Scouting the Lions
Washburn welcomes Missouri Southern to Lee Arena on Saturday, Feb. 6 for the second of two contests between the schools this season ... Washburn won the original matchup, 64-42, in Joplin, Mo., on Dec. 19 ... in that game, WU  had three Ichabods score in double-digits and held MSSU to a 23.5 percent shooting effort in the game (and only 3-of-26 in the second half) ... the Lions enter Saturday one-half game back of the Ichabods in the MIAA standings (seventh spot) ... over the last five games, MSSU is 3-2 but has dropped two straight ... over the last 10 games, MSSU is 5-5 ... the Lions have two players averaging double-digits in scoring, Sharese Jones (17.6) and Deb Holcomb (15.0), and Jones leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per contest ... as a team, MSSU is scoring 63.9 points per game and shooting 40.8 percent from the field ... defensively, the Lions are allowing 59.4 points per game and opponents are shooting 40.2 percent against Missouri Southern from the field ... MSSU is third in the MIAA in scoring defense, just behind Washburn ... more information on stat leaders and the series history can be found on page one of the game notes.

Saturday is Pink Night
Washburn Basketball will host its annual Pink Night on Feb. 6 when the Ichabods take on MSSU for a women's and men's basketball MIAA doubleheader ... In partnership with St. Francis Health in Topeka, Kan., Washburn's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) will be handing out decorated cookies for a suggested donation of $1 per cookie, or $3 for 5 cookies ... Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to a local charity in partnership with St. Francis Health to focus on battling breast cancer.

Last Time Out (Feb. 3, 2016)
TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn Women's Basketball couldn't slow a hot-shooting Pittsburg State team in a 88-57 home loss on Wednesday, Feb. 3 ... WU drops to 12-9 overall on the season and 8-7 in the MIAA while Pittsburg State is now 18-4 overall and 12-4 in the MIAA ... The Ichabods shot 37.1 percent from the field and hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line, but PSU was 21-of-31 from three-point range and shot 50.9 percent from the field, allowing the Gorillas to pull away ... Alyxis Bowens lead the Ichabods with 16 points, one ahead of Erin Dohnalek who finished with 15.  Bowens and Lane (four assists) both had six rebounds, tied for second on the team behind Jayna Smith, who finished with eight rebounds to go with nine points ... On the defensive end, Cindy Demosthene had a career-high four blocks ... Pitt State shot 9-of-10 from three-point range in the first quarter to take a 29-14 lead before WU slowed the Gorilla attack in the second ... Both teams had 13 in the second frame and WU trailed, 42-27 at half ... Washburn looked to rally in the third with an 8-2 run early, cutting the lead to nine (44-35) and forcing a PSU timeout with 7:20 on the clock,  but the Gorillas soon put the deficit back in double-digits and WU couldn't close the gap any further.

MIAA Tourney Outlook
Just into the final month of the regular season, Washburn finds itself in a fight for a position in the upper half of the MIAA Tournament seedings ... the tournament, held Feb. 29 and March 3, 5-6 at campus sites and at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, features the top 12 teams from the MIAA standings with the top four earning byes to the semifinal round ... seeds 5-8 earn first round home games against the 9-12 seeds ... As of Feb. 5, WU sits sixth in the MIAA standings, one half game ahead of Missouri Southern ... four teams, Missouri Western, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and Emporia State have already locked up berths to the MIAA Tournament and are at least three games ahead of the Ichabods in the standings ... last season, Washburn had the No. 8 seed ... the complete MIAA standings can be found on page six of the game notes.

Next Woman Up
With the absence of Felisha Gibbs in the lineup over the past four games, junior center Cindy Demosthene has seen an uptick in playing time and responsibility, and has responded in the clutch ... Demosthene played 15 minutes against Emporia State and has four rebounds with 2 points and followed with a career-high 26 minutes in the win over Central Missouri, helping limit a strong scoring attack from UCM's post, including Ashley Jones (who averages 11.6 ppg and 9.0 rpg) to just six points and six rebounds ... Demosthene also added eight points in the win while grabbing four rebounds ... against SBU, Demosthene had a career-high 13 points while just missing a double-double, adding eight rebounds ... over the Jan. 27 and 30 games, Demosthene averaged a team-high 10.5 ppg and had 6.0 rpg ... this week, Demosthene played 10 minutes against Pittsburg State and had a career-high four blocks on the defensive end.

Double Down 
Felisha Gibbs and Jayna Smith have combined for Washburn's three double-doubles this season and both have two career double-doubles at Washburn ... Gibbs put together her first two career double-doubles and nearly averaged a double-double over three games the week of Jan. 4-9, 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 ... Smith joined the double-double club against Missouri Western on Jan. 13, dropping 12 points to go with 10 rebounds for her second career double-double ... Smith also had one last season against Emporia State when she finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Post Presence
In addition to her two double-doubles on the year, Gibbs has been a go-to player down low for the Ichabods this season ... Gibbs has been close to double-doubles on two other occasions while starting all 17 games she has appeared in ... she ranks third on the team with 9.3 points per game and second on the team with 6.6 rebounds per game, raising that average up from around the 5.0 rpg mark over the last month ... Gibbs is also second in blocks on the team with 17 for the year, including 12 over the last six games she has played ... she has missed the last four games, however, with an aim to return to the court sometime in February.

