OPENING TIP
>> The Washburn women's basketball team looks to extend their home winning streak to five as they host Pittsburg State (12-8, 8-4 MIAA) on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off in Lee Arena is set for 1 p.m.
>> The Ichabods are 12-9 (6-6 MIAA) and are coming off a 20 point win over Missouri Southern, 68-48, on Thursday night.
>> Pittsburg State's four-game winning streak was snapped on Thursday night as it fell to Emporia State, 68-52.
>> PSU defeated WU, 84-63, in Pittsburg on Dec. 5, 2019.
>> In the MIAA standings, Pittsburg State is in a three-way tie for fourth place while Washburn is in eighth.
>> Pittsburg State was picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and third the Media Poll.
>> Washburn was tabbed third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the Media Poll.
>> The Ichabods are 7-2 when playing on their home court while the Gorillas are 4-4 in away games.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> Shelbe Piggie recorded her 17th overall and sixth-consecutive game in double-figures on Thursday night and is averaging 12.6 ppg.
>> She is 40 points away from reaching the 500 career point mark in just two seasons at Washburn.
>> Hunter Bentley also averages 12.6 ppg and leads the team in rebounds (7.2 rpg), steals (1.8 spg), free throw percentage (.806), blocks (0.6 bpg), and minutes played (34.8 mpg).
>> Bentley ranks among the top-20 in the MIAA in all of those categories.
>> Reagan Phelan contributes 12.5 ppg and leads the team in assists with 5.0 per game, which is second in the MIAA and 27th in Division II. She currently has 409 career assists and is eight away from moving up to fourth all-time in Washburn's record books.
>> After racking up 20 points against Missouri Southern, Phelan is tied for seventh all-time scoring in Washburn's program history alongside Joy Benton with 1,356 career points.
>> Phelan has been on fire from behind the arc this season as she has hit three or more triples in nine games this season.
>> Alexis McAfee averages 9.5 ppg to go with 5.9 rpg. She recorded her third double-double of the season on Thursday after scoring 14 points and pulling down a career-best 13 boards.
>> Washburn has held six of its opponents this season to 50 or fewer points.
>> In Lee Arena this season, Washburn has outscored its opponents 611-471.
>> They Ichabods have also shot well on their home court, holding a 44.0 field goal percentage as well as a 33.7 three-point field goal percentage while their opponents are 35.3 percent from the floor and 29.1 percent from distance.
ABOUT THE PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS
>> Pittsburg State boasts the second-highest scoring average in the MIAA with 78.4 ppg and have a field goal percentage of 45.5%.
>> The Gorillas are also third in the league in free throw percentage with a 78% success rate.
>> Tristan Gregg leads the MIAA with 18.3 ppg and shoots the ball well from behind the arc as she has a 35.8% and averages 2.7 triples per game.
>> Athena Alvarado (14.3 ppg), Kaylee DaMitz (13.2 ppg), and Maya Williams (12.5 ppg) are in the top-25 scorers in the conference.
>> Alvarado (8.2 rpg, fifth) and Williams (7.6 rpg, ninth) have dominated on the glass for the Gorillas and land in the top-10 for rebounds in the MIAA.
>> DaMitz leads the conference in assists, dishing out 5.9 assists per game. Her assist/turnover ratio is also the best in the MIAA at 2.6.
HEAD COACH AMANDA DAVIED
>> Amanda Davied is in her second season as the head coach of the Gorillas.
>> Prior to earning the head coaching position, Davied was an assistant coach for her alma mater Pittsburg State for 14 seasons.
>> She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant for PSU after being a three-time all-MIAA awardwinner for the Gorillas as a player.
>> She is 1-1 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH PITTSBURG STATE
>> The Ichabods hold a 54-33 series advantage over the Gorillas and are 29-14 against PSU when playing in Lee Arena.
>> Washburn struggled against Pittsburg State earlier this season, falling 84-64 in the MIAA opener.
>> The Ichabods were held to just seven first quarter points while allowing 25.
>> Phelan led the team with 15 points and 10 assists.
>> The Gorillas had five players reach double-digits and were paced by Tristan Gregg who was 6-for-15 from the field and went 5-for-8 from behind the arc.
>> Maya Williams also put up big numbers for the Gorillas, shooting 7-for-15 from the floor en route to 18 points and also grabbed 16 rebounds.
>> Coach McHenry is 25-11 against Pittsburg State.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN (Feb. 6, 2020)
PITTSBURG STATE 48 (7-13, 4-8 MIAA)
WASHBURN 68 (12-9, 6-6 MIAA)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team held Missouri Southern to just 17 second half points as the Ichabods cruised to a 68-48 victory Thursday night in Lee Arena. Washburn wins its fourth-straight home game and improves to 12-9 overall this season and 6-6 in the MIAA while the Lions fall to 7-13, 4-8 MIAA.
After the Ichabods scored the first points of the game on a Reagan Phelan layup, the Lions answered by making four of their next five shots with three triples to take an 11-4 lead at the 6:20 mark. Down by five, Alexis McAfee started an 8-2 run to knot up the score at 17-all. Phelan hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds in the opening quarter to give Washburn a one point lead, 20-19.
It was back and forth scoring to start the second quarter as the Lions reclaimed the lead and went up 31-27 with 3:56 left in the first half after another made three-pointer. Washburn rallied and closed out the half on a 9-0 run in the final 2:42 to take a 36-31 advantage into the break.
Washburn quickly went up by double-digits with a 7-0 run in the first 77 seconds of the second half. Missouri Southern trimmed the deficit to seven, 47-40, at the end of three. That would not last long, however, as Phelan drained another three just seconds into the fourth quarter. The Ichabod defense held Missouri Southern scoreless for nearly four minutes as they increased their lead. The Lions scored just eight points in the frame while the Ichabods poured in 21 and ended the game on a 5-0 run.
Washburn finished the night shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 36 percent (9-of-25) from behind the arc while Missouri Southern shot 32.1 percent from the floor and 32 percent (8-of-25) from three-point land. The Ichabods out rebounded the Lions, 44-29, with 14 offensive boards that they turned into 11 points. Even though the Ichabods hit nine triples, they pounded the paint as well and scored 26 points there to the Lions' 14.
Phelan led all scorers with 20 points and went 4-for-6 from distance. McAfee shot 5-of-11 from the field on her way to tallying 14 points and recorded a double-double after pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds. Piggie also contributed double-figures with 12 points.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 20th season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 458-149 (265-104 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 939-430-1 (.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 is set to travel down to Oklahoma next week for games at Northeastern State (Feb. 13) and Rogers State (Feb. 15).
