OPENING TIP

>> Washburn women's basketball will open its home schedule on Thursday (Nov. 14) with a non-conference game against the Bethel College Threshers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Lee Arena.

>> The Ichabods split the opening weekend games at the MIAA/GAC Conference Challenge hosted by Pittsburg State.

>> Despite outscoring last year's NCAA national runner-up in the second quarter, No. 20 Southwestern Oklahoma State was too much for Washburn and defeated the Ichabods, 80-62.

>> Washburn bounced back the following day to win 89-88 against Oklahoma Baptist. Freshman Abby Oliver hit the game-winning free throw with one second left in regulation.

>> The Bethel Threshers finished with the exact same record as the Ichabods last season, going 20-10.

>> The Threshers are currently 2-2 and are set to play Southwestern College on Wednesday, Nov. 13, before playing Washburn on Thursday.

>> Head coach Ron McHenry enters his 20th season leading the Washburn women's basketball program and holds an all-time record of 447-141.


ABOUT THE BETHEL THRESHERS

>> The Bethel Threshers are coming off a program-best 20-10 record last season and reached the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinals.

>> For Bethel, the game against Washburn will count as an exhibition.

>> The Threshers were picked to finish in the middle of the KCAC pack as they were tabbed sixth in the conference's preseason coaches poll.

>> The team returns nine players from last squad.

>> Abby Schmidt, an all-KCAC first-team selection and Defensive Player of the Year last season, will return for her junior season.

>> Schmidt started all 30 games and led the team in scoring with 438 points for an average of 14.6 ppg.

>> She also led the team in total rebounds (330), rebounds per game (11.0), blocks (65), and shooting percentage as she finished at the 54.6 percent mark.

>> As a freshman, Kendall Michalski averaged 8.4 ppg and dished out 48 assists.

>> Alex Bearup collected 89 rebounds and averaged 5.6 ppg last season as a freshman

>> Josie Calzonetti and Kayla Newman are also a part of this year's sophomore class who gained experience last season.

>> In four games this season, the Threshers are shooting 40.0 percent from the field and are 34.6 percent from behind the arc.

>> Schmidt is averaging 15 ppg and 14.8 rpg.

>> Michalski is a threat from distance as she has made 8-of-19 three-point attempts.


HEAD COACH DREW JOHNSON

>> Drew Johnson is in his third year leading the Threshers.

>> In his two seasons at the helm, he has turned around the program and culminated a record of 32-30.

>> He led the team to their program record breaking season in 2018-19 as they won 20 games.

>> Prior to joining Bethel, Johnson gained nine years of experience coaching high school basketball.


SERIES WITH BETHEL

>> Washburn leads the all-time series, 3-0.

>> The two teams have not met since December 7, 1987 when Washburn won 77-38.

>> The first two meetings of the series were played at Lee Arena in 1982 and January of 1987


LAST TIME OUT FOR BETHEL (Nov. 6, 2019)

BETHEL 53

HASTINGS 77

NORTH NEWTON, Kan. - The Bethel Threshers (2-2) played host to the Hastings Broncos (4-0), currently the #16 team in the NAIA. The Threshers hung around with their adversaries through the first quarter, and ultimately would have stayed in the game had it not been for a game-changing 23-10 second quarter for the Broncos to open up the game. Bethel's 31 turnovers did not make things any easier either, as the Threshers fell in the contest 77-53.

FIRST QUARTER: A three-pointer knocked in by Kelsi Fitzgerald at the 8:22 mark in the first quarter gave Bethel their first and only lead of the contest, at 3-2. The Broncos seized it from there but had to fight off a persistent Thresher squad in the first quarter, led by Fitzgerald and Brielle Hampton. Bethel brought it within one point a couple of different times in the first quarter, but already had to deal with the negatives of turnovers as they recorded eight in the first 10 minutes of play. Hastings took an 18-12 lead into the next period.

SECOND QUARTER: Buckets from Abby Schmidt and Hampton brought Bethel within two points to start the second quarter, but the Broncos answered with seven-straight. This swung the momentum entirely in Hastings' direction as their squad began racking up the points. Hastings pushed their lead as high as a 21-point deficit before the final seconds of the quarter ticked away, and Bethel was forced into the lockerroom with a 41-22 scoring margin to focus on.

THIRD QUARTER: The Broncos withstood a couple of three-point plays by the Threshers in the third quarter, primarily by sticking to their strategy of full-court pressure and laying into a quick transition offense. Their lead would grow as high as 25 points, and the Threshers went into the final quarter trailing 61-38.

FOURTH QUARTER: Josie Calzonetti was able to make good on a second three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but the Threshers were unable to rally a true comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. Both sides' reserve players were called in to play out the final four minutes of action, which ended with Bethel falling 77-53.

