THE TIP-OFF
Washburn makes its first MIAA Championship semifinal appearance in six seasons on Saturday at 6 pm, when it squares off against top-seeded Fort Hays State at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. Saturday's matchup will be the 82nd all-time, with the Ichabods leading the series, 47-34, but fell to the nationally-ranked Tigers, 59-51, earlier in the year. The Ichabods are making their 29th consecutive tournament appearance and 19th under the watch of head coach Ron McHenry.
ON THE CALL
Saturday's game will be streamed online through The MIAA Network (themiaanetwork.com) or on The MIAA Network app available on Apple TV, Roku and GooglePlay. The contest can also be heard by turning your radio dial to KTPK 106.9 FM in Topeka or by visiting wusports.com/live for a streamed link for those outside the Topeka area. Jake Lebahn (play-by-play) and Dan Lucero (commentary) will call the action with the pregame show starting 20 minutes prior to tip-off.
PREVIEWING FORT HAYS STATE
The Tigers enter Saturday carrying a 13-game win and ranked third in the WBCA poll released on March 5. Fort Hays State, 28-1 overall, began the tournament as No. 1-seed after going 18-1 in MIAA play, advancing to the tournament semifinal with a 71-58 win over Missouri Western on Thursday. FHSU is led by MIAA Player of the Year Tatyana Legette who's averaging 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season. The Tigers are also receiving significant scoring contributions from Lanie Paige (12.1 ppg), Kacey Kennett (11.1) and Belle Barbieri (10.4).
#MIAAMADNESS
» Dating back to 2003, Washburn is 26-6 when playing MIAA Tournament games in the City of Fountains.
» In four MIAA Tournament games, Phelan is averages 12.8 points with 3.0 assists per game, while McAfee has amassed 40 points in three career MIAA Tournament appearances.
» All-time in MIAA history, Washburn is 39-18 in the conference postseason gala dating back to 1991.
» The Ichabods are 11-6 in the semifinals and 4-3 when playing ranked opponents during the tournament play.
START ME UP
Head coach Ron McHenry has used four different starting lineups this season, however none more than the Phelan, McAfee, Bentley, Blue and Nicole Murugarren, as Washburn is 15-5. The last time McHenry went with a different lineup was Dec. 8 when Washburn hosted Central Missouri at Lee Arena.
REAGAN MAKING MOVES, UP THE CHARTS
On Feb. 6, Phelan became the Washburn's 23rd member of the 1,000-point club and first since Laura Kinderknecht during the 2012-13 season. Phelan's 1,082 career points heading into Friday is good for 16th-best on the Washburn all-time scoring list and is 132nd among active Division II leaders. Phelan is also ninth on the three-point list with 119 career made triples, one shy of passing Alison Garrett who is listed eighth with 120 career three-pointers.
MIAA HONORS
Prior to the start of the MIAA Championship later this week, the conference office announced late Tuesday that four Washburn Ichabods garnered all-conference honors. Phelan led the quartet as she picked up second team honors for second consecutive season, while Blue, McAfee and Bentley each received an honorable mention nod.
HISTORY MAC-KER
On Dec. 18, with a decisive victory over Embry-Riddle (Fla.), head coach Ron McHenry surpassed Patty Dick as the all-time leader wins as he notched No. 432. McHenry's latest accomplishment comes nearly two seasons after notching his 400th career win. Now in his 19th season with Washburn, McHenry has eight MIAA titles with 12 trips to the NCAA Championship plus Washburn's only NCAA national title (2005).
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
The 2018-19 academic year marks the 50th season of women's athletics at Washburn University, which began with volleyball, basketball, softball, field hockey and gymnastics. Although, field hockey and gymnastics are no longer available, the offerings for female student-athletes has grown to eight sports with the addition of soccer, tennis, and cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field.
