TOPEKA, Kan. --- Washburn hits the road Saturday as it visits Lindenwood for conference play slated for 1:30 pm. The Ichabods are coming off a 57-39 victory against Nebraska-Kearney last week and have opened the MIAA schedule at 2-0.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
• Lindenwood entered the week 7-2 overall with a pair of losses to open conference play.
• Lindenwood's losses were attributed to Pitt State (87-75) and Missouri Southern (78-75).
• All of the Lions victories this seasons have been in double-digit fashion with the smaller margin being a 13-point decision over Illinois-Springfield (77-64) with an 83-point victory (113-30) over Central Christian College of the Bible marked as their largest of the season.
• The Lion offense however is tops in the MIAA in scoring offense (83.6/game), scoring margin (+28.6/game), field goal shooting (.489), field goal defense (.343), three-point defense (.244) and rebounding margin (+13.8/game).
• Lindenwood is also among the conference's top five in steals (2nd, 11.6/game), rebounds (2nd, 43.6/game), and blocked shots (3rd, 4.4/game) while converting 75 percent from the line (4th) and 34.3 percent from distance (5th).
• Kallie Bildner is second in the MIAA and paces the Lion offense with 19.6 points/game while leading both the conference and her team with 12.3 rebounds/game. Bildner has converted 81.6 percent from the line this season.
• Gabby Walker also averages double-figure scoring with 14.1/game while pulling down 6.5 boards. Walker's 62.9 percent shooting from the field is second in the MIAA.
• Lindsay Medlen's five assists/game is second among conference.
• Tony Francis is in his ninth season as the Lions' head coach and entered the year with a cumulative 89-109 record.
• Lindenwood finished the 2016-17 campaign 14-16 overall and qualified for the MIAA tournament at 7-12.
THEY GOT HISTORY
The trip to St. Charles Saturday will mark the teams' ninth all-time meeting as the series began on Nov. 23, 1987. Washburn leads the series 6-2 including wins in its last three outings and a 3-1 mark when playing on Lindenwood's home floor. The Lions' last win at against Washburn was Dec. 20, 2014 (70-64). The Ichabods last visit to Hyland Arena was on Feb. 13 of last season and was a 70-60 win.
FINDING A WAY
The Ichabods are 4-0 this season in games decided by three points or less and have overcome varying deficits with five minutes left in regulation on three occasions. Washburn has only played overtime basketball once this season, a 78-67 win against UMary (11/11/17).
FIVE GOOD MINUTES
In the last five minutes of games this season, Washburn has outscored opponents 104-66, while averaging 11.6 points during that stretch. The Ichabods are shooting .420 from the floor, .400 from long range and have converted 34-of-52 (.654) from the line. Opponents meanwhile are .354 from the field, .152 from three-point land and 13-of-28 (.464) from the charity stripe.
STARTING FIVE
The Ichabods have three different starting lineups this season. As a group, Washburn starters average 50.4 points/game while outscoring opponents, 454-377. The starting five is shooting .438 from the floor, .357 from behind the arc and .726 (82-113) from the line.
AWAY FROM LEE ARENA
The Ichabods are 2-1 this season playing at either a neutral or road court. The lone loss came on the road when the team faced Newman on Nov. 28. Washburn is shooting .386 from the field , .389 from distance, and .623 from the line.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Under head coach Ron McHenry, Washburn is 213-44 all-time when playing at Lee Arena dating back to the 2000-01 campaign. Since opening prior to the 1984-85 season, Washburn has complied an impressive 407-89 all-time record at Lee Arena.
A WIN...
• is better than a lose.
• pushes the Ichabods to 9-1 overall, 3-0 in the MIAA
• matches Washburn's best start to conference play since 2012-13 season.
• gives Ron McHenry 415 career wins, 16 shy of tying Patty Dick's Washburn record.
ON THIS DATE
Washburn is 6-1 when playing on Dec. 16, including a 4-1 mark under head coach Ron McHenry. Historically, this date marks the 244th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party incident and the 64th anniversary of the first-ever White House press conference head by President Eisenhower.
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
Washburn opened its MIAA schedule with wins over Fort Hays State (62-59) and Nebraska-Kearney (57-39) at Lee Arena. The Ichabods overcame a 14-point deficit midway through the third quarter for the win. Washburn received double-figure scoring from Alexis McAfee (18), Reagan Phelan (17) and Mackenzie Loe (15) against FHSU. The Ichabods cruised past the Lopers on Saturday as it held them .264 shooting and limited UNK to just one field goal during the fourth. Taylor Blue had a game-high 18 points while Phelan followed with 10.
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 881-392-1 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
Washburn will face Lincoln on Monday in Jefferson City, tip off is slated 5:30 pm.
