OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team is set for a two-game road swing to Oklahoma this week starting Thursday at Northeastern State.
>> The Ichabods have won five of their last six games and are 13-9 (7-6 MIAA).
>> The RiverHawks are on a four game skid and sit at 5-16 (3-11 MIAA).
>> Washburn defeated Northeastern State, 73-60, in Lee Arena on Valentine's Day of last year.
>> Northeastern State was picked 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and 13th in the Media Poll.
>> Washburn was tabbed third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll.
>> The Ichabods are 2-6 on the road while the RiverHawks are 5-7 at home.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> Hunter Bentley scored a season-high 22 points against Pittsburg State while also adding eight rebounds, five assists, five steals, and one block.
>> Bentley leads the team in scoring (13 ppg), rebounds (7.2 rpg), free throw percentage (79%), blocks (0.6 bpg), and steals (2.0 spg).
>> She leads the league in minutes played as she logs 35 per game.
>> Shelbe Piggie recorded her 18th overall and seventh-consecutive game in double-figures on Thursday night and is averaging 12.6 ppg.
>> She is 27 points away from reaching the 500 career point mark in just two seasons at Washburn.
>> Reagan Phelan contributes 12.5 ppg and leads the team in assists with 4.9 per game, which is second in the MIAA and 31st in Division II. She currently has 413 career assists and is four away from moving up to fourth all-time in Washburn's record books.
>> She also now has sole possession as the seventh-highest scorer in Washburn's history with 1,369 career points.
>> Alexis McAfee has totaled double-figures in three-straight games and averages 9.7 ppg to go with 5.8 rpg.
>> Against Pittsburg State, she was 6-for-7 from the field en route to 13 points.
>> Mia Castaneda hit three triples off the bench on Saturday and averages 7.0 ppg.
>> Washburn is currently eighth in the MIAA standings with the top-10 teams advancing to the MIAA Tournament.
>> Six teams (Central Missouri, Nebraska-Kearney, Emporia State, Missouri Western, Central Oklahoma, and Pittsburg State) have already clinched a place in the post season.
ABOUT THE NORTHEASTERN STATE RIVERHAWKS
>> The Northeastern State RiverHawks have lost 10 of their last 11 games and hold a record of 5-16 (3-11 MIAA).
>> The team averages 60.4 ppg and shoots 39.3 percent from the field.
>> Cenia Hayes does a little bit of everything for the RiverHawks as she leads the team in seven statistical categories and also ranks in the top-25 in the MIAA.
>> She is sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.3 ppg. She also leads the team in rebounds (6.1 rpg/13th MIAA), free throw percentage (83.3%/fourth MIAA), blocked shots (0.7/15th), and steals (1.6/18th).
>> Shae Sanchez also contributes double-figure scoring with 13.1 ppg.
>> The next leading scorer is Maegan Lee with 6.0 ppg.
HEAD COACH FALA BULLOCK
>> Fala Bullock is in her third season leading her alma mater Northeastern State and has a record of 21-55.
>> She took the RiverHawks to the MIAA Tournament in her first year with a record of 10-17.
>> Prior to coming to Northeastern State, Bullock was the head coach at Armstrong State for four season and finished with a record of 60-52 with an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 her first season.
>> She started her coaching career at Central Georgia and was there for two seasons.
>> She is 1-2 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
>> The two teams have met 14 times since 2010 with Washburn leading the series 9-5.
>> The Ichabods have won six of the last seven meetings and the last two in a row.
>> Washburn is 4-2 when playing in Tahlequah.
>> Coach McHenry is 9-5 against Northeastern State.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Feb. 8, 2020)
PITTSBURG STATE 75 (12-9, 8-5 MIAA)
WASHBURN 82 (13-9, 7-6 MIAA)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team won their fifth-straight home game on Saturday afternoon with a 82-75 decision over Pittsburg State. The Ichabods improve to 13-9 overall and 7-6 in MIAA action while the Gorillas fall to 12-9 (8-5 MIAA).
Pittsburg State scored the first four points and quickly jumped out to an 11-3 lead three minutes into the game. Trailing 14-7, Shelbe Piggie ignited the Washburn offense with a three-pointer that started an 18-3 scoring tear that put Washburn in front, 25-17. Hunter Bentley closed out the opening quarter with a made free throw to put Washburn in front, 26-19. The Ichabods shot 62.5 percent from the field (10-of-16) and hit three triples in the quarter.
Washburn led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before Pittsburg State went on a 6-0 run in the final minute of the second quarter to get within one, 41-40. With two seconds left in the first half, Bentley was fouled attempting a three-pointer and made two of the three free throws to give Washburn a a 43-40 advantage at the break.
Washburn opened the second half on a 10-2 scoring run with points scored by four different Ichabods to lead 53-42 at the 7:19 mark. The Gorillas stayed in the game by going on a 12-5 run to close out the third period trailing by six, 63-57.
The Ichabods started the fourth frame going 3-for-3 from deep with triples from Piggie, Bentley, and Reagan Phelan. With 18 seconds remaining, Pittsburg State was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws to make it a five point game, 80-75, but it was too late as Phelan scored the last two points of the game on free throws for the seven point victory.
Both teams shot fairly even as the Ichabods finished with a 48.3 field goal percentage (29-of-60) and shot at a 45 percent clip (9-of-20) from behind the arc while the Gorillas shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the floor and 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from three-point land. Washburn out rebounded Pittsburg State, 34-28, and pulled down 13 offensive boards that the Ichabods turned into 18 points. The Ichabods also forced 17 turnovers for 23 points.
Bentley led the Ichabods with a season-high 22 points after shooting 7-for-14 from the field and going 6-for-9 from the charity stripe. Bentley also led the team with eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals while also blocking one shot. Piggie, Phelan, and McAfee all contributed 13 points. Mia Castaneda was 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
For Pittsburg State, Tristan Gegg and Athena Alvarado combined for 52 of the Gorillas' 75 points.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 459-149 (266-104 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 940-430-1 (.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 play Rogers State for the first time as an MIAA opponent on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tip-off in Claremore, Okla., is set for 2 p.m.
