TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team looks to add to its three-game winning streak and take the regular season series sweep at Missouri Southern on Thursday evening in Joplin, Mo.
 

OPENING TIP
>> The Ichabods (10-10) clinched a place in the MIAA Tournament after picking up a 56-43 victory at Northwest Missouri on Tuesday.
>> The Lions (7-13) have lost their last four games and allowed exactly 78 points in all four of those games.
>> Washburn defeated Missouri Southern, 56-49, in Lee Arena on Jan. 14.
>> Thursday's game will be the 83rd all-time meeting between the two programs with Washburn leading 53-29.
>> The Ichabods are currently seventh in the MIAA standings and Missouri Southern is tied for eighth.

WASHBURN NOTES
>> Washburn shoots 39.2 percent from the field while averaging 59.6 ppg and allowing 57.2 ppg. 
>> Hunter Bentley ranks sixth in scoring for the MIAA with 16.4 ppg and has the 10th-best field goal percentage (37.8%).
>> She is also second in the conference with a 89.7 free throw percentage.
>> Nuria Barrientos averages 10.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg (No. 5 in MIAA), 2.6 apg, 1.3 bpg (No. 8 in MIAA), and 1.8 spg (No. 8 in MIAA).
>> Macy Doebele had five rebounds and four points in the first quarter against the Bearcats. She averages 5.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
>> Mackenzie Gamble found her groove in Bearcat Arena and was 5-of-8 from the floor and led the Ichabods in scoring with 13 points. She averages 6.5 ppg.
>> Aubree Dewey made both of her three-pointer attempts and totaled seven points on Tuesday. In 16 games played this season, she also averages 6.5 ppg.
>> Off the bench, Lauren Cassaday adds 5.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg. She had eight points at NWMSU with four of her five rebounds coming offensively.

BODS AND ENDS
>> The Ichabod defense held the Bearcats to just five points in the second quarter. That marks the lowest scoring quarter for a Washburn opponent this season.
>> WU also held NWMSU to a shooting percentage below .300 in both games.
>> Washburn has now limited eight opponents to 49 or fewer points this season with four of those happening in the last five games. The Ichabods are 7-1 in those contests.
>> Bentley is No. 2 in Washburn's record book for the most defensive rebounds (458). Brooke Ubelaker is first on the list with 507 defensive boards.
>> Both Cassaday and Dewey eclipsed 100 points for the season in Tuesday's game against Northwest Missouri.
>> Washburn is 4-6 in road games this season while Missouri Southern is 4-5 on its home court.

ABOUT THE MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS
>> The Lions average 63.4 ppg and have a 39.3 field goal percentage.
>> MSSU is tied for second in the league with 83 total blocks (4.15 bpg).
>> Carley Turnbull leads the offense, shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and contributes 13.9 ppg. She is also the team-leader in steals at 19 total (1.0 spg). 
>> Madi Stokes is currently the only player in the MIAA who averages a double-double with 10.5 ppg and 10.7 rpg.
>> Stokes has been a huge factor defensively and leads the conference with 43 blocks (2.2 bpg). She has had six games with four or more blocks.
>> Off the bench, Amaya Johns adds 7.5 ppg and 2.9 apg.

HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL
>> Ronnie Ressel is in his fifth season at the helm of the Lions' bench and has compiled a record of 58-81. He is 0-6 against Washburn.
>> 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 seven-game winning streak against Missouri Southern and leads the all-time series, 53-29.
>> The Ichabods have won the last four games at Missouri Southern and are 20-17 when playing in Joplin.
>> Coach McHenry is 27-9 against the Lions.

LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI SOUTHERN (Jan. 14, 2021)
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team won its second-straight game on Thursday night with a 56-49 decision over Missouri Southern in Lee Arena. 

The Lions scored the first points of the game and knotted up the score at four-all early on, but the Ichabods followed that up with a 6-0 run to go in front, 10-4, at the 4:14 mark. Missouri Southern hit a three-pointer as time expired in the first quarter, but Washburn held on to a 15-12 advantage.

Missouri Southern outscored Washburn in the second frame, 10-6, and took a one-point lead into the break with the score sitting at 22-21.

The Ichabods evened the score at 24 and 32 before closing out the quarter on a 7-1 run to reclaim the lead, 37-33. Washburn went 8-of-14 from the free throw line in the period.

Washburn held on to the lead for the remainder of the game and led by as many as nine points. The Ichabods continued to see success at the free throw line as they went 13-for-16 in the final quarter.

Neither team shot the ball exceptionally well in the low-scoring affair as Washburn finished with a 31.3 field goal percentage (15-of-48) while Missouri Southern recorded a 32.7 clip (16-of-49). The Ichabods did not hit a three-pointer, going 0-for-9, while the Lions made 5-of-16 from deep. Washburn made 36 trips to the free throw line and converted on 26 of those attempts. The Lions finished with a slight edge on the boards, 37-35.

Oliver was 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line to score a career-high 19 points. Hunter Bentley also finished in double-figures with 15 points and was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Barrientos notched her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Carley Turnbull was the Lions' top-scorer with 15 points and she also had eight rebounds.

2020-21 MIAA POSTSEASON PICTURE
>> The top-eight teams in the final MIAA standings will take part in the conference tournament.
>> The tournament will take place on campus sites this season with the top-four teams hosting the quarterfinal games and the top remaining seed will host the semifinal games and the championship.
>> Central Missouri, Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, Emporia State, Central Oklahoma, Pittsburg State, and Washburn have punched their ticket for postseason play.
>> After defeating UCM on Saturday, FHSU now has sole possession of first place.
>> Missouri Southern and Northwest Missouri are currently tied and vying for that eighth tournament spot.

WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 21st season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 474-162 (282-116 MIAA).
>> His .745 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 955-444-1 (.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 return home to play their final game of the regular season on Saturday against rival Emporia State.