Scouting the Blue Tigers
Lincoln comes into Monday off a loss at No. 3 Emporia State, and is now 6-6 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA ... LU was picked to finish 11th in the conference and at the start of 2016, is currently tied for 10th in the standings ... WU has never lost to the Blue Tigers, going 24-0 dating back to the 1980-81 season ... under head coach Ron McHenry, the Ichabods have won all eight matchups, including seven in the MIAA ... Lincoln is shooting 38.3 percent from the field and scoring 68.8 points per game, but has allowed 74.4 points per game while opponents have shot 43.7 percent on average ... the Blue Tigers hit 5.8 three-pointers per game and are a 77 percent shooting team on free throws ... rebounding-wise, the Blue Tigers grab 40.4 rebounds per game and hold a +4.1 rebounding margin in games ... three Blue Tigers, Zuri Hill (15.8 ppg), Hunter Yoakum (12.0 ppg) and Dorian Briggs (11.1 ppg) are averaging double digits on the season ... more information on series and opponent stat leaders can be found on page one of the game notes.

Last Time Out
TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn hit several key free throws down the stretch and overcame an early deficit with a strong final three quarters to defeat Lindenwood, 81-74, at home on Saturday, Jan. 2 ... The Ichabods struggled early, trailing by four (16-12) at the first quarter break, but woke up midway thru the second to come back strong and tie it, 26-all at half ... LWU opened up a nine-point lead (23-14) with 6:44 to go in the second quarter before a jumper from Erin Dohnalek started Washburn on a 12-3 run to end the half as the Ichabods held the Lady Lions to just one field goal over that span ...  
Julie Ravn, who had five points at halftime, gave the Ichabods a spark in the opening two minutes of the third quarter, scoring seven straight for the Ichabods as part of a 7-3 run that gave WU the lead for good with 8:04 to go in the third, up 33-29. ... Later in the quarter, up one (41-40) with 2:34 on the clock, the Ichabods went on a 9-0 run to grow its lead into double-digits when Alyxis Bowens started the fourth quarter scoring with a layup, up 50-40 ... Lindenwood pushed hard over the next seven minutes and soon cut the lead to one, 64-63, off a three-pointer with 2:08 to play ... Clutch free throw shooting paid off down the stretch as the Ichabods hit 14 from the charity stripe over the final two minutes to seal the first win of 2016 ... Alyxis Bowens hit 9-of-11 from the field and 10 free throws to finish with a career-best 28 points, grabbing eight rebounds to just miss a double-double ... Ravn finished 4-of-7 on three-pointers on her way to 20 points (with three assists and two steals), recording a career-high as well ... Dohnalek was third on the team with nine points ... Jayna Smith just missed a double-double as well, pulling down a team-high (and career-high) 15 rebounds to go with seven points ... Haley Pfau led the team with four assists while Smith and Ravn had three assists ... Washburn hit 27 free throws on the night, as the teams combined for 44 total free throws (on 68 total chances) ... Overall, Lindenwood was whistled for 31 fouls and had two plays foul out, while Washburn had 20 personal fouls and three Ichabods fouled out ... As a team, WU shot just 30.8 percent from the field in the first quarter but picked it up down the stretch, finishing 46.3 percent from the field for the game (including a 8-for-13, 61.5 percent effort in the fourth) ... The Ichabods were once again dominant on the boards, nearly doubling the Lady Lions' rebounding total with a plus-19 advantage (43 to 24).

Road Warriors
Washburn played nine games in its first 11 of the season, closing the 2015 portion of its schedule with a 5-4 record on the road and 2-0 at home ... the first 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 seven 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
Twice 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 59.7 points per game, which ranks third in the MIAA. 

Swat Team
Washburn is averaging 3.8 blocks per game as a team and has been swatted just 1.1 times per game on average ... the Ichabods sit fourth in the conference in overall blocks (45) and third in blocks per game, while ranking 48th and 61st in NCAA Division II in those categories (as of Dec. 18) ... Alyxis Bowens has 1.3 blocks per game while Jayna Smith and Felisha Gibbs are both at 0.6 blocks per game for the Ichabods ... Erika Lane is averaging 0.4 blocks per game.

