Scouting the Griffons
First place in the MIAA standings, Missouri Western enters Wednesday's game undefeated at 15-0 overall and 9-0 in conference play ... MWSU is ranked 13th nationally in the Jan. 5 version of the WBCA poll ... MWSU is 5-0 in road games on the year and is 9-0 at home with one neutral site game on their schedule thus far ... this is the first of two matchups this season between the Ichabods and the Griffons, with the second coming in St. Joseph, Mo., on Feb. 24 (the second to last game of the regular season) ... The Griffons are averaging 87.9 points per game and allowing just 61.9 ppg (a +26.0 scoring margin) ... MWSU is shooting 50.3 percent as a team and 38.5 percent from long range as a team ... on the boards, MWSU is averaging 36.9 rebounds per game and holds a +3.8 rebounding margin on opponents ... the Griffons are led by LaQuinta Jefferson (23.6 ppg) in scoring and Jefferson has been named MIAA Player of the Week four times this season ... MWSU has two other players, Sarafina Handy (15.3 ppg) and Miliakera Koyamainavure (11.7 ppg) averaging double-digits in scoring this year ... MWSU was picked to finish fifth in the MIAA preseason coaches poll ... more information on series and opponent stat leaders can be found on page one of the game notes.

Last Time Out (Jan. 9, 2016)
EDMOND, Okla. – A run-and-gun game from the start, Washburn Women's Basketball climbed back from a double-digit halftime deficit to within two late in the game before falling, 61-51, at Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 9 ... Washburn came out inspired in the third to cut the lead to three (32-29) in the first four minutes of play thanks to a 12-3 run that included two three-pointers from Julie Ravn ... Washburn outscored UCO, 20-14, in the third frame to trim the deficit ... The Ichabods again rallied to open the fourth, forcing a UCO timeout with 8:36 to go after a 5-0 run that included an old-fashioned three-point play from Gibbs and a 10-foot jumper from Erin Dohnalek, making it a two-point game (42-40) ... Down two (51-49) after a layup from Jayna Smith with 4:28 to go, Washburn looked to be closing fast before a quick burst of five straight for UCO took the wind out of the Ichabods' sails, ending the comeback threat ... Gibbs put together her second double-double in three games and finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, leading the team in points while tying with Smith (12 rebounds) for the lead in rebounds ... Ravn closed the day with 11 points behind a 3-of-8 effort on three-pointers, while Bowens just missed double-digits to finish with nine points ... Dohnalek was scoreless in the first half before heating up from the field to finish with seven points and seven rebounds ... As a team, the Ichabods shot 48.1 percent from the field in the second half to finish 19-of-61 (31.1 percent) for the game while closing the day 4-of-18 from beyond the arc ... Trailing in the rebounding battle (30-25) at half, the Ichabods crashed the boards over the final 20 minutes to reverse the advantage and win on the glass, 45-40.

Double Double Threat
Felisha Gibbs put together her first two career double-doubles and nearly averaged a double-double over three games last week, leading the team in points (13.3 ppg) while averaging 9.7 rebounds per game ... Gibbs grabbed 29 total rebounds and scored 40 total points and had double-digits in all three games while shooting 56.7 percent from the field (17-of-30) and hitting 6-of-7 on free throws ... Gibbs swatted three shots as well while coming up with two steals ... The junior had an impressive 14-point, 13-rebound (career-high) double-double in WU's win over Lincoln as she shot 77.8 percent ... Against Northeastern State, Gibbs had 12 points with four rebounds and finished the weekend with her second career double-double of 12 rebounds and 14 points ... Gibbs has been close to double-doubles in several other games this season, finishing within two points (with 12 rebounds) at Palm Beach Atlantic and within three rebounds (with 10 points) at Fort Hays State ... the junior center has started all 15 games in the post for Washburn this season and is third on the team with 9.3 points per game and second with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Run Away Win
Washburn's 89-44 win over Lincoln on Jan. 4 was the first 40-plus margin win for the Ichabods since Dec. 31, 2014 (93-42 over Saint Mary) ... The last time Washburn won by 40-49 points was Nov. 16, 2014 against Southwestern (108-60).