STATS: Josie Calzonetti led the Threshers with 12 points and seven rebounds. Lindsey Heim finished with nine points, Brielle Hampton had eight points, while Abby Schmidt contributed seven points with seven rebounds.


LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Nov. 9, 2019)

WASHBURN 89 (1-1)

OKLAHOMA BAPTIST 88 (0-2)

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods placed five scorers in double figures and hit a free throw with one second remaining to top Oklahoma Baptist 89-88 to even its record at 1-1 on the second day of the MIAA/GAC Challenge.

Abby Oliver hit the first of two free throws with one second to play breaking an 88-all tie to push Washburn to the win.

Washburn trailed 28-26 at the end of the first quarter, but outscored the Bison 24 to 18 in the second quarter taking a 50-46 lead into the break. After being outscored in the third quarter 29 to 21, Washburn held the Bison to 13 fourth quarter points.

With 4:44 to go, the Bison went up 86-84, but a pair of free throws by Alexis McAfee with 3:39 remaining tied the score back at 86-all. Oliver would hit two free throws after being fouled with 2:04 to go pushing Washburn back up two at 88-86. The Bison tied the score on their next possession with 1:49 left, but missed their next two field goal attempts leading to the foul of Oliver with one second left after she drove to the basket, picked up her own offensive rebound and then was fouled on the put back.

Reagan Phelan led the Ichabods with 26 points adding three rebounds and three assists and McAfee recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Mia Castaneda scored 19 hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers and Oliver and Hunter Bentley each had 10 points.

The Ichabods shot 46 percent from the field for the game hitting 11 of 28 3-pointers overall and 16 of 22 free throws. After shooting 63 percent in the first half (17 of 27), the Bison were held of 47 percent (14 of 30) from the field in the second half hitting 18 of 21 free throws overall.

The Ichabods were out-rebounded 34 to 32, but turned 12 Oklahoma Baptist turnovers into 19 points in a game which saw nine lead changes.


DOUBLE-DOUBLE THIS THIS

>> Hunter Bentley and Alexis McAfee have both registered a double-double already this season.

>> Bentley notched her third career game for double-digits in points and rebounds as she netted 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against No. 20 Southwestern Oklahoma State.

>> For McAfee, she finished with her fifth double-double in the game against Oklahoma Baptist with the same stats as Bentley in the game before, 12 points and 11 rebounds.


THREE PARTY

>> The Ichabods were 9-of-18 from the three-point linein the first half against Oklahoma Baptist.

>> Phelan tied a career-best with five made triples.

>> Castaneda drained four three-pointers on seven attempts.


WASHBURN COACHES

>> McHenry is entering his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 446-140 (261-98 MIAA).

>> McHenry, a national champion and the WBCA Division II Coach of the Year in 2005, is a four-time MIAA Coach of the Year as well as a two-time region Coach of the Year.

>> He has led the program to eight MIAA regular season titles and seven MIAA tournament titles as well as to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.

>> His .761 winning percentage is 16th-best in Division II.

>> He was the quickest head coach to record 400 career victories in NCAA Division II women's basketball as he reached the milestone in just 512 games.

>> Became the winningest coach in Washburn women's basketball history on Dec. 18, 2018, when he earned his 432nd victory to surpass the record of his predecessor, Patty Dick (1977-2000).

>> Brette (Ulsaker) Herber begins her seventh season on the Ichabod bench as an assistant coach. Herber played for McHenry for three seasons (2007-10) and was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

>> Erika (Lane) Yoder starts her first season as an assistant coach for Washburn. She also played for McHenry from 2014 to 2017 and was a two-time all-MIAA selection.


2019-20 PRESEASON POLLS

>> Heading into the new season, the Ichabods were picked third in the 2019 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 134 total points and fourth in the media poll, tallying 217 points.

>> Leading the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll was reigning champion Fort Hays State with 10 first-place votes and 166 points. Central Missouri was voted second with four first-place votes and earned 160 points.

>> In the media poll, WU trailed Fort Hays State, Central Missouri, and Pittsburg State.


WASHBURN HISTORY

>> Washburn women's basketball is 928-424-1 (.687) all-time and will commence the 51st year of the program's history.

>> Washburn is sixth all-time in Division II in victories

>> Washburn claimed the 2005 NCAA National Championship over Seattle Pacific with a 70-53 win to cap off a 35-2 season.

>> Washburn has made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and is 26-16 all-time in those postseason games.

>> The program has won 18 total MIAA Championships, earning nine regular season conference titles and winning nine MIAA Tournament championships.

>> There have been 30 All-American awards given to Washburn players, with 11 of those coming from the WBCA.

>> Washburn has finished 14 seasons with 25 wins and four seasons with 30 victories.