advantage in rebounds at the half and made 10 of 15 free throws while MWSU made just 1 of 2.
The Lady Blues kept a double-figure lead for all but one possession in the second half. Washburn gave up a lay-up at the 9:44 lead to cut its lead to eight before Williams scored two and Lombardino scored four straight to put Washburn back up by 14. The Griffons got no closer than 11 after that.
Washburn shot 44 percent in the game and 50 percent (10 of 20) from 3-point range. The Griffons shot 38 percent and 42 percent (10 of 24) from long range. The Lady Blues held a 46-31 advantage on rebounds.
Koch ended up going 6 of 10 from long range. Ashleigh Curry scored 10 points with a game-high seven rebounds and Kallie Schoonover had 11 points. Abby Stone blocked six Washburn shots.
Final Notes on the MWSU Game
Washburn improved to 47-38 all-time against MWSU and 7-5 against the Griffons in the MIAA tournament but 7-0 against MWSU in Kansas City...the Lady Blues have won 11 straight MIAA tournament first round games and are now 16-6 all-time in the opening round...
Dana Elliott's 11 rebounds is a career high after having seven three different times, the last coming last Saturday against Lincoln...
Stevi Schultz' nine assists is a career high after having seven on November 16 against Southwestern.
UCM Last Time Out: MIAA Tournament 1st Round - UCM 73, Fort Hays State 61
Junior Shaquanda Wiggins led Central Missouri with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as the fourth-seeded Jennies defeated the fifth-seeded Fort Hays State Tigers, 73-61 Thursday. Seniors Alyssa Rhodes and Nicole Caddell both finished with 14 points in the victory at Muncipal Auditorium.
The Jennies took a quick 4-0 lead with field goals from Kaneesha Lee and Caddell to open the game, and controlled early on, with a 10-6 lead at the 14:14 mark. The Tigers answered with a quick 5-0 run, and by the midpoint of the first half, maintained a lead over the Jennies, mainly with their shooting from long range. Fort Hays was 7 of 13 from beyond the arc in the first half, and used that to take a 33-29 halftime lead.
The Jennies immediately answered out of the half with an 11-4 run highlighted by a pair of 3s from Taylor Hanson and Renae Shippy after the team went 0-3 from three in the first half.
The Tigers closed to within two points at the 13:50 mark, 44-42, before Central Missouri pulled away with seven straight points, taking a 51-42 lead with 11:46 to play.
UCM maintained a single-digit lead throughout the half until a free throw from Rhodes made it 66-56 at the 2:43 mark. Rhodes shut the door with a trey on the next possession, giving the Jennies a 13-point advantage with two minutes to play.
Wiggins ' double-double is the sixth of the season for her, as well as her sixth 20-point performance of the year. Caddell nearly had a double-double herself, pulling down nine rebounds.
The victory is the Jennies first in the MIAA tournament since 2010, and gives the program its' first 20-win season since 2006.
Washburn looking for ninth MIAA tournament title
The Lady Blues have won eight MIAA tournament titles and they are 6-0 in title games since the MIAA Basketball Championships moved to Kansas City and Municipal Auditorium. Washburn last won the crown in 2009-10, capping a string of five titles in the last six years. Washburn is 34-13 all-time in the tournament and 22-3 since it moved to Kansas City.
Lady Blues clinch eighth MIAA regular season title
The Lady Blues clinched the MIAA regular season title outright February 27 against Lincoln. Washburn finished 18-2 while PSU was 17-3 to finish second.
The Lady Blues have now won eight MIAA regular season titles, the previous in 2009-10. They have 12 conference titles overall counting four Central States Intercollegiate Conference championships.
Lady Blues earn school-record 18th conference win
Washburn finished 18-2 in the MIAA to give the Lady Blues a school record for conference wins.
The Lady Blues had 17 wins in each of the last two years. Washburn's winning percentage moved to .900 with the win in the finale, making it the fifth highest conference winning percentage in school history. The Lady Blues have had two perfect seasons in MIAA play (2005-06 and 1992-93).
Lady Blues remain first in NCAA South Central Region ranking
The Lady Blues kept the No. 1 spot in the NCAA South Central Region ranking released Wednesday. This is the final ranking before the tournament field is announced after conference tournaments are played this weekend.
The Lady Blues will look to keep their top spot and host the eight-team NCAA South Central Region tournament. Washburn last hosted a regional in 2006.
Washburn is 19-4 in the region and has a 25-4 overall record. Pittsburg State is No. 2 in the region with a 24-4 overall record but two losses to the Lady Blues. Northeastern State, an NCAA II independent and future MIAA opponent, is No. 3. Emporia State is No. 4 and Central Missouri is seventh to round out MIAA teams in the ranking.
The South Central Region is made up of teams from the MIAA, Lone Star Conference, Heartland Conference and Great American Conference. The winners of the MIAA, LSC and Heartland get automatic bids to the eight-team NCAA South Central Region tournament and the remaining five seeds are filled by at-large bids based on the NCAA ranking. The newly-formed GAC does not have an automatic bid yet.