Road Warriors
Washburn played nine games in its first 11 of the season, and is 6-5 in those games this season ... the 2015 portion of the schedule featured three games on the road against ranked opponents and only one home conference game in that span ... Washburn has five home games in January (out of nine total games) and five home games in February (out of eight total games) ... WU has five remaining road games to secure a winning record in that category ... last season, WU went 6-5 on the road and 5-7 away from Lee Arena the year prior (2013-14).

Lockdown Defense
Four times this season, Washburn has held its opponent to 49 or less points, including the final game of 2015 where the Ichabods limited Missouri Southern (which previously averaged 66 ppg) to just 42 points, days after the Lions upset then-No. 3 Emporia State  ... for the season, Washburn has held opponents to 57.8 points per game, which ranks second in the MIAA. 

Swat Team
Washburn is averaging 3.5 blocks per game as a team and has been swatted just 1.6 times per game on average ... the Ichabods sit fifth in the conference in overall blocks (45) and sixth in blocks per game, while ranking 69th and 93rd in NCAA Division II in those categories (as of Jan. 11) ... Alyxis Bowens has 1.1 blocks per game while Felisha Gibbs has 0.7 blocks per game and Jayna Smith and Erika Lane both have 0.5 blocks per game for the Ichabods.

Crashing The Boards
Washburn has outrebounded its opponent in all 15 games this season, holding a +11.6 rebounding margin per game on the year ... nationally, the Ichabods rank 3rd in rebound margin and second in the MIAA (as of Jan. 11 release), while sitting 36th in total rebounds (631) and 50th in rebounds per game (42.1) ... the Ichabods are also second in the MIAA in those two categories ... Jayna Smith (10.3 rpg) leads the team in rebounds per game while Felisha Gibbs (6.8 rpg) and Alyxis Bowens (5.3 rpg) are also above the 5.0 mark on average ... the team has 11 40-plus rebounding efforts on the season and has reached that mark in the last seven games, including a 55-rebound effort against Lincoln on Jan. 4.

From Long Range
Washburn has proved its ability to hit the three-point shot in games is a key factor in the outcome ... WU is 7-1 in games that it makes more three-pointers than its opponent and 3-4 in games that the opponent has a better mark (or tied) in that category ... as a team, the Ichabods are shooting 31.5 percent from beyond the arc on the year, averaging 5.8 three-pointers per game while limiting opponents to a 27.7 percent effort and 5.7 three-pointers per game.

Zero to 60
A trend has begun for the Ichabods in 2015-16, as Washburn is 8-0 in games that it scores over 60 points and all five of its losses have come when an opponent reaches that mark (3-5 overall) ... when holding opponents under 60, Washburn is 6-0, and when the Ichabods score less than 60, they've won just twice (losing three games).

Board Certified
Jayna Smith's impact isn't always felt in the points category on the stat sheet (though she has led the team in scoring in two games), but she has proved vital towards the team success this season ... the senior nursing major leads the team in rebounds (154) and rebounds per game (10.3) thru 15 games while also dishing out 43 assists (second-best on the team) ... Smith has eight double-digit rebounding efforts on the year, including a career-high 20 on the road at Northeastern State (Jan. 7) and 15 at home against Lindenwood on Jan. 2 ... She also had 13 rebounds at Missouri Southern on Dec. 19 and three 12-rebound efforts ... she has three five-plus assist efforts, including a career-high eight at Palm Beach Atlantic on Nov. 28 ...  Smith earned her first start of the season on Dec. 2 at Fort Hays State and made the most of it, leading the team in points (13), rebounds (eight) and assists (five) ... She followed that effort by tying her previous career-high in rebounds (12) in back-to-back games against UNK and SBU ... Smith leads the MIAA in rebounds and rebounds per game as well ... she has reached double-digit rebounds in five consecutive games.

Quick Lane
With eight double-digit scoring efforts this season, Erika Lane has the team-lead in that category while sitting second in scoring average (9.7 ppg) and total points (145) ... the guard had a career-high 25 points in WU's second game of the year (at Minot State) and had three double-digit scoring games over the final five contests in 2015 ... Lane's quickness has also been felt away from the hoop, defensively and offensively ... her 2.9 assists per game (and 44 total assists) is highest on the team and she is fourth on the team in steals (10) and rebounds (54) and rebounds per game (3.6) ... the point guard has started all 15 games this season.

