OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn Ichabods return to action in Lee Arena on Monday night when they will host Baker University at 7 p.m.
>> The Ichabods are 2-1 coming off an 87-46 home opener victory over Bethel on Thursday, Nov. 14.
>> The Baker Wildcats are 4-0 after defeating Graceland University 51-47 on Saturday, Nov. 16.
>> Monday's game will be an exhibition game for the Wildcats.
>> The Ichabods are 15-2 all-time when playing Baker in Lee Arena.
>> Reagan Phelan leads the Ichabods with 15.7 ppg, which is 10th in the MIAA rankings. After scoring 14 points against Bethel, Phelan has racked up 1,140 career points and moved up to 11th all-time in Washburn's record book.
>> Phelan is also tied for the most assists (10) and steals (6) on the team so far this season.
>> Mia Castaneda is also averaging double-figures with 11.7 ppg.
>> Hunter Bentley and Shelbe Piggie are at an even 10.0 ppg.
>> Alexis McAfee is the team's leading rebounder as she has pulled down 23 boards for a 7.7 rpg average.
>> Bentley is averaging 7.3 rpg and has logged 102 minutes on the court, averaging 34 minutes per game which is the fourth-highest in the MIAA.
>> Head coach Ron McHenry enters his 20th season leading the Washburn women's basketball program and holds an all-time record of 448-141.
ABOUT THE BAKER WILDCATS
>> The Baker Wildcats are coming off a 17-14 record last season and are currently 4-0.
>> Three of the Wildcats' victories have come on the road.
>> Baker entered the season tabbed eighth in the NAIA's Heart of America Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
>> Last season's HAAC honorable mentions Jodi Adkins and Abby Bird return for the Wildcats.
>> The Wildcats are averaging 60.5 points per game and are shooting .326 from the field.
>> Bird does a little bit of everything for the Wildcats as she leads the team in scoring (19.8 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg), and steals (8 total).
>> Taylor Smith has also contributed 11.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
>> Daisey Ewansiha has made a team-best five blocks.
HEAD COACH JUSTIN REES
>> Justin Rees is in his second season leading the Wildcats.
>> He has a record of 21-14 while at Baker.
>> Rees brings over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to Baker. He most recently served as the recruiting coordinator and assistant women's basketball coach at Valparaiso for four seasons.
>> He also gained prior head coaching experience as he was the head women's basketball coach at Missouri Valley College for the 2013-14 season, where the Vikings advanced to the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament semifinal game and to a 19-13 record.
>> He has been an assistant coach at William Jewell, Ferris State, and Maine.
>> Rees graduated from Barry University (Fla.).
SERIES WITH BAKER
>> Washburn leads the all-time series, 19-2, and is on a 15 game winning streak.
>> The two teams have not met since Nov. 20, 200
>> The first two meetings of the series were played at Lee Arena in 1982 and January of 1987
LAST TIME OUT FOR BAKER (Nov. 16, 2019)
Baker 51 (4-0)
Graceland 47 (1-4)
LAMONI, Iowa – Behind a strong performance from Abby Bird, the Baker women's basketball team claimed their first Heart of America win of the year as they defeated Graceland, 51-47 on Saturday.
Bird was 7-for-14 from the field, while going 7-for-9 from the free throw line to score 22 points and pull down 14 rebounds on the afternoon. Leah Vanweelden was the next highest scorer, scoring nine points in the game.
Throughout the first quarter, the Yellowjackets were able to hold a small lead, but after leading 13-10 late in the quarter, Leslie Karolina Alvarado scored with 36 seconds to go to cut the lead to 13-12 heading into the second quarter.
To start the second quarter, Baker went on a 13-4 run to take a 25-17 lead with 4:32 left in the first half. Both teams would add just one more basket for the rest of the half as Baker took a 27-19 lead into halftime.
Graceland would cut the lead to 30-27 partway through the third quarter, but Baker would pull away once again holding a 38-31 lead with just over three minutes in the quarter. Graceland would then finish the quarter on a 4-0 run to head into the final quarter trailing, 38-35.
The Yellowjackets would not go down without a fight, as they cut the Baker lead to one with just under two minutes to go, 46-45. The Wildcats would go on to sink five free throws throughout the remainder of the game, coming away with the win, 51-47.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Nov. 14, 2019)
WASHBURN 87 (2-1)
BETHEL 46 (4-2)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team outscored Bethel 31-3 in the final quarter as the Ichabods posted an 87-46 victory in their home opener Thursday night. All 17 Washburn players got in the game and senior Reagan Phelan led all scorers with 14 points and had a team-high six assists and five steals.
Alexis McAfee scored the first points of the game on a jumper and Bethel (4-2) answered with a jump shot of its own in the next possession, but the 2-2 score would be the only tie of the game as Washburn (2-1) led from that point forward. The Ichabods held a double-digit lead of 24-14 at the end of the first quarter and doubled their lead to 43-22 heading into break. Washburn was 17-of-34 (50 percent) from the floor in the opening half while Bethel shot 35 percent on 7-of-20 from the field.
The Threshers chipped away at the Ichabods' lead in the third quarter, outscoring the home team 21-13, to make it a 13 point deficit (56-43). Washburn came out hot in the final frame and went on a 28-0 scoring tear and held Bethel to just one three-pointer as its only points of the quarter with 1:41 left in the game. The Ichabods were 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) from the floor and 4-of-5 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter while the Threshers were 1-of-8 from the field.
Washburn shot 52.2 percent in the game and held Bethel to a 33.3 percentage. Phelan was 5-of-7 shooting and made 3-of-4 attempts from three-point land. McAfee and Shelbe Piggie each tallied 11 points. Macy Doebele chipped in nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and Abby Oliver pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. The Ichabods scored 40 points off of the Threshers' 28 turnovers. The Washburn bench contributed 37 points, 22 of which came in the fourth quarter.
THREE PARTY
>> Washburn has the fifth-best three-point field goal percentage in the league at .348.
>> The Ichabods hit 6-of-11 triples in the second half against Bethel.
>> Phelan has the second-highest three-point percentage in the MIAA as she has is 8-of-15 from deep for a .533 percentage.
LAST TIME AGAINST BAKER (Nov. 20, 2007)
Washburn 84
Baker 39
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 6 Washburn Lady Blues rolled to an 84-39 win over Baker hitting a school record 15 3-pointers in the process improving to 2-0 on the season.
Washburn led from start to finish as they opened up the game on a 19-3 run with 12:13 left in the first half. Washburn would increase the lead to as many as 27 in the half as they hit 15 of 34 field goal attempts while holding Baker to 6 of 23 attempts.
In the second half, it was much the same as the Lady Blues pushed the lead to as many as 49 on three different occasions holding Baker to four field goals in the second half and 10 for the game.
Janice Bright led the Lady Blues with a career-high 20 points hitting 6 of 7 from the field including a three 3-pointers. Corkey Stiger scored 19 hitting 7 of 11 from the field including five 3-pointers. Also in double figures was Brette Ulsaker who scored 11 with a team-high eight rebounds with five off of the offensive glass.
Washburn shot 47 percent for the game hitting 31 of 65 attempts overall.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is entering his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 448-140 (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).
>> McHenry played basketball and golf at Washburn University, where he graduated in 1984.
>> 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 929-424-1 (.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.
