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Head coach
Ron McHenry earned his 350th career win and his 200th MIAA win two weeks ago.
Washburn is 10-5 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA after a win last Saturday over Pittsburg State. The Ichabods improved to 6-1 in Lee Arena. This will be the fourth of five straight home games for Washburn.
Central Oklahoma is 10-6 overall and 5-4 in the MIAA after a win over Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. This will be the Bronchos' first trip to Topeka to play Washburn. Washburn leads the series 5-2 after a win last year.
Saturday's opponent, Northeastern State, will also be playing its first game in Topeka against Washburn.
Taylor Ignoto has scored in double figures in six of her seven games this year after sitting out 1.5 seasons. She's led the team in three of those games and she averages 16.0 points a game.
Casyn Buchman leads the Ichabods with 18.3 points a game and has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 games. She ranks third in the MIAA in scoring, first in free throw percentage (.907) and fifth in assists (4.1).
Buchman is 49 of 54 from the three throw line this year. She has gone perfect seven times and has not missed more than two in a game. Her five misses have come in four different games. She made 32 straight at one point.
Brittney Lynch has four double-doubles this year. She's second in the MIAA with 8.7 rebounds a game and 30th with 10.3 points a game.
The Ichabods were picked third in the MIAA coaches and media preseason polls. The coaches picked Emporia State first and the media picked Central Missouri first.
WU has been left out of the last four USA Today Sports national polls after being ranked as high as 16th this year.
Ron McHenry is 352-76 (.822) in his 14th year at Washburn. He is the winningest DII coach among those with at least 10 years of experience and he's led Washburn to 12 straight NCAA tournaments.
Ichabods welcome Central Oklahoma for first time Thursday
The Ichabods will play their fourth straight home game when they welcome Central Oklahoma to Schendel Court at Lee Arena for the first time Thursday night at 5:30. Washburn is 3-0 during the home stand while the Bronchos hit the road after going 3-1 during a four-game home stand.
Washburn is 10-5 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA after beating Pittsburg State 70-60 Saturday. Central Oklahoma is 10-6 and 5-4 in the MIAA after an 82-70 win Saturday against Nebraska-Kearney. Washburn is fifth in the MIAA standings while the Bronchos are tied for seventh.
The game will be carried live on 580 AM WIBW. Links to video, live stats and audio are available at wusports.com/live.
Washburn is 5-2 all-time against the Bronchos but they have never played each other in Topeka. They met in Edmond last year in UCO's first year in the MIAA and they have met at neutral locations six times, including three in the NCAA tournament.
Casyn Buchman leads the Ichabods and is third in the MIAA scoring 18.3 points a game.
Brittney Lynch is second in the MIAA with 8.7 rebounds a game and she nearly averages a double-double with 10.3 points a game, 30th best in the league.
Taylor Ignoto has played in just six games but she's averaging 16.0 points a game and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.
McHenry gets 350th career win and 200th MIAA win in same week
Washburn head coach
Ron McHenry is 352-76 (.822) overall and 201-49 (.804) in MIAA games. He earned his 300th career win January 9 against Oklahoma Christian and he got his 200th MIAA win January 11 against Northwest Missouri.
McHenry started this year, his 14th season at Washburn, with the highest winning percentage among active NCAA II coaches with at least 10 years at four-year schools.
McHenry is a four-time MIAA coach of the year and he has eight MIAA regular season titles. He's been to 12 straight NCAA tournaments and he coached Washburn to an NCAA II national title in 2004-05. He started the year second all-time in NCAA II history among coaches with at least 10 years with an .828 winning percentage. Lloyd Clark holds the record with an .834 winning percentage at Delta State from 1984-2002.
Washburn drops out of national poll
The Ichabods dropped out of that USA Today Sports national poll after week four and they have been absent from the last five polls now.
Washburn was ranked in 176 of the last 177 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 before these last four polls.
Emporia State is the highest ranked MIAA team with a No. 2 ranking after a 17-0 start to the season. The Ichabods and Hornets won't play until February as they battle February 5 in Topeka and February 22 in Emporia.
Central Missouri is eighth in the poll. The two teams played their only scheduled meeting January 6 in a UCM win. Previous non-conference opponent Nova Southeastern is third in the nation and Drury is ninth.
Quick history review
In Washburn's 44 years of basketball since 1969-70, the Ichabods are 833-361-1 (.697) in 1195 games. They have 13 MIAA regular season titles and nine tournament titles since joining the league in 1989-90.
Thirty all-America awards have been won between 16 different players and Washburn has seven MIAA MVPs and 22 MIAA first-teamers.
The Ichabods won the 2004-05 NCAA II national title and set an NCAA II record with a 51-game winning streak stretching from 2004-05 into the 2005-06 season. Guard Jennifer Harris was the NCAA II player of the year in 2005-06 and was the No. 20 pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft.
Ignoto earns starting spot after joining team after fall semester
Junior guard
Taylor Ignoto had to sit a full year at Washburn and she played her first games in mid December after the fall semester ended. She scored in double figures her first four games to earn a start January 9 against Oklahoma Christian. She hit her first six 3-pointers in that game to end with 21 points and she's averaging 16.0 points a game. Her six points Saturday against PSU was her first single-digit game through the seven she's played.
Mid-season home stand helping Ichabods build back confidence
The Ichabods are on their second three-game winning streak of the year as they are three games into a five-game home stand. They lost two of three and three of five before this home stand started on January 9 against Oklahoma Christian.
The Ichabods are outscoring their opponents by 14 points a game during this streak and they have a +12 rebound margin.
Casyn Buchman is scoring 16.3 points a game during the streak and shooting 54 percent from the field.
Buchman third in scoring and near the top in several MIAA categories
Junior guard
Casyn Buchman is near the top in several MIAA statistic categories in the latest report. She's third in scoring with 18.3 points a game and first shooting .907 from the free throw line. She's fourth in assists with 4.1 a game and 15th with 6.7 rebounds a game. Overall, her name appears in 11 of the 13 categories.
Lynch nearly averaging a double-double
Junior forward
Brittney Lynch leads the team and is second in the MIAA with 8.7 rebounds a game and she nearly averages a double-double as she has 10.3 points a game, 30th in the MIAA. Lynch has scored in double figures in all but five games this year and has reached 10 or more rebounds six times with four double-doubles. She set career highs on December 5 with 20 points and 17 rebounds at Southwest Baptist.
Coming up next
Washburn's five-game home stand will come to a close with a 5 p.m. game Saturday against Northeastern State. Like Central Oklahoma, this will be NSU's first trip to Topeka to play Washburn. This Ichabods will then play two straight and four of six on the road.
