TOPEKA, Kan. --- Washburn will face its first true road test of the season on Tuesday when the Ichabods go to Wichita to square off against in-state foe, Newman. Tip off from Fugate Gymnasium is scheduled for 5:30 pm and will be part of a doubleheader with the men's team.
SCOUTING JETS
Newman goes into Tuesday looking to snap a two-game skid and improve on its 5-4 mark. NU is 1-2 this season when facing MIAA opponents this season, falling to Nebraska-Kearney (79-74/OT) and Fort Hays State (76-63) before getting the best of Emporia State (74-66). The Jets are flying high as the second-best offense in the Heartland Conference scoring 73.6 points/game while their defense is third allowing 59.6 points/game. Through nine games, Newman is shooting .437 from the field, .341 from three-point range and .768 from the line. Jets opponents meanwhile have shot .351 overall with a .276 completion rate from distance. The Jet attack is led by Hannah Alexander (15.0), Bria DeGrate (11.0) and Abbey George (10.0) with each averaging double-figure points. Erica Olerich is the team's top rebounder pulling down 6.4/game.
HELLO NEWMAN...
Tuesday's showdown will be the Ichabods' ninth all-time meeting with the Jets. Washburn leads the series 7-1 and has won the last five meetings. Dec. 9, 1975 was the first (and last) time the Washburn faced the Jets on their home court. Washburn and Newman played each other just twice since the turn of the century, once during the 2014-15 season (Nov. 29) and again the following season on Nov. 18.
FIVE GOOD MINUTES
In the last five minutes this season, Washburn has outscored opponents 88-50, while averaging 14.7 points during that stretch. The Ichabods are shooting .481 from the floor, .435 from long range and has converted 28-of-42 (.667) from the line. Opponents meanwhile are .340 from the field, .148 from three-point land and 12-of-26 (.462) from the charity stripe.
STARTING FIVE
The Ichabods have used just two different starting lineups this season. As a group, Washburn starters average 55.3 points/game while outscoring opponents, 332-277. The starting five is shooting .464 from the floor, .349 from behind the arc and .734 from the line.
TURNING TO THE BENCH
Through six games, the Ichabod bench has been key in team's early success, accounting for 134-of-466 points. The Washburn bench on average has outscored opponents, 134-73, and is averaging 22.3 points/game. Denesia Smith leads all bench players in minutes (23.0/game) while posting a team-best 18 assists. Hunter Bentley is second in minutes (16.4/game) while topping the list with 2.4 boards a contest. Olivia Montague has also shown to be a threat when called upon as she's among the team leaders in three-pointers made (6).
A WIN...
...is better than a lose ... pushes Washburn to 7-0 for the first time since 2014-15 and seventh time under head coach Ron McHenry ... gives Ron McHenry 413 career wins.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Under head coach Ron McHenry, Washburn is 211-44 all-time when playing at Lee Arena dating back to the 2000-01 campaign.
ON THIS DATE
Washburn is 8-3 all-time when playing on Nov. 28 with its first game have been played during the 1980-81 campaign against Truman State. Tuesday's game will also be just the second true road game for Ichabods in the program's history -- first was against Palm Beach Atlantic during the 2015-16 campaign.
EARLY SUCCESS
Since taking the reins for the 2000-01 season Ron McHenry has put together 12 perfect Novembers, including a 6-0 mark during the 2014-15 season. Washburn has never loss more than two games during the opening month of the season and is 80-9 in November.
WEEKEND WRAP-UP
Washburn finished the Parrish Hotels Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 24-25) as the lone undefeated team with wins against St. Cloud State and Truman State. Alexis McAfee's trey gave the Ichabods a late lead which they held for a 58-55 win Friday over SCSU. Taylor Blue's buzzer-beating jumper lifted Washburn past the Bulldogs on Saturday, 68-67, after trailing by as much as 13 midway through the fourth quarter. Reagan Phelan averaged 19 points netting 16 against the Huskies and a season-high 22 against TSU.
FOLLOW THE BODS
Fans can follow the Ichabods all-season long by listening to Country 106.9 with Jake Lebahn and Dan Lucero calling the action. Live stats for all games will be made available, with conference contests being streamed through the MIAA Network. All links can be found on wusports.com/live or the women's schedule page.
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
Washburn was projected to finish eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Central Missouri topped the listed with seven first-place votes. Last season's regular-season champion Pittsburg State garnered four first-place nods as it was placed second. Tournament champion Emporia State was picked third as it received two first-place votes. Central Oklahoma took fourth with one first-place vote, while Fort Hays State rounded out the top five. Missouri Western and Lindenwood were each predicted higher than the Ichabods, taking sixth and seventh respectively. Southwest Baptist and Nebraska-Kearney trailed accordingly with Missouri Southern at No. 11. Northwest Missouri landed at No. 12 with Northeastern State and Lincoln taking the final two spots.
WASHBURN TRADITION
The 2017-18 campaign marks the 49th season of Washburn women's basketball. The program is 888-405-1 all-time, has seen 23 seasons with at least 20 wins, and 17 appearances NCAA Division II Tournament appearances with the 2004-05 team crowned as national champions. From Jan. 26, 2005 to Mar. 11, 2006, Washburn won 51 consecutive games. The streak is the longest in NCAA Division II and sixth all-time in NCAA history.
UP NEXT
The Ichabods will open the MIAA portion of their schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 6, when they host Fort Hays State before continuing league on Saturday when they welcome Nebraska-Kearney to Lee Arena. Wednesday's match-up with the Tigers is slated for 5:30 pm while tip-off with the Lopers for Saturday is at 5 pm. Tickets for both games are available at the Washburn Athletics box office or by visiting wutickets.com.
