OPENING TIP
>> After a four game homestand, the Washburn women's basketball team hits the road this week first taking on Nebraska-Kearney (15-2, 4-2 MIAA) on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
>> Washburn defeated Northwest Missouri, 59-43, last time out and improved to 8-6 (2-3 MIAA).
>> The Lopers are on a three game winning streak and topped Northeastern State, 69-46, last time out.
>> The Lopers were picked sixth in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and in the Preseason Media Poll.
>> Washburn was tabbed third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll.
>> The Ichabods are 1-3 in away games this season and the Lopers are 8-1 at home.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> As a team, the Ichabods are shooting 43.7% from the field and 33.9% from behind the arc.
>> Reagan Phelan leads the Ichabods in scoring at 13.4 ppg and in assists with 74 total.
>> Hunter Bentley is averaging 12.9 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (7.4 rpg), blocks (12 total), steals (1.6 spg), and minutes (35.1 mpg).
>> Bentley has also scored double-digits in seven-straight games.
>> Shelbe Piggie is shooting 47.5% from the field and averages 12.3 ppg.
>> Alexis McAfee is just shy of the 10 point mark as she averages 9.4 ppg and is the second-leading rebounder on the team with 5.9 boards per game.
>> Mia Castaneda is the leading scorer off the bench, averaging 6.7 ppg, and is six points away from reaching 100 in a Washburn uniform.
>> Hayley Thompson leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 68.4% and making 39-of-57 attempts from the floor. She recorded her first career three-pointer with a quarter ending buzzer beater against the Bearcats.
>> Katie Glatczak made her first career start for the Ichabods against NWMSU and scored the first bucket of the game.
ICHABOD LEADERS IN THE MIAA
>> Washburn has the fifth-highest three-point field goal percentage in the league at 33.9% and averages 7.4 triples per game.
>> Phelan is second in the MIAA with 74 total assists with an average of 5.3 apg. Her average also rank her 19th in the nation.
>> Bentley is 10th in the conference in rebounds per game as she averages 7.4 and McAfee sits at 14th with 5.9 rpg.
>> She is also fifth in the MIAA in free throw percentage, converting on 37-of-45 (.822) attempts from the charity stripe.
>> The junior has also logged a conference leading 35.1 minutes per game.
ABOUT THE NEBRASKA-KEARNEY LOPERS
>> The Lopers are currently 15-2 (4-2 MIAA) and have won the last three-straight games.
>> UNK has already matched its overall win total from last season as it finished with a record of 15-14 (8-11 MIAA).
>> The Lopers rank in the top-two in the MIAA for several categories. They lead the league in scoring average (81.6), three-point field goal percentage (37%), and rebounds (719 total; 42.3 rpg).
>> They are also second in field goal percentage (46.9%) and have held their opponents to the second-lowest scoring average (53.8).
>> The Lopers have scored over 100 points in three games and have hit 90 or more twice.
>> Haley Simental averages 12.1 ppg and has made 35-of-76 (.461) attempts from behind the arc.
>> Klaire Kirsch is seventh in the MIAA in rebound average at 7.8 rpg.
HEAD COACH CARRIE EIGHMEY
>> Carrie Eighmey is in her fifth season leading the Lopers and holds a record of 79-53.
>> The Lopers have reached the MIAA Tournament all four seasons since Eighmey took over.
>> Prior to joining UNK, Eighmey was the head coach at her alma mater, Hastings College. In three seasons (2012-15), she compiled a record of 68-31 including an NAIA Final Four and an NAIA Elite Eight appearance.
>> She was also an assistant at Fort Hays State (2008-12) and started out as an assistant at Hastings (2004-08) right after she graduated.
>> As a student-athlete at HC, she was named a first team All-American her senior year and finished with program records for career assists and steals. She was also a part of back-to-back NAIA National titles in 2002 and 2003.
>> Eighmey is joined on the UNK bench by her husband, who has been an assistant coach since 2015.
>> She is 1-5 when coaching against Washburn.
SERIES WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
>> Washburn holds a 27-12 series advantage over Nebraska-Kearney and has won seven of the last eight meetings.
>> The Ichabods claimed a 62-60 overtime victory the last time these two teams met back on Jan. 16, 2019.
>> Washburn is 14-6 on the road against the Lopers.
>> Coach McHenry is 11-2 when facing the Lopers and is 6-1 when playing them in Kearney.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Jan. 11, 2020)
MISSOURI WESTERN 43 (8-7, 3-3 MIAA)
WASHBURN 59 (8-6, 2-3 MIAA)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Strong defense helped the Washburn women's basketball team capture a 59-43 victory at home Saturday afternoon as the Ichabods held the Northwest Missouri Bearcats to just 26 percent shooting from the field. With the victory, Washburn moves up to 8-6 on the season and 2-3 in MIAA play while the Bearcats fall to 8-7 and 3-3 in the MIAA.
The Ichabods out shot the Bearcats by 21 percent as Washburn finished at 47.1 percent (24-for-51). The home team also dominated on the glass, pulling down 44 rebounds to the Bearcats' 23. Northwest Missouri was 5-for-25 from three-point land, accounting for over half of its points in the game, while scoring just 10 points in the paint to Washburn's 30.
Redshirt freshman Katie Glatczak made her first career start and got things rolling for the Ichabods in a hurry as she hit a jumper for first collegiate points just seconds into the game. The Bearcats evened the score at 3 and then 9, but a made shot by Hayley Thompson with 20 seconds left in the opening period gave Washburn an 11-9 advantage.
Washburn rattled off six unanswered points to start the second half and then put together a 7-0 spurt in the middle of the quarter to go up by double-figures, 24-10. Northwest Missouri clawed back in the final three minutes with a 6-2 run to head into the locker room down 26-20. The Ichabods were 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from the floor in the second quarter while limiting the Bearcats to three made buckets (3-for-12; 25 percent).
The two teams exchanged buckets for a majority of the third before Shelbe Piggie went on a 4-0 run for Washburn, starting with an old fashioned three-point play followed by another free throw at the 1:48 mark to put the Ichabods in front, 36-29. Northwest Missouri hit a pair of free throws with six seconds left and Washburn in-bounded the ball to Thompson who connected on a half court heave at the buzzer to send the Ichabods into the final period with a 39-31 lead.
The Ichabods continued to add to their lead throughout the fourth quarter, going up by as many as 18 points with 4:59 on the clock after a jumper from Thompson. Sabela Reigosa added the final points of the game on a made layup with nine seconds left to cap off Washburn's 59-43 victory.
Hunter Bentley notched her third double-double of the season as she led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds while also grabbing two steals. Piggie and Thompson each chipped in 11 points. Thompson finished the day 5-for-6 from the field, including her first career three-pointer. Reagan Phelan dished out five assists and contributed nine points.
Erika Schlosser paced the Bearcats with 16 points and Mallory McConkey pulled down six rebounds.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 454-146 (262-101 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 is in 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 is in 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.
WASHBURN HISTORY
>> Washburn women's basketball is 935-428-1 (.687) all-time and is in the 51st season of the program's history.
>> Washburn is tied for seventh 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.
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD
>> Washburn will finish out the week at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan., on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off against No. 13 Fort Hays State is set for 2 p.m.
