TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball squad starts a three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 14 as they host the Missouri Southern Lions.
OPENING TIP
>> The Ichabods are 3-4 on the season and are coming off a 61-49 win at Missouri Western.
>> Missouri Southern had a four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday as the Lions fell at Pittsburg State, 70-67. The Lions are now 4-4.
>> These two teams faced off three times last season with Washburn winning all of them by seven or more points.
>> This will be the 82nd all-time meeting between Washburn and Missouri Southern.
>> In the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, Washburn was picked to finish eighth while Missouri Southern came in at No. 10.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 62.1 ppg and have a 41.9 field goal percentage.
>> Hunter Bentley scored a season-high 27 points at Missouri Western and leads the team with 15.1 ppg, which ranks 12th in the MIAA.
>> She also leads the team with 8.9 rpg (No. 4 in the MIAA) and averages 36.1 minutes per game (No. 3 in the league).
>> Nuria Barrientos set a host of personal-bests against the Griffons as she finished with 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
>> For the season, Barrientos averages 11.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.4 spg, and 1.3 bpg. She is also fourth in the conference averaging 35.4 mpg.
>> Abby Oliver is averaging 7.6 ppg and tied a career-high 12 points in Saturday's game.
>> Making her first career start, Mackenzie Gamble scored five points on Jan. 9 and hit her first three-pointer.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
>> The 2020-21 season marks the 37th season of play in Lee Arena as the facility opened in the 1983-84 season.
>> Washburn is 425-106 all-time in Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods are 1-2 and average 59.0 ppg in home contests this season.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WASHBURN
>> Washburn led from start to finish in a 61-49 victory at Missouri Western on Jan. 9. 2021.
>> The Ichabods got on the board with two free throws even before the game officially started as the Griffons received an administrative technical before tip-off.
>> Washburn led 18-2 at the 5:04 mark in the first quarter and closed out the opening period in front, 23-12.
>> Missouri Western got within four points early in the third frame, but that would be as close as it would get.
>> The Ichabods finished with a 46.9 field goal percentage and held the Griffons to a 31.7 clip.
ABOUT THE MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS
>> The Missouri Southern Lions went 10-18 (7-12 MIAA) in 2019-20 and finished ninth in the MIAA standings.
>> In eight games played so far, the Lions are averaging 69.8 ppg and hold a 41.5 field goal percentage.
>> MSSU is third in the conference with a 35.1 three-point field goal percentage.
>> Carley Turnbull leads the Lion offense with 15.6 ppg and is shooting 46.0 percent from the field.
>> Center Madi Stokes has been helping the team out in a big way as she leads the conference in rebounding (10.5 rpg) and with 22 blocks (2.8 bpg). She also contributes 8.0 ppg.
>> Kaitlin Hunnicutt (9.6 ppg) and Amaya Johns (9.3 ppg) round out the top-three scorers for the Lions.
>> Sharp-shooter Layne Skiles is 11-for-22 from behind the three-point line so far this season.
HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL
>> Ronnie Ressel is in his fifth season at the helm of the Lions' bench and has compiled a record of 51-72.
>> He has been a part of the Missouri Southern athletic department for 19 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
>> Washburn is on a six-game winning streak against Missouri Southern and leads the all-time series, 52-29.
>> The Ichabods are 31-11 when playing the Lions in Lee Arena.
>> Washburn last played Missouri Southern in Topeka on Feb. 6, 2020, and posted a 68-48 victory.
>> Coach McHenry is 26-9 against the Lions.
LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI SOUTHERN (Mar. 4, 2020)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Washburn women's basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Missouri Southern in the first round of the MIAA Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, 66-52.
The opening quarter saw four lead changes after several scoring bursts by both teams. With Washburn trailing 7-2 three minutes into the game, Alexis McAfee's jump shot sparked an 11-0 run to put Washburn in front, 13-7. Missouri Southern responded with a run of its own, making eight of the final nine points scored in the frame to lead 15-14.
Washburn (18-11) reclaimed the lead early into the second quarter after Mia Castaneda converted on an old-fashioned three-point play. The Lions evened the score at 17 and 21, but Washburn's defense shut down the Lions and held them scoreless for the final 6:22 of the half while the Ichabods went on to score nine unanswered points for a 30-21 advantage at halftime.
Washburn grabbed its largest lead of the game early into the second half as Hunter Bentley drained a three-pointer and then grabbed a steal on the Lions' next possession and Shelbe Piggie capitalized on the MSSU error with a jumper to make it 35-23. The Lions came roaring back into the game with a 15-2 run that consisted of three triples to flip the score in their favor, 39-37. Castaneda hit two free throws in the final minute to break the tie and put Washburn back in front, 45-43.
The Ichabod offense came alive against to start the fourth, scoring 14 unanswered points to go up by double-figures again at 58-43. Washburn outscored Missouri Southern, 21-9, in the final quarter and led by as many as 18 points, 66-48, after Piggie went a 4-0 mini scoring run herself.
Washburn finished the game with a 43.4 field goal percentage (23-of-53) and went 5-for-16 from deep while Missouri Southern shot 31.1 percent (19-of-61) and made 4-for-26 from three-point land. The Lions were 0-9 from beyond the arc in the second half. WU out rebounded MSSU, 30-20, including a dozen offensive boards that the Ichabods turned into 18 points.
Piggie was 7-for-10 from the field and paced the Ichabods with 19 points. Bentley chipped in 17 points and Phelan finished with 10. McAfee and Phelan each pulled down nine boards.
Destiny Cozart led all scorers with 20 points and had five steals for the Lions. Missouri Southern's season comes to a close with a record of 10-18.
2020-21 MIAA COACHES PRESEASON POLL
>> Heading into the new season, Washburn was tabbed eighth in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll and earned 79 total points.
>> Emporia State was voted the conference favorite, earning four first-place votes and 153 total points.
>> Nebraska-Kearney, Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, and Fort Hays State rounded out the top-five.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 21st season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 467-156 (275-110 MIAA).
>> His .749 winning percentage ranks 14th among active Division II coaches and 17th all-time among D-II coaches.
>> Brette (Ulsaker) Herber begins her eighth season on the Ichabod bench as a 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 second 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 948-439-1 (.683) all-time and will commence the 52nd year of the program's history.
>> Washburn is sixth 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 scheduled to host Pittsburg State on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m.
