OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team wraps up the regular season at Missouri Western (20-7, 12-6 MIAA) this Saturday, Feb. 29, at 1:30 p.m.
>> The Ichabods dominated in Thursday's game against Northwest Missouri, capturing an 83-58 decision, to improve to 17-10 overall and 11-7 in MIAA action.
>> The Griffons are coming off a 77-49 victory over Northwest Missouri on Tuesday evening.
>> Missouri Western defeated Washburn, 58-47, in Topeka on Jan. 9.
>> The Ichabods are 5-6 on the road while the Griffons are 13-2 at home.
>> The Griffons are tied for fifth in the MIAA standings while the Ichabods are tied for seventh.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 70.5 ppg and have a 43.5 field goal percentage.
>> Against Northwest Missouri, Washburn shot a season-high 61.5 percent from the field making 32-of-52 from the floor.
>> The Ichabods also made a season-low seven three-pointer attempts against the Bearcats and drained four of them.
>> Washburn has held its opponents to 60 or fewer points in four of the last five games.
>> The Ichabods have also scored 80 or more points in three of the last four games.
>> Heading into Thursday night's game, Northwest Missouri's points allowed per game was a 59.4 average.
>> Shelbe Piggie recorded her 22nd double-figure scoring game after adding 12 points against NWMSU.
>> Piggie averages 13.1 ppg and has the sixth-highest field goal percentage in the MIAA at 49.1 percent.
>> Hunter Bentley also averages 13.1 ppg after tying a season-high in scoring with 22 points against the Bearcats. She finished the night 9-of-10 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
>> Bentley also leads the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg), steals (2.0 spg), free throw percentage (79.4 percent), and minutes (34.9 mpg).
>> Bentley's 22 points on Thursday give her exactly 800 in her career at Washburn.
>> Reagan Phelan also adds double-figures at 12.6 ppg and leads the Ichabods with 4.6 assists per game.
>> Alexis McAfee helps the team with 9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and 3.0 apg.
>> Mia Castaneda is the leading scorer off the Washburn bench with 6.9 ppg and scored nine points against Northwest Missouri with two triples.
>> Katie Glatczak scored a career-high four points against the Bearcats with two free throws and a layup. She also had three assists.
>> All 13 available Ichabods saw playing time with 11 of them scoring at least two points and grabbing one rebound.
>> This will be the fifth Leap Day game played by Washburn in its history. Washburn is an even 2-2 on February 29.
LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI WESTERN (Jan. 9, 2020)
>> The Ichabods shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the floor and went 5-of-21 from deep.
>> The Griffons had a field goal percentage of 39.6 (21-of-53) and made 4-of-12 from beyond the three-point line.
>> McAfee led Washburn with 13 points and dished out four assists.
>> Bentley added 10 points and had a team-best eight boards.
>> Chris Wilson led the Griffons with 15 points, making 7-of-12 from the field.
>> Kylee Williams made three of Missouri Western's four three-pointers and finished 3-for-4 from behind arc en route to 11 points.
ABOUT THE MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS
>> The Griffons have won back-to-back games by limiting their opponents to under 50 points.
>> They average 71.7 ppg and hold their opponents to 58.9 ppg.
>> Missouri Western is second in the league in field goal percentage, shooting at a 45.4 clip.
>> The Griffons are also the second-best rebounding team in the MIAA, averaging 39.6 boards per game.
>> Corbyn Cunningham leads the team in scoring with 15.7 ppg, which is good for fifth in the conference.
>> Chris Wilson (13.7 ppg) and Katrina Roenfeldt (10.4 ppg) also average double-digits.
>> Cunningham (8.5 rpg/third) and Wilson (7.8 rpg/seventh) rank in the top-10 in the MIAA rebounds.
>> The duo is also in the top-five in field goal percentage with both shooting above 50 percent.
>> Roenfeldt and Anastacia Johnson are second and fourth in the MIAA in steals, averaging 2.7 and 2.2 per game, respectively.
HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER
>> Candi Whitaker is in her inaugural season with the Griffons after being named the ninth women's head basketball coach at Missouri Western in April of 2019.
>> Whitaker brings ample coaching experience to the program as she was most recently the head coach at Texas Tech (2013-18) and also led the UMKC women's team (2006-12).
>> She became one of the youngest head coaches in women's basketball, taking over the UMKC program at age 26 and winning 83 total games in her tenure to rank as the second-winningest coach in program history.
>> She also served as an associate head coach at Oklahoma State (2012-13) and started her coaching career as an assistant at Valparaiso (2002-04).
>> As a student-athlete, Whitaker played two seasons at Seward County Community College and then transferred to Texas Tech where she helped the Lady Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
>> She is 1-0 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH MISSOURI WESTERN
>> Washburn leads the all-time series, 55-41.
>> The Ichabods are 21-25 when playing in the Missouri Western Fieldhouse and have won the last two games there.
>> Coach McHenry is 31-13 against Missouri Western.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Feb. 27, 2020)
WASHBURN 83 (17-10, 11-7 MIAA)
NORTHWEST MISSOURI 58 (11-17, 6-13 MIAA)
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The Washburn women's basketball team shot a season-high 61.5 percent from the field as they cruised to an 83-58 road victory at Northwest Missouri on Thursday evening. With the win, the Ichabods improve their record to 17-10 (11-7 MIAA) while the Bearcats fall to 11-17 (6-13 MIAA).
Washburn opened the game on a 9-1 scoring run and held the Bearcats without a made field goal until the 4:17 mark when Erika Schlosser hit a three-pointer to make it 9-4. Northwest Missouri followed that up with a layup to make it a three-point game, but a free throw by Shelbe Piggie and three-straight buckets by Hunter Bentley gave Washburn a 10-point lead, 16-6, at the end of the first quarter. The Bearcats made just 2-of-10 from the field while the Ichabods were 6-for-12.
The Ichabods rattled off seven unanswered points to start the second quarter with two free throws by Katie Glatczak, a three-pointer by Mia Castaneda, and a layup from Hannah Willey. Reagan Phelan hit back-to-back triples and then a layup to put Washburn in front, 35-15, with 2:12 left in the opening half. Just like the first quarter, Bentley hit a layup in the final seconds of the period to give the Ichabods a 39-17 advantage at the break.
In the first half, Washburn shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the floor and Northwest Missouri was held to a 24 percent clip. Both teams made three shots from beyond the arc, but the Ichabods were 3-for-4 while the Bearcats were 3-for-13.
Washburn continued its shooting success as it went 8-of-10 from the field in the third quarter. Hayley Thompson's jumper with nine seconds left in the frame put Washburn up, 63-35.
The Ichabods continued to lead by 20 or more points throughout the final stanza. Five of the Bearcats' nine baskets in the fourth quarter were from deep to keep it in that 20 point range. A fast break layup by Adyson Narber with just over a minute left in regulation would be the final points scored of the game for the 25 point Washburn win.
Washburn shot 50 percent or better in all four quarters and finished the contest with a 61.5 percent mark. Northwest Missouri shot 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the field and 10-of-30 from deep, while the Ichabods attempted a season-low seven three-pointers and drained four of those. The Ichabods dominated on the glass, out rebounding the Bearcats, 37-19. Washburn also poured in the points in the paint, outscoring NWMSU, 48-16.
Bentley led all scorers with 22 points on an impressive night shooting, going 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She also pulled down a team-best six rebounds, handed out three assists, and grabbed three steals. Piggie also finished in double-figures with 12 points. Phelan and Castaneda each added in nine points and drained two triples apiece. All 13 available Ichabods saw playing time with 11 of them scoring at least two points and grabbing one rebound.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 463-150 (269-105 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 944-431-1 (.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
>> The Ichabods will compete at the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City next week. The full bracket and seeding will be released on Saturday evening.
