OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team starts the final week of the regular season at Northwest Missouri (11-16, 6-12 MIAA) on Thursday, Feb. 27. Tip-off in Maryville, Mo., is slated for 5:30 p.m.
>> The Ichabods closed out their home schedule in Lee Arena on Saturday with an 85-56 senior day win against Lincoln to improve to 16-10 overall and 10-7 in MIAA play.
>> The Bearcats played at Missouri Western on Tuesday night and lost, 77-49.
>> Washburn defeated Northwest Missouri, 59-43, in Topeka on Jan. 11
>> The Ichabods have clinched a spot as one of the 10 teams advancing to the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City next week. They are currently eighth.
>> NWMSU is currently 10th in the MIAA standings and is looking to secure its place in the postseason conference tournament.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 70.0 ppg and have a 42.9 field goal percentage.
>> Washburn has held its opponents to 60 or fewer points in 12 games this season.
>> Shelbe Piggie recorded her 21st double-figure scoring game after adding 17 points against Lincoln.
>> Piggie leads three Ichabods averaging double-digit points with 13.2 ppg. She also has the sixth-highest field goal percentage in the MIAA at 48.9 percent.
>> Hunter Bentley averages 12.8 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg), free throw percentage (78.6%), and steals (2.0 spg). She also leads the conference in playing time, averaging 35 minutes on the hardwood per game.
>> Reagan Phelan also adds 12.8 ppg and is tied for second in the MIAA with 4.7 assists per game.
>> Phelan handed out six assists against Lincoln and moved up to No. 3 on Washburn's all-time career assists list, passing April Roadhouse. Phelan has 428 assists in her time as an Ichabod.
>> The senior guard also drained a career-best six three-pointers against Lincoln and finished the day 6-for-7 from beyond the arc.
>> McAfee helps the team with 9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg.
>> Castaneda is the leading scorer off the Washburn bench with 6.8 ppg. She has made 34 triples this season, which is the third-highest on the team.
>> Sabela Reigosa was 5-for-5 from the field against the Blue Tigers and finished with 10 points.
>> McAfee and Bentley are both 22 points away from hitting a milestone as McAfee is 22 points shy of 900 in her career and Bentley is nearing 800 career points.
>> The Ichabods are third in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage, shooting at a 35.2 clip.
>> Washburn made 11 three-pointers against Lincoln, marking the seventh game the Ichabods have made 10 or more threes.
LAST TIME AGAINST NORTHWEST MISSOURI (Jan. 11, 2020)
>> Katie Glatczak scored her first collegiate points on a made jump shot just seconds into the game.
>> There were two tied scores in the first quarter, but a jumper by Hayley Thompson gave the Ichabods a two point lead at the end of the opening period and Washburn led the rest of the game.
>> The Ichabods finished with a 47.1 field goal percentage while the Bearcats shot 26 percent.
>> The Ichabods were just 3-of-15 from three-point land.
>> Bentley recorded a double-double with a team-high in both points (16) and rebounds (11).
>> Piggie and Thompson each contributed 11 points.
>> Mallory McConkey led the Bearcats with 16 points.
>> Northwest Missouri did not make any fast break points.
ABOUT THE NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS
>> The Bearcats are on a five game skid and won their last game against Lincoln on Feb. 8.
>> Northwest Missouri averages 59.7 ppg, but allows an average of 59.4 ppg to its opponents.
>> They shoot 38.2 percent from the field and a 33.1 percent clip from beyond the arc.
>> Mallory McConkey leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounds (4.5 rpg).
>> Kendey Eaton also averages double-digits with 12.6 ppg.
>> Jaelyn Haggard is the team's three-point shooter as she has made 65 triples and has a 34.9 three-point field goal percentage.
>> Jayna Green and Ellie Horn rank in the top-10 in the MIAA in blocked shots, averaging one per game.
HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER
>> Austin Meyer is in his second season leading the Northwest Missouri women's basketball team after being a full-time staff member of the Bearcats' men's team from 2008-18.
>> Meyer became the Northwest Missouri men's associate head coach in 2015. During his tenure, he helped the Bearcats to 215 victories, 10 total MIAA titles and one NCAA National Championship.
>> As a student-athlete, Meyer was a four-year letterwinner at Northwest Missouri and held the then-program career record with 215 made three-pointers.
>> Meyer is a native of the best hometown in America, beautiful Blue Springs, Mo.
>> He is 1-2 against Washburn as a head coach.
SERIES WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
>> Washburn leads the all-time series, 56-11.
>> When playing in Maryville, Washburn is 19-6.
>> The Ichabods have won 12 of the last 13 games against the Bearcats.
>> Coach McHenry is 33-7 against NWMSU.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Feb. 22, 2020)
LINCOLN 56 (3-23, 0-16 MIAA)
WASHBURN 80 (16-10, 10-7 MIAA)
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team scored 58 points in the first half as they cruised to an 85-56 victory over Lincoln on Saturday's senior day. The Ichabods close out their home schedule going 9-3 in Lee Arena and improve to an overall record of 16-10 (10-7 MIAA) while the Blue Tigers fall to 3-23 (0-16 MIAA).
Three-pointers were the theme of the first half for Washburn and Alexis McAfee hit one in the Ichabods' first possession. The two teams traded buckets for the first four minutes until a jump shot from Hayley Thompson started a 14-0 run to give the Ichabods a 19-9 lead. The Blue Tigers made a jumper to stop the scoring streak, but Reagan Phelan started one of her own for Washburn and scored eight unanswered points and hit four three-pointers in the quarter. Washburn closed out the opening stanza on a 6-0 run to take a 33-14 lead into the second.
The Ichabods outscored the Blue Tigers, 25-15, in the second quarter. Hunter Bentley hit two three-pointers and Phelan added another while Shelbe Piggie added eight points of her own. Washburn led 58-29 at the half and shot 67.7 percent from the field and went 9-of-14 from distance.
Washburn led by 20 or more for the entire second half. Another three by Bentley gave Washburn its largest lead of the game, a 34 point advantage of 83-49, at the 4:30 mark in the fourth quarter. Adyson Narber added the final points for the Ichabods on a made free throw.
Washburn finished 54.5 percent from the field while Lincoln shot at a 34.9 clip. The Ichabods were 11-of-22 from behind the arc and the Blue Tigers hit 6-of-18. Washburn's defense forced 19 turnovers and turned those into 23 points. The home team also scored 29 points off of fast breaks.
The six Ichabod seniors of Phelan, Piggie, McAfee, Thompson, Reigosa, and Mia Castaneda were recognized at the conclusion of the game for their contributions to Washburn women's basketball.
Phelan led all scorers with 23 points and went 6-for-7 from three-point land. She also handed out six assists to move up to No. 3 in all-time career assists at Washburn with 428. Piggie added 17 points and dished out a career-high five assists. Bentley was 5-of-8 from the field and hit three triples to finish with 14 points. She and McAfee led the team with eight rebounds apiece. Sabela Reigosa rounded out the double-figure scoring for Washburn with 10 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor. Seniors Castaneda and Thompson added seven and six points, respectively.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 462-150 (268-105 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 943-431-1 (.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's regular season finale will be at Missouri Western on Saturday, Feb. 29. Tip-off in St. Joseph, Mo., is set for 1:30 p.m.
