Complete Game Notes (pdf)
Game 12: Lady Blues at Nebraska-Kearney
No. 12 Washburn Lady Blues (9-2, 3-0 MIAA)
at University of Nebraska at Kearney Lopers (4-8, 1-4 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2013
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Kearney, Neb.
Arena: Health and Sports Center (5,700)
Radio: Country Legends 106.9 FM with Jake Lebahn and Mark Elliott
Series Record: WU leads 18-11
Last Meeting: WU 46-45 on 11/24/01 (A)
Washburn Coach Ron McHenry: 328-67 (.830) in his 13th year at WU and overall
UNK Coach Kevin Chaney: 25-41 (.379) in third year at UNK and overall
Micro-Blogging the Blues
(Around) 140-character or less tweets highlighting the season
Washburn suffered its first drop in the national rankings falling from 6th to 12th after going 2-2 since the last poll. The Lady Blues had climbed in each of the first five polls.
Washburn ended UNK's NCAA II record 87-game home winning steak in 2001-02, the last time these two teams played. All-American Crystal Walker hit a layup with three seconds remaining to seal the win.
Washburn's last appearance in Kearney was the 2008 Elite 8 in a loss to South Dakota. Corkey Stiger hit 8 3-pointers and set a school record with 18 attempts.
This is Washburn's last of three straight games on the road. The Lady Blues will return home for one then play three more away, putting six of seven games on the road.
The Lady Blues were picked first in the MIAA coaches and media polls after winning the regular season and conference championships last year.
Laura Kinderknecht moved to third in career 3-pointers at Washburn, now with 148. She recently passed Corkey Stiger and Laura Westling in the ranking.
Tiara George was second in the NCAA and first in the MIAA shooting .646 from the field when statistical rankings were released this week. She reached double figures in scoring in the first seven games.
Head coach
Ron McHenry earned his 300th win last year and is currently 328-67 in his 13th year at Washburn.
McHenry will coach his 400th game at Washburn on January 26 at Lindenwood.
McHenry has 7 MIAA regular season titles and 7 MIAA tournament championships to go along with NCAA tournament appearances in all but his 1st season, including a 2004-05 national title.
Lady Blues head to Nebraska-Kearney Saturday to renew series with Lopers
The 12th-ranked Lady Blues will play Nebraska-Kearney for the first time since 2001 Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Health and Sports Center. The game will be carried on Country Legends 106.9 FM with Jake Lebahn and Mark Elliott calling the action.
Washburn improved to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA with a comeback win, 63-60 Thursday at No. 18 Fort Hays State. The Lopers have lost three straight since the holiday break and are 4-8 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA. They're 3-1 at home.
Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney played each other every year from 1976-77 to 1988-89 but have only played three times since then, the last in 2001-02. That game, played in Kearney, broke the Lopers' 87-game home winning streak, an NCAA II record.
The game Saturday will wrap up a three-game road trip for Washburn. The Lady Blues will then return to Lee Arena Thursday to host Truman at 5:30 p.m. before playing three more on the road.
Lady Blues drop six spots to 12th in latest national poll
The Lady Blues' first losses of the year caused them to have their first drop in the national poll as they fell from sixth to 12th in this week's USA Today Sports national poll.
Washburn was 6-0 before the previous poll and went 2-2 since then with a pair of defeats in Las Vegas.
The Lady Blues have been ranked in 163 of the last 164 polls, dating back to week three of the 2002-03 season. The final poll of the 2010-11 season was the last time Washburn was not ranked. This is Washburn's 118th time in the national top 10.
Additional MIAA teams in the week's ranking include No. 15 Central Missouri, No. 18 Fort Hays State and No. 20 Pittsburg State. Central Oklahoma and Truman received votes in this week's poll.
MIAA media and coaches pick Lady Blues to repeat as champions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Lady Blues got more than half the MIAA coaches' top votes and won a close vote in the media poll as they were picked to finish first in both tallies during the preseason MIAA Virtual Media Day.
Washburn got eight of the 15 first-place votes from the coaches and eight of the 18 in the media poll. Pittsburg State was picked second in both polls with the Gorillas coming just three points short of the Lady Blues in the media poll.
Washburn won the MIAA last year with an 18-2 record. The Gorillas went 17-3. Pittsburg State took six first-place votes from the coaches and No. 3 Emporia State took the other. From the media, PSU tied Washburn with eight top votes and ESU, also third in that poll, took two.
MIAA newcomer Northeastern State was fourth in both polls followed by Fort Hays State and Central Missouri.
Kearney the site of Washburn's last Elite 8 appearance
The Lady Blues haven't played the Lopers in the Health and Sports Center since 2001 but they did play a game there in the 2008 NCAA Elite 8. On March 26 that year they fell in double overtime to South Dakota in the national quarterfinal, 85-80. Corkey Stiger had 31 points off eight 3-pointers. She set a school record in that game with 18 3-point attempts. Her make in the final seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime. Washburn swept through the NCAA South Central Region tournament that year in Canyon, Texas, before advancing to Kearney.
George second in the nation and first in the MIAA shooting 65% from the field
Senior forward
Tiara George was shooting .646 from the field, second best in NCAA II and first in the MIAA when the statistical reports were released this week. She's shot 50 percent or better in all but one game and better than 70 percent four times. George is second on the team and 12th in the MIAA scoring 13.3 points a game. She scored in double figures in the first seven games and was averaging 16.9 a game but has since been held to 6.0 points a game.
George is Washburn's leading returning scorer from last year but was scoring just 7.2 points a game in her first season at Washburn after transferring from Angelina Community College.
First true road game Saturday at UCO started a string of six of seven on the road.
The Lady Blues played their first true road game last Saturday at Central Oklahoma and won a four-point decision, 62-58 over the Bronchos. The game was the first of three straight and six of seven on the road.
Washburn started the year with six straight home games and is 7-0 overall in Lee Arena. The Lady Blues went 0-2 in their neutral-site games in Las Vegas.
After returning from this road swing, Washburn will play four straight in Lee Arena.
Seven seniors return to lead Washburn
Seven seniors return to this year's team and among them are three four-year players:
Dana Elliott,
Laura Kinderknecht and
Laura McMullin. Two-year player
Sami McHenry will play this year as her final while
Stormye Everett,
Sierra Moeller and
Tiara George were all junior transfers last year.
Moeller is the leading returning rebounder with 6.7 a game last year but she will have to sit the first semester to save her final semester of eligibility. George is the leading returning scorer with 6.0 points a game. Kinderknecht scored 5.8 and Elliott scored 4.8 a game.
Coming Up Next
Washburn will return home January 16 at 5:30 p.m. to host Truman at Schendel Court in Lee Arena. This will be the last time facing the Bulldogs in an MIAA contest as Truman is leaving the league after this season. The Bulldogs upset the Lady Blues in Lee Arena last year, ending a streak of 25 straight home wins against Truman.
