OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team returns to Lee Arena to host Missouri Southern (7-12, 4-7 MIAA) on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
>> Washburn's three-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday at No. 22 Central Missouri. The Ichabods are now 11-9 overall and 5-6 MIAA.
>> The Lions won both of their games at home last week over Northeastern State and Rogers State to move up to 7-12 (4-7 MIAA).
>> WU defeated MSSU, 83-76, in Joplin on Dec. 7, 2019.
>> In the MIAA standings, Washburn is tied for eighth place alongside Northwest Missouri with Missouri Southern coming in next in 10th.
>> Missouri Southern was picked ninth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and 10th the Media Poll.
>> Washburn was tabbed third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll.
>> The Ichabods have won the last three-straight games in Lee Arena and are 6-2 when playing on their home court.
>> MSSU has struggled on the road as it has a 2-9 record when playing away from the Leggett and Platt Center.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> Hunter Bentley tallied double-figures for the 17th time this season in the game against No. 22 UCM.
>> She continues to help the Ichabods in all areas of the game as she leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounds (7.2 rpg), steals (1.9 spg), free throw percentage (.806), blocks (0.7 bpg), and minutes played (34.8 mpg).
>> Bentley ranks among the top-20 in the MIAA in all of those categories.
>> Shelbe Piggie has scored double-digits in six of the last seven games off the bench and averages 13.1 ppg in that timeframe. Overall this season, she averages 12.7 ppg and is shooting 49.5 percent from the field (99-of-200).
>> She has led the team in scoring in the past three-consecutive games with back-to-back 18 point games and then put up 19 against Central Missouri.
>> Reagan Phelan is averaging 12.2 ppg and leads the team in assists with 5.1 per game, which is second in the MIAA and 22nd in Division II.
>> With 1,336 career points, she is nine away from becoming the eighth-highest scorer in Washburn history.
>> Alexis McAfee averages 9.3 ppg to go with 5.5 rpg.
>> Hayley Thompson was 4-for-6 with two made free throws against Central Missouri en route to scoring 10 points. She holds a field goal percentage of 66.7% after converting 52 of 78 attempts.
>> The game against Central Missouri was Washburn's fifth against a nationally ranked opponent. Based on the records of their opponents this season, the NCAA ranks the Ichabods with the 16th toughest schedule in Division II out of 312 teams listed in the most recent report.
>> Washburn is 8-1 when scoring 70 or more points this season.
>> The Ichabods have done a good job of maintaining their first half leads as they are 11-0 when leading at halftime.
>> However, the team is just 2-9 when trailing after the third quarter.
ABOUT THE MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS
>> The Lions average 68.9 ppg and currently have a 42.2 field goal percentage.
>> Missouri Southern leads the conference in blocked shots with 5.58 per game, thanks to Zoe Campbell, who leads the MIAA individually with 2.7 bpg, and Madi Stokes, who is fifth with 1.1 stops per game.
>> They also average 39.9 rpg, which ranks third in the MIAA, and have three players who are listed in the top-20 for rebounds per game.
>> The Lions are paced offensively by Chasidee Owens, who averages 15.1 ppg, which is seventh in the league.
>> Destiny Cozart (13.7 ppg) and Campbell (10.4 ppg) also average double-digits.
>> Campbell also leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 7.7 rpg.
HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL
>> Ronnie Ressel is in his fourth season at the helm of the Lions' bench and has compiled a record of 44-62.
>> He has been a part of the Missouri Southern athletic department for 17 seasons, serving as an assistant for both the men's and women's programs.
>> Prior to joining the Missouri Southern coaching staff, he was the head coach at Rend Lake College and was named the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1996.
>> Ressel was a two-time letterwinner for Missouri Southern and led the team in assists both seasons.
SERIES WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
>> The Ichabods lead the all-time series against the Lions, 50-29, and have won the last four-straight meetings.
>> Washburn is 30-11 when playing the Lions in Topeka.
>> WU defeated MSSU by seven earlier this season
>> Three Ichabods finished in double-figure scoring, led by Phelan with 21 points after going 4-for-7 from three-point range.
>> Each hitting three triples, Bentley chipped in 18 points while Piggie finished with 17.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Feb. 1, 2020)
WASHBURN 68 (11-9, 5-6 MIAA)
#22 CENTRAL MISSOURI 83 (17-3, 11-0 MIAA)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Washburn women's basketball team kept things close in the first half against the 22nd-ranked Central Missouri Jennies and trailed by four points at the half, but the Jennies pulled away in the second half to take the 83-68 victory. The loss snaps the Ichabods' three-game winning streak and they are now 11-9 (4-6 MIAA) while the Jennies remain undefeated in conference play and improve to 17-3 (11-0 MIAA).
The game was much closer than the score suggests as the Ichabods were a part of seven lead changes and eight tied scores in the first half. The Ichabods shot 40 percent or better from the field in all four quarters and finished with a 45.8 field goal percentage (27-of-59) while UCM shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69). The difference, however, was that the Jennies dominated on the glass with a 44-29 rebound advantage and pulled down 25 offensive boards that they turned into 28 points. They also made 11 more trips to the free throw line, connecting on 16-of-21 attempts from the charity stripe while Washburn was 7-for-10. Both teams hit seven triples as Washburn was 7-for-20 while Central Missouri went 7-for-29 from distance.
Both teams battled back and forth in the first frame as neither team led by more than three points while there were also seven tied scores. Washburn put together a 6-0 scoring run to take a 21-18 lead with just under a minute left in the first quarter, but Central Missouri responded with three-straight points to tie up the game at 21-all. Central Missouri reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter with two made free throws off a technical foul and led by as many as seven points in the frame before Washburn trimmed it back down to four, 41-37, at the half.
The Ichabods found themselves trailing by seven again at the 7:18 mark in the third, but the Washburn defense held Central Missouri scoreless for over two minutes while they went on a 6-0 spurt to get within one, 47-48. Central Missouri then exploded on a 14-1 scoring tear to break open the game and take a 62-48 advantage with one minute remaining in the third. The Jennies finished out the game on a 12-5 run to stay undefeated at home and in conference play.
Shelbe Piggie led four Ichabods in double-figure scoring with 19 points after shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the arc. Alexis McAfee was 5-for-10 from the floor and finished with 12 points. Hayley Thompson and Hunter Bentley each contributed 10 points. Bentley also grabbed team-best six rebounds and had two blocks.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 457-149 (264-104 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 938-430-1 (.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 wraps up the week hosting Pittsburg State on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m.