Bench Strength
Two of Washburn's top four scorers have come off the bench in a majority of games this season ... Alyxis Bowens (11.2 ppg) leads the team in scoring and has come off the bench in the last nine games (after starting the first six) ... Bowens has scored in double-digits seven times this season), including back-to-back 20-plus efforts on Jan. 2 and (and five straight from Dec. 16 to Jan. 7) ... Erin Dohnalek (9.0 ppg) is fourth on the team in scoring and has not started a game this year ... Dohnalek has hit double-digits seven times this season.

Heating Up
Julie Ravn came into the 2015-16 season as a newcomer with high scoring hopes, but hit an early season slump after a 15-point game at Minot State ... after eight straight single-digit scoring games, Ravn has scored 13, 20 and 15 (respectively) in three straight games while hitting 15-of-26 from three-point range in that span from Dec. 19 to Jan. 4 ... Ravn hit 5-of-7 in the win over Lincoln and had a career-high six three-pointers (with a career-high 20 points) against Lindenwood in the game before ... for the season, Ravn has now raised her scoring average to 7.6 points per game and she leads the Ichabods with 27 made three-pointers ... she is shooting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Noting the WBCA Poll
Though Washburn has not been ranked nationally this season, several 2015-16 opponents and MIAA foes are listed in the WBCA Poll ... Fort Hays State (No. 3) and Emporia State (No. 8) are top 10 teams and have been ranked there all season (FHSU and ESU were both previously No. 1) ... Missouri Western is listed 13th and Pittsburg State is receivingvotes ... from the Central Region, Winona State (No. 12), Sioux Falls (RV-50) and Northern State (RV-14) join the MIAA schools, and 2015-16 non-conference opponents Drury (No. 6) and Nova Southeastern (No. 11) are listed in the top 15 ... the complete WBCA poll is on page three of the game notes.

Top Five Takedown
Washburn's 70-60 win over Nova Southeastern (ranked No. 3) was the program's first ranked win of the season ... Washburn's last top five win came on Nov. 21, 2014 against then-No. 4 Drury at home ... Washburn is 12-15 all-time under Ron McHenry against Top 5 teams.

Washburn Versus Ranked Opponents
The Ichabods have set themselves up with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, thanks in part to two non-conference matches with ranked opponents and a stacked conference that features the current No. 1 and No. 3 team in the nation ... Wednesday's MIAA opener at then-No. 5 Fort Hays State was the third game versus in ranked opponent this season (and third of the previous four games) ... WU is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, falling 66-46 at No. 11 Drury on Saturday, Nov. 21 before taking down No. 3 Nova Southeastern on the road, 70-60, on Friday, Nov. 27 ... WU lost at FHSU, 62-54, after leading for a majority of the game ... WU went 1-6 against ranked opponents last season and is 49-38 against ranked opponents all-time under head coach Ron McHenry dating back to 2000-01.

Washburn in Home Openers
The Ichabods are 34-10 all-time in home openers, winning their last 18 (dating back to the 1998-99) season ... WU has never lost a home opener under Ron McHenry.

McHenry's Home Court Edge
The Ichabods have been domninant in years past inside Lee Arena under the direction of Ron McHenry, going 195-30 (.867) since 2000-01 ... WU had perfect home records in 1991-92 and 2004-05, the year the Lady Blues won the national title ... McHenry and the Ichabods have had one-loss home records nine different times in McHenry's 15 years leading up to the 2015-16 season.

No. 400
Head Coach Ron McHenry is just 16 victories away from No. 400 in his career  and at Washburn with 384 wins thus far in his career ... he entered the season 26 wins away.

Washburn in Season Openers
Washburn is 15-1 in season openers under head coach Ron McHenry, with the only loss coming in 2013-14 at Nova Southeastern (a non-conference opponent on this year's schedule) ... all-time, the Ichabods are 27-2 in season openers as members of the MIAA (and NCAA), and in the 38-9 since the program's inception in 1969-70.

Ichabods Add Four in Early Signing Period
Four incoming student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to join Washburn in 2016-17 ... Cara Donley (Salina, Kan. / Abilene HS), Alexandra McDowell (Hill City, Kan. / Hill City HS), Raegan Phelan (Holyrood, Kan. / Central Plains HS) and Brandi Roepke (Waterville, Kan. / Valley Heights HS) make up the class.

