OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team looks to bounce back after dropping both games on the road trip last week as they return home for a pair of games, first hosting Central Oklahoma (14-3, 8-1 MIAA) this Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
>> Washburn holds a record of 8-8 (2-5 MIAA) on the season after falling to No. 13 Fort Hays State, 74-61, last Saturday.
>> The Bronchos are on a five game winning streak and are coming off a 72-57 victory against Rogers State.
>> To start the 2019-20 season, Central Oklahoma was picked seventh in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and the Media Poll.
>> Washburn was tabbed third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll.
>> The Ichabods are 4-2 this season when playing in Lee Arena while the Bronchos are an undefeated 7-0 in away games.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> As a team, the Ichabods shoot 42.9 percent from the field and average 69.8 points per game.
>> Reagan Phelan leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 ppg. She has scored an even 1,300 points in her career and is 11 away from cracking the top-10 all-time scorers in Washburn history.
>> Phelan is also 15 points away from moving up to ninth on the list and surpassing Washburn Hall of Fame member Jennifer Harris.
>> Phelan also leads the team in assists with an average of 5.1 per game, which is the second-highest average in the MIAA and ranks 20th in all Division II.
>> Hunter Bentley has been doing a little bit of everything for the Ichabods this season as she averages 12.6 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg), steals (1.6 spg), and blocks (0.8 bpg).
>> She also averages a conference-leading 35 minutes per game on the hardwood.
>> Shelbe Piggie also averages double-figures at 11.6 ppg.
>> Alexis McAfee averages 9.1 ppg and is 17 points away from reaching 800 in her career at Washburn.
>> In the game against No. 13 Fort Hays State, Abby Oliver reached a new career-high as she went 6-for-8 and racked up 12 points.
>> Oliver has pulled down 71 boards this season, 37 of which have been offensive.
>> Mia Castaneda has made three-straight starts and has averaged 7.3 ppg in that span.
>> It has not been an easy line of opponents for the Ichabods this season as they have the 23rd most difficult schedule in Division II out of 312 teams listed.
>> Head Coach Ron McHenry is 229-55 all-time when coaching in Lee Arena.
ABOUT THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS
>> Central Oklahoma finished out the 2018-19 season in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals with a record of 19-12 (9-9 MIAA).
>> UCO is currently in second place in the MIAA standings with just one conference loss to Central Missouri (59-50).
>> Their other two losses of the season were in non-conference action and were both by five points.
>> UCO boasts the second-highest scoring average in the conference at 79.3 ppg.
>> Kelsey Johnson holds the highest field goal percentage in the MIAA at 60.5%.
>> She also leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounds (7.2 rpg) and ranks in the top-20 in the MIAA in both.
>> Micayla Haynes also averages double-digits with 11.8 ppg.
>> Jaci Littell contributes just under 10 points a game at 9.3 and has a 43.1% success rate so far from behind the arc, making 22-of-51 attempts.
>> Shatoya Bryson dishes out a team-high 3.4 apg and adds 8.8 ppg.
HEAD COACH GUY HARDAKER
>> Guy Hardaker is in his 14th season coaching at his alma mater and has an overall record of 263-142 during his tenure.
>> He has led UCO to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 2009 and 2011.
>> He was named the Lone Star Conference North Division Coach of the Year for the 2008-09 season.
>> Prior to joining the UCO coaching staff, he coached at the high school level for 19 years.
>> In addition to coaching both boys and girls basketball teams, he also coached golf.
>> Hardaker is 7-8 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
>> Washburn holds a tight 10-8 series advantage.
>> The Bronchos have the better record when playing in Lee Arena at 3-2.
>> The Ichabods and Bronchos last played each other in Edmond on Feb. 16, 2019. Washburn captured a resounding 74-53 victory, snapping a four game losing skid to the Bronchos.
>> Coach McHenry is 9-8 against Central Oklahoma.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Jan. 18, 2020)
WASHBURN 61 (8-8, 2-5 MIAA)
NO. 13 FORT HAYS STATE 74 (15-2, 6-2 MIAA)
HAYS, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team finished out the first quarter on a 6-0 run to tie up the game, but were held to just five points in the second quarter as the No. 13-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers took control of the game and never looked back as they claimed the 74-61 decision Saturday afternoon.
The Ichabods finished the game shooting 43.4 percent (25-of-53) from the field and 41.2 percent from deep (7-of-17) while the Tigers shot slightly better at 45.3 percent (24-of-53) and went just 4-for-14 from behind the arc. Fort Hays State made 16 more trips to the free throw line than Washburn and converted on 22 of 29 attempts while the Ichabods were 8-for-13 from the charity stripe. Both teams grabbed the exact same number of rebounds, 32, as well as nine offensive boards each. Turnovers plagued the Ichabods as they committed 18 which the Tigers turned into 24 points.
In the first quarter, the Ichabods fought back from being down 13-3 at the 6:25 mark to tying up the game at 21-all thanks to six-straight points to end the period. Washburn was 8-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from three point land in the first and missed their first shot of the quarter with just six seconds remaining.
The Tigers used a 6-0 burst to start the second quarter to break the tie and go in front, 27-21. The Ichabods responded with a Hannah Willey three-pointer, the first of her career, followed by a made jumper by Hayley Thompson to trim the deficit down to one, 27-26. Those would be the only points of the quarter for Washburn, though, as the Ichabods went scoreless for the final 6:31 of the first half while the Tigers added to their lead with 10 unanswered points and lead 37-26 at the break. As on target as the Ichabods were in the first quarter, they were quite the opposite in the second, making just 2-of-17 from the field.
Fort Hays State added two free throws to their score to start the second half, but layup by Abby Oliver followed by five-straight points by Mia Castaneda put the Ichabods back in the game, trailing 39-33. The Ichabods cut the deficit down to five at 42-37 with 6:19 on the clock, but were unable to get any closer despite outscoring the Tigers, 22-20, and shooting 69.2 percent (9-of-13) in the quarter.
The Tigers went up 59-48 early in the fourth and led by double-digits for the remainder of the game. Similar to the second quarter, the Ichabods struggled to score, going just 4-for-14 from the floor, and adding four points on free throws. Hunter Bentley hit two free throws with 10 seconds remaining for the final points of the 74-61 game.
Bentley led three Ichabods in double-digit scoring, totaling 13 points and pulling down five rebounds. Oliver was 6-for-8 from the floor en route to scoring a career-best 12 points and Shelbe Piggie finished with 10. Reagan Phelan had a team-high seven rebounds, seven assists, and chipped in eight points.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 454-148 (262-103 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 935-429-1 (.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 hosts Newman for the first time as an MIAA opponent on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m.