Crashing The Boards
Washburn has outrebounded its opponent in all 11 games this season, holding a +9.5 rebounding margin per game on the year ... nationally, the Ichabods rank 15th in rebound margin and second in the MIAA, while sitting 71st in total rebounds (442) ... Jayna Smith (8.8 rpg) leads the team in rebounds per game while Felisha Gibbs (6.1 rpg) and Alyxis Bowens (5.4 rpg) are also above the 5.0 mark on average ... the team has seven 40-plus rebounding efforts on the season and is averaging 40.2 rebounds per game.

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 6-1 in games that it makes more three-pointers than its opponent and 1-3 in games that the opponent has a better mark (or tied) in that category ... as a team, the Ichabods are shooting 32.0 percent from beyond the arc on the year, averaging 6.0 three-pointers per game while limiting opponents to a 25.8 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 7-0 in games that it scores over 60 points and all four of its losses have come when an opponent reaches that mark (3-4 overall) ... when holding opponents under 60, Washburn is 5-0, and when the Ichabods score less than 60, they've won just one game (losing two).

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 (112) and rebounds per game (9.3) thru 11 games while also dishing out 37 assists (team-high) ... Smith has five double-digit rebounding efforts on the year, including a career-high 15 at home against Lindenwood on Jan. 2 ... She also had 13 rebounds at Missouri Southern on Dec. 19 and two 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 ... she has now started six straight games leading into the New Year ... Smith leads the MIAA in rebounds and rebounds per game as well.

Quick Lane
With seven double-digit scoring efforts this season, Erika Lane leads the team in that category while sitting second in scoring average (10.3 ppg) and total points (123) ... the guard had a career-high 25 points in WU's second game of the year (at Minot State) and enters the New Year with three double-digit efforts in the previous five games ... Lane's quickness has also been felt away from the hoop, defensively and offensively ... her 2.8 assists per game (and 33 total assists) is second highest on the team and she is fourth on the team in steals (five) and rebounds (44) and rebounds per game (3.7) ... the point guard has started all 12 games this season.

Balanced Scoring 
Two Ichabods, Alyxis Bowens (10.8 ppg) and Erika Lane (10.3 ppg) are averaging double-digits after the first game of the New Year, and  Erin Dohnalek is close to the mark with 9.8 points per game on average ... Felisha Gibbs is averaging 8.3 points per game ... Dohnalek has scored in double-digits six times this season, including a 17-point effort in the win over No. 3 Nova Southeastern on Nov. 26 ... Bowens had 20 points in WU's season opener at U-Mary and has scored over 10 points five times this year, including the final three games of 2015 and the first game of 2016, when she scored 28 against Lindenwood ... Julie Ravn has raised her average to 7.2 points per game thanks in part to back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts, including a 20-point game against Lindenwood on Jan. 2 ... Gibbs has hit the 10-point threshold four times this season as well.

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. 1) and Emporia State (No. 3) are top five teams and have been ranked in the Top 10 all season (Emporia State was previously No. 1) ... Missouri Western is listed 17th and Pittsburg State is receivingvotes ... from the Central Region, Winona State (No. 11), Sioux Falls (RV-33), Minnesota State-Moorhead (RV-27) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (RV-11) join the MIAA schools, and 2015-16 non-conference opponents Drury (No. 4) and Nova Southeastern (No. 10) are listed in the top 10 ... 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 194-30 (.865) 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 18 victories away from No. 400 in his career  and at Washburn with 382 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. 

Experience Up For Grabs With New Look Ichabods
Washburn returns eight letterwinners in 2015-16, though several new faces dot the program after graduating six seniors (and eight total players) from the 2014-15 squad, including four of the top five scorers ... Haley Pfau and Jayna Smith return as seniors, and Pfau is the only four-year player on WU's roster this season ... Smith led the team in rebounding (6.4 per game) and added 5.3 points per game ... junior Erika Lane is the top returning scorer, as she averaged 5.8 points per game with a 40.4 field goal percentage last season ... Lane is one of eight juniors on this year's team, a group that WU will rely heavily on ... Felisha Gibbs (6-2) is a junior who will break into the starting lineup this season after a year behind former All-MIAA selection Honor Duvall (who graduated last year) ... all told, just four Ichabods returners started at least one game last year.

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.