The South Central Region tournament runs March 9-12 at the site of the top seed that is eligible to host. The winners of all eight regionals will meet at the NCAA II Elite Eight, March 20-23 in San Antonio, Texas.
NCAA selection show set for Sunday night
The NCAA will announce the field for the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on a live webcast. A link to the broadcast will be available closer to show time.
Lady Blues back in national top 10
Heading into the MIAA tournament as the No. 1 seed and as the top-rated team in the NCAA South Central Region, the Lady Blues jumped two spots in the national poll to No. 10 as the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll was released Tuesday.
Washburn is the highest rated South Central Region team in the national poll. Pittsburg State fell from 11th to 12th and Northeastern State fell from ninth to 13th. Emporia State fell from 22nd to 24th.
The Lady Blues have been ranked in all 14 polls this year. They were left out of the final poll last year but have been ranked in 154 of the last 155 polls, dating back to week three of the 2002-03 season.
Washburn earns 11th straight 20-win season
Washburn's 75-55 win February 4 against FHSU was the 20th of the season, giving the Lady Blues their 11th straight 20-win season. The Lady Blues last failed to reach at least 20 wins in 2000-01, head coach
Ron McHenry's first year. During that streak, Washburn has had three 30-win seasons.
Overall, Washburn has had 22 seasons with 20 wins or more and five of them have yielded at least 30 wins. Washburn's record for wins in a year is 35 in 2004-05, the national title year.
Lady Blues prove MIAA coaches and media right
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.
Williams named MIAA player of the year; joins Schultz and Lombardino on all-MIAA team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Washburn senior guard
Ebonie Williams was named the MIAA player of the year as the all-MiAA team was announced Monday by the conference office. Williams joined fellow seniors
Stevi Schultz and
Cassie Lombardino as members of the all-conference squad.
Williams was also a unanimous selection on the all-MIAA first team. She ended the regular season fourth in the league averaging 15.3 points a game and she was first shooting .500 from 3-point range and third shooting .521 from the field. Williams, in her first year at Washburn, was an all-Big East second team honoree in 2008-09 while playing at Seton Hall. She is Washburn's first MIAA MVP since Jennifer Harris earned the award in 2005-06.
Stevi Schultz was named to the all-MIAA second team after averaging 11.1 points a game and 2.3 made 3-pointers a game, second best in the league. Schultz earned all-MIAA first team honor last year, as well as a spot on the Daktronics all-South Central Region second team.
Lombardino earned a spot on the all-MIAA third team after averaging 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. She was seventh in the MIAA with 1.4 blocks per game. Lombardino was named to the all-MIAA second team last year.
Williams is Washburn's sixth MIAA MVP and 21st player to earn first team all-MIAA. Head coach
Ron McHenry has now coached 31 all-MIAA selections.
Schultz joins 1,000 point club
Stevi Schultz' 3-pointer in the first half February 22 at Emporia State made her the 21st Lady Blue to reach the 1,000 point mark in her career. She now has 1,028 and sits 19th in school history, one away from Carolyn Wempe (1985-89). Two more points will put her in 17th with Tiffany Lohse (1,030 points from 1995-99). Corkey Stiger was the last to reach the 1,000 point milestone, scoring 1,047 in two seasons from 2006-08.
Schultz also made her 200th career 3-pointer February 27 against Lincoln. She has 205 right now and is second in school history. Brooke Ubelaker is the only other player to go over 200 3-pointers with 236 in her career.
Schultz also recorded her for her 50th double-figure scoring game against Lincoln. She's scored 10 or more in 51 of her 111 games played in her four years.
Williams 1st in the nation in 3-point shooting
Ebonie Williams leads the nation in 3-point shooting percentage with a .500 mark in the February 26 report. Williams has hit a 3-pointer in each of the last 13 games with a season-best seven makes on February 8 against Central Missouri.
Schultz takes over 2nd in career 3-pointers at Washburn
Senior guard
Stevi Schultz is second in school history, now with 205 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. Schultz and Ubelaker are the only two players in school history to reach 200 3-pointers.
This year she's shooting a career-high 39 percent from 3-point range. Schultz' 82 3-pointers last year was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
Lombardino moves to fourth in career blocks
Senior
Cassie Lombardino blocked her 102nd career shot February 25 against Lincoln to move alone into fourth in Washburn blocking history. Lombardino's 42 blocks this year is the eighth highest single-season total at Washburn. Her 49 blocks last year tied for the third highest season total. Sixty blocks is the Washburn single-season record (Brenda Shaffer-Dahl in 1988-89).
Lombardino needs to reach 116 blocks to catch Jannica Beam (1989-93) for third in Washburn history.
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 316-64 (.832) 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.