Road Warriors
Washburn played nine road games in its first 11 of the season, and is 7-6 in road 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 three 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
Five 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  ... WU has also held Northwest Missouri (43), Lincoln (44), Newman (46) and Northeastern State (46) under that mark ... for the season, Washburn has held opponents to 59.0 points per game, which ranks second in the MIAA. 

Crashing The Boards
Washburn has outrebounded its opponent in 19 of 21 games this season, holding a +8.2 rebounding margin per game on the year ... nationally, the Ichabods rank 14th in rebound margin and second in the MIAA (as of Jan. 31 stats release), while sitting 79th in total rebounds (812) and 90th in rebounds per game (40.6) ... the Ichabods are also second in the MIAA in those two categories ... Jayna Smith (9.8 rpg) leads the team (and MIAA) in rebounds per game while Felisha Gibbs (6.6 rpg) and Alyxis Bowens (5.2 rpg) are also above the 5.0 mark on average ... the team has 12 40-plus rebounding efforts on the season and reached that mark in eight straight games from Dec. 5 to Jan. 9, 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 9-1 in games that it makes more three-pointers than its opponent and 3-8 in games that the opponent has a better mark (or tied) in that category ... as a team, the Ichabods are shooting 3.4 percent from beyond the arc on the year while opponents are shooting 26.8 percent.

Zero to 60
A trend has begun for the Ichabods in 2015-16, as Washburn is 9-1 in games that it scores 60 or points and eight of its nine losses have come when an opponent reaches that mark (3-8 overall) ... when holding opponents under 60, Washburn is 8-1, and when the Ichabods score less than 60, they've won just three times (losing eight 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 and has one double-double), but she has proved vital towards the team success this season ... the senior nursing major leads the team in rebounds (205) and rebounds per game (9.8) thru 21 games while also dishing out 56 assists (second-best on the team) ... Smith has 10 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 ...  she also had a career-high six steals at Southwest Baptist on Jan. 30 ... 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 ... earlier this season she reached double-digit rebounds in six consecutive games and has hit the mark in nine times in the last 14  games.

Quick Lane
With 11 double-digit scoring efforts this season, Erika Lane is tied for the team-lead in that category while sitting second in scoring average (9.5 ppg) and total points (200) ... 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 3.0 assists per game (and  64 total assists) is highest on the team and she is fourth on the team in steals (15), rebounds (81) and rebounds per game (3.9) ... the point guard has started all 21 games this season and played 40 minutes on five different occasions 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 (11.5 ppg) leads the team in scoring and has come off the bench in 11 games for the season ... Bowens has scored in double-digits 11 times this season, including back-to-back 20-plus efforts on Jan. 2 and (and six straight from Dec. 16 to Jan. 7) ... she also has seven double-digit efforts in the last nine games ... Erin Dohnalek (8.4 ppg) is fourth on the team in scoring and has not started a game this year ... Dohnalek has hit double-digits eight 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 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 seven double-digit scoring efforts while raising her scoring average to 8.0 points per game ... she leads the Ichabods with 37 made three-pointers ... she is shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.

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).

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 three of the Top 25 teams in the nation ... In conference games, WU has faced No. 5 Fort Hays State, No. 10 Missouri Western and No. 12 Emporia State (rankings at the time) and in non-conference matchups, WU has faced No. 11 Drury and No. 3 Nova Southeastern ... WU is 1-4 against ranked opponents on the season with a win over Nova Southeastern and a near-win against FHSU, during a game they lead for a majority ... WU went 1-6 against ranked opponents last season and is 49-39 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.

No. 400
Head Coach Ron McHenry is just 14 victories away from No. 400 in his career  and at Washburn with 386 wins thus far in his career ... he entered the season 26 wins away.

McHenry's Home Court Edge
The Ichabods have been dominant in years past inside Lee Arena under the direction of Ron McHenry, going 196-33 (.856) 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.

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.

Noting the WBCA Poll
Though Washburn has not been ranked nationally this season, several 2015-16 opponents and MIAA foes are listed in the Feb. 2 version of the WBCA Poll ... Fort Hays State (No. 7) and Missouri Western (No. 9) are top 10 teams along with Central Region foe Winona State (No. 10) from the NSIC ... Emporia State is tied for 16th in the poll with GAC regional opponent Arkansas Tech, and Pittsburg State is receiving votes ... also from the NSIC, Sioux Falls is receiving votes ... 2015-16 non-conference opponents Drury (No. 12) and Nova Southeastern (No. 14) are listed as well in the Top 25 ... the complete WBCA poll is on page three of the game notes.

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.