THE TIP-OFF
After opening the season with the first three games of the year on the road Washburn women's basketball begins its 2018-19 home slate as it hosts the Parrish Hotels Thanksgiving Classic at Lee Arena. The Ichabods will open against Montevallo (Ala.) on Friday before squaring off with Maryville on Saturday. Tip off for both matches are scheduled for 4 pm.

FOLLOW THE BODS
As usual, fans not in attendance can stream the action on their computer or mobile devices via The MIAA Network or tune-in Country Legends 106.9 FM (KTPK) on their radio dial as get all the Washburn play-by-play and commentary provided by Jake Lebehan and Dan Lucero. Links for stats and streaming video/radio can always be found at wusports.com/live or on the women's basketball schedule page.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
This is the second season of the Parrish Hotels Thanksgiving Classic. The 2018 edition will be held Nov. 23-24. The four-team soirée will also feature Montevallo, Maryville and Newman. 

SCOUTING MONTEVALLO
The Falcons hail from Montevallo, Alabama which has a population of 6,323 and is located about an hour south of Birmingham and a hour north of the capital city of Montgomery. Montevallo is a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC). UM comes to Topeka carrying a 3-1 mark after finishing 2017-18 with a 4-24 record and 2-18 in the GSC. The Falcons have wins this season over in-state  foes, Spring Hill and Tuskegee in addition to Saint Leo. Ranked 10th in the D2SIDA South Region Poll, the Falcons are averaging 77.0 points a game. MU is shooting .412 (112-272) from the field and .274 (17-62) from three-point distance. Sophomore forward Kourtnie Smith leads the team in rebounds (9.5) while ranking second in scoring (11.3) to Nautike Philpot who's averaging 17.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. Montevallo is led by Gary Van Atta who's in his second tenure with the Falcons. Van Atta compiled a 166-49 record over seven seasons in his tenure at Montevallo from 1989-96 during its NAIA days.

SCOUTING MARYVILLE
The Saints began the week with a 2-1 mark following a 1-1 season opening trip to Michigan before tacking on a 87-78 win against Northwest Missouri. Maryville is coming off a 7-17 season a year ago that included a 4-14 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Averaging 69.3 points a game, the Saints have four players averaging double-figure points with Kayla Stewart leading the pack with 17 a game with Jayda Jansen (12.0), Mary Barton (11.0) and Hunter Stidham (10.0) following. Stephanie Sherwood has 21 rebounds this season, averaging 7.0 a contest. Maryville is .431 (78-181) from the field, .290 (20-69) from behind the arc and .681 (32-47) from the line.

THEY GOT (NO) HISTORY
Both contests over the holiday weekend will be the first-ever meetings. Washburn is 22-4 against Division II teams from St. Louis and is undefeated (0-0) against teams The Yellowhammer State.

EARLY SUCCESS
Since taking the reins for the 2000-01 season Ron McHenry has put together 12 perfect Novembers, mostly 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 81-12 all-time under McHenry's watch. 

THAT PHELAN KID
After a quiet four-point night in the season opener Reagan Phelan is beginning to regain her All-MIAA form from a season ago as the junior is averaging 12.5 points in her last two outings. The Holyrood native began the week ranked among the best passers on the MIAA leaderboard ranking second in assists per game (5.0), seventh in total assists (15) and eighth in assist-turnover ratio (1.88), while nationally being mentioned among the Top 40 in Division II in assists per game (40th).

THE MCAFEE TOUCH
After averaging double-figures during the preseason schedule, Alexis McAfee has continued to roll as she has netted double-digit points in each of the first three games of the season. As a result, McAfee's 34 points thus far and 11.3 per game as both team-highs. Among the MIA leaders, the junior from Sabetha is 23rd in per game points and tied at 36th in points. McAfee is also getting it done on defense as she's seventh in the MIAA in steals (7) and 10th in steals per game (2.33).

YOU MY GIRL BLUE
After a quiet opening weekend scoring senior forward Taylor Blue bounced back against Rockhurst last week with a season-best 14 points. Blue is shooting .429 (9-21) on the year and has made 4 of 9 (.444) from behind the arc. On the glass, the Glendale, Arizona native began the holiday week with 10 rebounds.

POST PLAY
Washburn continues to work through the adjustment and graduation of 2017-18 All-MIAA pick, Axelle Bernard. In the last two outings for the Ichabods, McHenry has turned to international transfer Nicole Murugarren. The native of Madrid, Spain has tallied 15 points in that span and is averaging 8.0 per game this season. Murugarren biggest impact so far though has been on glass, pulling down 17 rebounds thus far for a 5.7 per game average. 

BENTLEY ROLLING
Sophomore guard Hunter Bentley has been rolling early as the Kansas City, Mo., native has found herself as the team leader in rebounds (18) and rebounds per game (6.0) while ranking 11th on the MIAA leaderboard in steals per game (2.0). Bentley has chipped in offensively averaging 6.7 points. 

ON THE GLASS
Washburn has been strong on the glass out rebounding every opponent thus far this year, including a season-best margin of +11 against Rockhurst. As a result, the Ichabods' 45.7 rebounds a game is 36th in Div. II and third in the MIAA. WU collected a season-high 53 against Augustana in the season opener.

AT THE LINE
Washburn began the week converting on 37 of 60 (.617) chances from the line and shot .577, .625 and .667 during the opening three contests respectively. The Ichabods as a result are towards the bottom half of the MIAA statistical standings. 

CHASING HISTORY
Two seasons after notching his 400th career win, head coach Ron McHenry began the 2018-19 season six wins shy of becoming the winningest coach in program-history, currently a distinction held by predecessor Patty Dick with 431. Now in his 18th season with Washburn, McHenry has eight MIAA titles with 12 trips to the NCAA Championship plus Washburn's only NCAA national title (2005).