Williams' two-school career closing with huge numbers
Senior guard
Ebonie Williams scored her 1,500th career point February 11 against SBU and now has 1,585 in her four-year college career. She has 462 points this year and she scored 1,123 points in her three previous years at Seton Hall. She is averaging 13.3 points a game in her four years.
Williams' .513 shooting percentage this year is a career high. She had never shot better than .419 at Seton Hall. Her 15.3 points a game is also a career high. Her sophomore year in 2008-09 she shot .419 and averaged 13.2 points a game to earn second team all-Big East honor.
Keeping them under 40
The Lady Blues kept their first 13 opponents to under 40 percent shooting and so far this year, Central Missouri has been the only team to top 40 percent shooting against Washburn. The Jennies shot .469 on December 31 and then shot .450 on February 8. Washburn is keeping opponents to .340 shooting overall and .332 shooting in every game but the UCM contests. Washburn is allowing MIAA opponents to shoot .352 overall.
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 a .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. The Jennies topped 40 percent again on February 8 and are still the only team to do so.
300th win for McHenry: Lady Blues coach
Ron McHenry got his 300th career win, all at Washburn, on December 17 against Missouri Western.
Last-second heroics: Ebonie Williams hit a jumper with 4.4 seconds left to give Washburn a 53-52 win at Emporia State on February 22.
Last-second heartbreakers: Sierra Moeller tied the game December 10 against Truman with 29 seconds left but Bulldog Megan Sharpe made a jumper as time expired to give TSU an upset over then-No. 15 Washburn in Lee Arena. On February 8
Ebonie Williams hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to give Washburn a one-point lead but Central Missouri hit a lay-up with 4.8 seconds left to win 69-68.
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 recorded 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 UCM
TOPEKA, Kan. --
Ebonie Williams scored a career-high 34 points and No. 9 Washburn erased a double-digit deficit in the final minute but lost 69-68 February 8 to Central Missouri in Lee Arena. The loss was the last of the regular season for Washburn and the Lady Blues have won six straight since then.
Williams put Washburn ahead 68-67 with a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to give her 34 points, surpassing the 31 she scored during her three-year career at Seton Hall. That gave Washburn its first lead since the 16:34 mark of the first half but Central Missouri's Nicole Caddell hit a lay-up with 4.8 seconds remaining to give the Jennies a one-point lead.
Stevi Schultz missed a 3 at the buzzer to give the Lady Blues their second loss in MIAA play and at home this year.
Williams went 12 of 17 from the field and 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Both those field goal totals were season highs in the senior's only year at Washburn. Her 34 points is the seventh most in school history. She added five assists.
Cassie Lombardino scored 13 points off 6 of 12 shooting.
Casyn Buchman and
Tiara George each scored six points, next best for Washburn.
Sierra Moeller led the squad with seven rebounds.
Washburn led twice early in the first half but the Jennies used an 8-0 run to take a 23-10 lead at the 12:01 mark. They led by double digits for most of the remainder of the first half. The Jennies shot 9 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half and Washburn was 6 of 9.
Washburn trimmed the lead to single digits early in the second half and after UCM went up by 11, 64-53 at the 6:36 mark, Washburn used a 9-0 run to get within two with 3:09 remaining. Williams and Lombardino scored the only points during that stretch.
A jumper by Lombardino with 1:45 remaining cut UCM's lead to 65-64 but Shaquanda Wiggins answered with a basket 20 seconds later. Williams made one of two free throws with 1:14 left and then got a defensive rebound on UCM's next possession. Twenty seconds later she hit her 3-pointer that gave Washburn its first lead since the first half but Central answered with the heartbreaker in the final seconds.
Washburn out-scored the Jennies 36-25 in the second half but came up one point short after UCM had a 44-32 halftime advantage. The Lady Blues shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range in the second half while UCM was 40 percent from the field. The Jennies shot just three 3-pointers in the second half and missed them all.
Washburn's bench scored just two points, a basket from Buchman, and shot the ball just three times in the second half.
Washburn entered the game first in the league and fourth in the nation in field goal percentage and shot 49 percent overall. The Jennies, second in the league in shooting, shot 45 percent. They are the only team to shoot better than 40 percent against Washburn this year and they've done it twice now. The Lady Blues lead the nation in 3-point percentage and they shot a solid 55 percent while UCM ended at 50 percent.
UCM held a 33-29 advantage on rebounds and committed 10 turnovers while Washburn had 12. The Lady Blues blocked five shots while the Jennies had three.
Laura Kinderknecht led Washburn with six assists, tying her career high.
Caddell led the Jennies with 21 points off the bench. She was 9 of 17 from the field. Taylor Hanson had 16 points and Wiggins added 11. .
Up next for the Lady Blues
The NCAA South Central Region tournament will be March 9-12. The NCAA will announce the 64-team field Sunday at 9:30 p.m. in a live webcast. A link to the webcast will be available at ncaa.com closer to show time.
The Elite Eight is March 20-23 in San Antonio, Texas.