Exhibition History
Washburn is 10-18 all-time in exhibitions under Ron McHenry since 2000-01 ... The Ichabods dropped a 48-75 contest at Kansas State on Monday, Nov. 2 in the first exhibition of the season before defeating NCAA Division I opponent Omaha, 61-56, in the final exhibition on Wednesday, Nov. 4. ... WU is 4-15 against NCAA Division I opponents, 7-3 at home and 3-24 on the road in exhibitions.

Where Are They From?
Washburn's 2015-16 roster has a wide mix of hometowns geographically, with its 15 players hailing from three different countries (United States, France and Denmark) and four different states within the US ... There are 10 players from Kansas (Alyxis Bowens, Jayna Smith, Haley Pfau, KayLee Farmer, Madison and Makayla Vargo, Erika Lane, Jada Lynch, Ashlee Ivy and Jharian Bowen) ... Arkansas (Felisha Gibbs), Missouri (Erin Dohnalek) and South Carolina (Kierra Campbell) are the other US states represented on WU's roster ... traveling abroad, Cindy Demosthene (France) and Julie Ravn (Denmark) are international players on the Ichabods' squad.

McHenry Winningest Active Coach in NCAA Division II
Ron McHenry's .799 winning percentage entering the 2015-16 ranks first among active coaches at the NCAA Division II level ... the 16th-year head coach for Washburn is No. 4 all-time in winning percentage among coaches at the NCAA Division II level ... for all NCAA Divisions (I, II and III), McHenry ranks 13th among active coaches and is No. 18 all-time. 

A First For McHenry
This year's 2015-16 Washburn Women's Basketball roster features no true freshman, a first for the Ichabods since McHenry's arrival in 2000-01. 

Non-Conference Recap
Washburn finished its non-conference portion of the 2015-16 regular season schedule last week with a 4-2 record in those games ... against regional opponents, Washburn went 3-1 in non-conference action ... WU now holds a combined 19-7 record in those six series, picking up wins over University of Mary, Minot State, Newman and Nova Southeastern with losses to Drury and Palm Beach Atlantic.

Eyeing a Return to the Top
The Ichabods have made 17 NCAA Tournaments under Ron McHerny, won eight MIAA regular season titles and seven MIAA tournament titles, but have not make the national tournament since the 2012-13 season ... A relatively inexperienced group will be tested with one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division II as they eye a return to the NCAA Tournament.

New Faces
Washburn has five new players on its 2015-16 roster, including one NCAA Division I transfer and four junior college transfers ... Erin Dohnalek  joins the Ichabods after two years at Division I Northern Iowa.  Dohnalek averaged 3.7 points per game as a freshman and 2.6 per game as a sophomore, playing in 51 total games with the Panthers ... Kierra Campbell was a two-time all-conference selection (at Denmark Tech and Panola ... Ashlee Ivy played two years at Butler Community College in 2012-13 and 2013-14, earning First Team All-NJCAA honors in 2013-14 and a Second Team All-NJCAA selection in 2012-13 ... Ravn is a shooting specialist who played in 29 games with 28 starts last year at Cowley Community College, hitting 39.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc last year with 14.1 points per game ... KayLee Farmer (a sophomore) joins the program after a year at Independence Community College ... prior to ICC, Farmer ran track at the University of Kansas.

Last Season - Quick Hits
Washburn's 2014-15 campaign opened with seven straight wins and a 9-1 record through the first 10 games ... WU closed the season at 16-12 overall and finished eighth in the MIAA at 8-11 ... The Ichabods earned the No. 8 seed in the MIAA Tournament and lost a 59-46 contest with Northeastern State in the first round ... WU's signature win of the season was a 87-79 overtime victory at Lee Arena over then-No. 3 Drury on Nov. 22 ... Casyn Buchman was named All-MIAA Second Team while Taylor Ignoto and Honor Duvall garned Honorable Mention nods.

MIAA Preseason Poll
Emporia State topped the preseason poll with 13 first-place votes and 169 total points after an Elite Eight berth last season ... Fort Hays State, which hosted the NCAA Central Regional last year, had one first-place vote and 147 points while Central Missouri (135 points), Pittsburg State (128 points) and Missouri Western (124 points) rounded out the top five ... Washburn (103 points) was in sixth, just ahead of Central Oklahoma's 102 points ... the complete MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll can be found on page six of the game notes.