TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Ichabods are back on the road this week to take on Newman on Thursday, Jan. 28. The game in Wichita, Kan. is slated for a 5:30 p.m. tip.
OPENING TIP
>> Washburn is 5-6 on the season after a 64-55 loss at Emporia State last Saturday.
>> The Jets played a rescheduled contest with Rogers State on Monday night and fell, 62-37.
>> Newman struggled offensively in the game as it scored just 11 first half points and finished the night with a .210 field goal percentage.
>> This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season.
>> The Ichabods will look to split the season series as the Jets claimed the first game in Lee Arena on Dec. 5, 2020, by the score of 56-52.
>> Washburn is 2-3 in road games while Newman is 2-5 at home.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods are currently seventh in the MIAA rankings with a record of 5-6.
>> The team holds a +0.8 scoring margin as they average 61.8 ppg.>> Hunter Bentley has scored double-digits in five-straight games after adding 13 against Emporia State. She has finished in double-figures in nine of the 11 games played this season.
>> She averages a team-best 15.5 ppg, which ranks ninth in the MIAA, to go with 6.9 rpg (sixth in the league) and 2.4 apg.
>> Nuria Barrientos leads the team in rebounds (8.5 rpg), assists (2.9 apg), and in blocks (1.5 bpg). She is second on the team in scoring at 11.0 ppg.
>> She is fourth in the conference for her rebound average and tied for fifth in blocks.
>> Both Bentley and Barrientos are in the top-five in the MIAA for minutes played as Bentley averages 35.9 mpg (third) and Barrientos logs 34.5 mpg (fifth).
>> In the post, Abby Oliver averages 9.6 ppg and has a 55.4 field goal percentage (41-of-74).
>> Macy Doebele grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in Saturday's game against ESU. Seven of those 12 boards were offensive.
>> Making her fifth start, freshman Mackenzie Gamble netted a season-high 11 points and hit three triples against the Lady Hornets.
>> Off the bench, Lauren Cassaday contributes 4.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg. She was 3-for-4 from the field against the Lady Hornets.
BODS AND ENDS
>> Oliver has scored exactly 12 points in three of the last four games. She has hit that mark in four total games this season.
>> On Saturday, Bentley became the 24th Washburn women's basketball player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. She is now tied at No. 22 in the scoring record book with 1,007 points.
>> Bentley scored all 13 of her points in the second half against Emporia State and was 3-for-4 from deep in the fourth quarter.
>> Barrientos has recorded four double-doubles this season, which ranks second in the MIAA and tied for 16th in all of Division II.
>> The Ichabods grabbed 47 rebounds against the Lady Hornets with 19 being offensive boards. WU scored 23 second chance points against ESU.
ABOUT THE NEWMAN JETS
>> The Jets are 3-9 and are on a three-game losing streak and have dropped seven of their last eight games.
>> The team averages 52.6 ppg and allows 60.2 ppg to their opponents.
>> Two Jets players average double-figures, led by Brooke Haney with 11.5 ppg.
>> Haney is the team's three-point sharp-shooter as she has a 48.6 three-point field goal percentage (17-of-35).
>> She also leads the team in free throw percentage at 89.7 percent (35-of-39).
>> Faith Mason-Vestal contributes 10.8 ppg and led the team in scoring against Rogers State on Monday with 12 points.
>> Madison Birnbaum helps the team on both sides of the court as she averages 5.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 spg, and 1.1 bpg.
HEAD COACH DARIN SPENCE
>> Darin Spence is in his ninth season as the head coach for the Jets and has a record of 120-112.
>> He brings an abundance of head coaching experience to the program as he has put in 30 seasons with teams across NCAA Divisions I and II, NAIA, and NJCAA and compiled a 602-336 record.
>> Prior to joining Newman's program, he coached one season at Barton County CC, eight seasons at New Mexico State, six years at Cowley County CC, and he started his coaching career at his alma
mater, Marymount College.
>> At Cowley, he amassed a record of 171-26 in those six seasons and earned five Kansas Jayhawk Community Colllege Conference East Division titles and was named the Jayhawk East Coach of the Year four times.
>> Spence is 3-3 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH NEWMAN
>> These two teams first met in 1975 and Washburn leads the all-time series, 8-4.
>> This will be just the third time these teams have met in MIAA action as Newman became an associate member before last season.
>> Washburn is 2-1 when playing the Jets in Wichita.
>> Coach McHenry is 3-3 against Newman.
LAST TIME AGAINST NEWMAN (DEC. 5, 2020)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team's shooting went ice cold in the second and fourth quarters in a 56-52 loss to Newman Saturday afternoon. With the loss, Washburn falls to 1-3 on the season while Newman improves to 2-2.
Washburn came out hot to start the game as they finished the opening quarter shooting 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the field and hit 5-of-8 from deep and outscored the Jets, 24-14. Hunter Bentley and Nuria Barrientos hit back-to-back three-pointers to get things going as the Ichabods scored nine unanswered points in the first 3:28 of the game.
The Ichabod offense struggled in the second quarter and went scoreless until 2:14 remaining in the first half while Newman chipped away at the deficit with six points during Washburn's scoring drought. A made free throw by Aubree Dewey gave the Ichabods a 28-25 lead heading into the locker room. Washburn was just 1-of-12 from the field in the quarter while Newman went 4-for-12.
Washburn seemed to find its groove again to start the second half with six-straight points to push its lead to 34-25. Four made free throws in a row and a three-pointer got the Jets within two, 34-32, but the Ichabods answered with a layup by Lauren Cassaday. Newman hit one more three-pointer to make it a one point contest, 36-35, before Washburn closed out the third quarter on an 8-0 scoring run to go up, 44-35.
The Ichabods held a double-figure lead, 49-39, with 7:15 remaining after a made free throw by Macy Doebele. The Jets cut the lead to four, 49-45, after hitting back-to-back three pointers. Cassaday made two free throws to make it 52-47 in favor of Washburn with 3:06 remaining, but that would be the last points for the Ichabods as Newman finished the game on a 9-0 scoring tear to take its first lead of the game and capture the win.
Neither team shot the ball well as Newman finished with 36.7 percent (18-of-49) from the field while Washburn finished with a 34.6 field goal percentage (18-of-52). Both teams were 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from behind the arc. The Jets held a slight 37-34 advantage on rebounds.
Dewey was the leading scorer for the Ichabods with 14 points to go with three steals. Bentley finished with 12 points and five boards. Barrientos grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and had three assists.
Newman was led by Brooke Haney who scored 20 points off the bench and had a team-best seven rebounds.
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 467-158 (275-112 MIAA).
>> His .748 winning percentage ranks 21st among active Division 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 950-440-1 (.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
>> The Ichabods will wrap up their road swing at Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tip-off in Edmond, Okla. is slated for 1:30 p.m.
