TIPPING OFF
• Washburn women's basketball will try to end a three-game skid on Wednesday when it returns to Lee Arena to face Missouri Western with tip-off slated for 5:30 pm.
• The Ichabods are 14-8 overall and 6-7 in the MIAA, and began the week tied for eighth in the conference standings with Southwest Baptist.
• The Ichabods have hit a rough patch with just two wins in their last nine games after going 11-1 during the first half of the season. 
• Reagan Phelan leads the team in scoring with 15.0 points/game and is making 40.4 percent (107-265)attempts from the field.
• On Jan. 14, Reagan Phelan become the third player in program-history to score 32 points in a single-game and first player with at least 30 in over six seasons.
• Alexis McAfee is the team leader from the charity stripe making 42 of 50 attempts (.840).
• Axelle Bernard is the team's block and rebound leader,  averaging 2.1 blocks and 8.7 boards a game.

FOLLOW THE BODS
Jake Lebahn (play-by-play) and Dan Lucero (analyst) will call the action and can be heard on the MIAA Network and Country 106.9 FM. Links for stats, video and radio can be found at wusports.com/live or the women's basketball schedule page.

ON THE GLASS
• For the season, Washburn has collected 861 rebounds, averaging 39.1 a game.
• Of the season total, WU has 227 offensive boards.
• The Ichabods have accounted for roughly 23 percent (199) of their season rebounds within the last five games while boasting a +20 margin over opponents (179). 
• Bernard alone has registered 52 boards.
• The Ichabods have controlled the offensive glass out rebounding opponents, 66-54, over the last five games.
• Washburn is averaging 39.8 rebounds during the five game stretch.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
• WU is ranked fifth in the MIAA in scoring defense (61.8 ppg) and 77th among NCAA Division II leaders. 
• The Ichabods are also listed fourth in the MIAA in FG% defense (.380).
• WU's 7.6 steals/game is the league's sixth-best mark.
• Washburn is listed seventh in the MIAA in forced turnovers per game (15.7).
• Bernard is listed among the nation's top 35 in total blocks (35th, 46) and blocks/game (34th, 2.1) ... those numbers place her second-overall in the MIAA for both categories.
• Bernard is also among the top 100 rebounders in Div. II, placing 74th in total rebounds (192), 86th in per game average (8.7), and 51st in defensive boards per game (7.0). 
• Phelan's 44 total steals and 2.0/game has her listed third among MIAA leaders in both categories.

THE STARTING FIVE
• The Ichabods have rolled out four different starting lineups this season with the Bernard, Phelan, McAfee and Taylor Blue being the constants in each variation.
• The collective group average about 50 points a game (50.5) for the season, while putting up 49.1 against the MIAA.
• Against the MIAA, starters are shooting .397 on FGs, .299 on 3FG, .806 on FTs.
• McAfee, Phelan and Bernard are each listed among the program's top 20 in minutes per game ... McAfee is fifth, Phelan is seventh and Bernard 16th.

PLAYER NOTES
• Phelan is 37 points shy of tying Emily Shopper (1995-97) for 40th on the Washburn all-time points list with 693.
• Bernard entered the week tied with Bojana Smardziska (2005-06) for sixth on the single-season block charts (46) ... the Awans, Belgium product is one shy of cracking single-season top five and 14 short of the single-season record (60) set by Brenda Shaffer-Dahl in 1988-89.
• McAfee has scored double-figure points in six of the last seven contests.
• Mackenize Loe is fourth third on the team in scoring (9.3/game) ... averages 16.4 minutes off the bench.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• This is the 34th season that Washburn men's and women's basketball have called Lee Arena home, with women's basketball owning a 411-94 mark (.818) in the venue.
• The 500th women's game at Lee Arena was played last Thursday (1/11/18) vs Northeastern State.
• Under head coach Ron McHenry, Washburn is 216-46 all-time when playing at Lee Arena dating back to the 2000-01 campaign. 
• Washburn is 9-4 this season playing at Lee Arena.
• WU ranked sixth in Div. II in attendance last season as it averaged 1,468 fans through 18 games. The Ichabods have been among nation's top drawing teams finishing in the top 10 since the 2000-01 campaign.

ABOUT MISSOURI WESTERN
• The Griffons come to Lee Arena at 11-11 overall with a 4-9 mark in the MIAA, where they are listed 11th in the standings.
• MWSU ended last week with a 57-44 win over Lincoln to snap an eight-game skid which included an overtime loss (80-76) to Central Missouri and a double overtime loss (86-82) from Southwest Baptist.
• Ravaged by the injury bug, MWSU added Paige Phipps who spent the last four seasons playing for the Griffons' soccer team ... the team also had all three of their six-footers healthy at the same time last Thursday, marking the first time since Jan. 13, a stretch of four-games.
• Brittany Atkins is the team's leader scoring (13.7 ppg) but hasn't appeared for MWSU since Dec. 30.
• Melia Richardson is the only Griffon this season to start and play every game ... Richardson averages 34.8 minutes, 2.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 11.0 ppg.
• Among the MIAA, MWSU is 12th in scoring (64.5 ppg), fourth in defensive scoring (60.6 ppg), eighth in FG% (.418), ninth in 3FG% (.319), and have the league's fourth-best turnover margin (+3.5).

A LIL' BIT OF HISTORY
• Wednesday will be the 93rd all-time meeting between Washburn and Missouri Western.
• The Ichabods lead the series, 47-29.
• In Topeka, Washburn is 26-15 all-time with a 23-11 mark in games played at Lee Arena.
• In St. Joseph, the Griffons hold a 25-20 mark over Washburn.
• Last season the teams met once, with Washburn defeating a ranked MWSU, 57-55 in St. Joe.
• Washburn's last home win against MWSU was on Jan. 3, 2015 (78-71).

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.

UPCOMING ON THE SCHEDULE
• The Ichabods close the 2018 home schedule with Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 10 vs. NW Missouri (1 pm).
• Washburn will close the season on the road against Emporia State (2/13), Southwest Baptist (2/17), Central Oklahoma (2/22) and Northeastern State (2/24).
• First round of the MIAA Tournament is slated for Feb. 26, location to be announced.