TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn is set to make its 31st-straight appearance in the MIAA Tournament, presented by Citizens Bank and Trust, on Wednesday in Warrensburg, Mo. as the seventh-seed Ichabods take on the second-seed and No. 15-ranked Central Missouri Jennies. Tip-off in the Multipurpose Building is scheduled for 6 p.m.

OPENING TIP
>> The Ichabods are coming off a 10-point rivalry victory over Emporia State to close out the regular season with a reord of 11-11.
>> The Jennies defeated Lincoln 79-45 on senior day and finished 19-3 overall.
>> UCM is 10-1 this season when playing in Warrensburg while WU is 4-7 in road contests.
>> These two teams squared off in the MIAA Quarterfinal a year ago with the No. 8-seed Washburn coming up just short of the upset, 65-61.
>> UCM went on to win the 2019-20 MIAA Tournament championship game.

WASHBURN IN THE MIAA TOURNAMENT
>> Washburn has competed in the MIAA Tournament every year since it was eligible starting in the 1990-91 season.
>> Washburn has won nine MIAA Tournament titles.
>> WU is 40-21 all-time in MIAA postseason play and 18-8 in quarterfinal games.
>> When playing as the No. 7 seed, Washburn is 1-6.
>> When facing the No 2 seed, WU is 3-5.
>> This season will mark the first time since 2002 that the tournament will not be played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
>> In last season's quarterfinal game, the Ichabods led 16-14 after the first quarter against the Jennies and went into the break with a one point lead.
>> No. 15-ranked UCM outscored WU, 23-18, in the third quarter and that would be all the Jennies would need as both teams scored 15 points in the final stanza.

WASHBURN NOTES
>> Washburn shoots 39.2 percent from the field while averaging 59.9 ppg and allowing the second-lowest opponent scoring average in the MIAA at 57.6 ppg. 
>> Hunter Bentley finished the regular season ranked in the top-15 in the MIAA in six different categories.
>> She is No. 2 in both minutes played (36.0 mpg) and in free throw percentage (90.1%), No. 9 in scoring average (15.5 ppg), No. 10 in steals (1.6 spg), No. 11 in rebounds (6.2 ppg), and No. 15 in assists (2.5 apg).
>> Nuria Barrientos is the sixth-best rebounder in the conference with 8.0 rpg to go with 10.6 ppg.
>> Similar to Bentley, Barrientos has seen quite a bit of time on the court as she averages 34.5 mpg (No. 6 in MIAA).
>> Mackenzie Gamble averages 7.1 ppg after going off for a career-high 22 points against Emporia State. She was 6-for-12 from three-point range and added four rebounds and four assists.
>> Macy Doebele chipped in 12 points and eight boards against the Lady Hornets and after starting all but two games this season, she averages 5.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg.
>> Rounding out the starting five is Aubree Dewey with 6.1 ppg and 2.2 apg.
>> Off the bench, Lauren Cassaday was consistent in all three games last week scores 5.7 ppg to go with 4.0 rpg. 
>> She was 4-for-5 from the field against ESU and finished with 10 points.
>> Adyson Narber played a career-high 25 minutes against Emporia State and dished out four assists, had four points and two blocks. 

LAST TIME OUT
>> Five different Ichabods finished in double-figures in the 74-64 victory over the Lady Hornets on Saturday. 
>> There were also 21 Washburn assists while Emporia State dished out just seven.
>> Heading into the contest, Emporia State was the top-scoring team in the MIAA with 74.2 ppg.
>> After the first quarter ended in a tie, the Ichabods scored the first points of the second and held the lead for the remainder of the game.
>> The Ichabods outscored the Lady Hornets, 26-14, in the third quarter with many of those points coming after Washburn broke the press for easy layups.
>> Washburn led by as many as 22 points in the third period.

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES
>> The Jennies finished the regular season with a record of 19-3, falling only to Nebraska-Kearney (L, 68-56), Central Oklahoma (L, 70-66), and No. 8 Fort Hays State (L, 72-63).
>> UCM has a 43.5 field goal percentage and averages 71.4 ppg while limiting its opponents to 60.0 ppg.
>> They are also second in the league in rebounding (38.6 rpg) and free throw percentage (76.7%).
>> Three-time MIAA Athlete of the Week Nija Collier leads three Jennies in double-figure scoring with 15.3 ppg and leads the team with 8.5 rpg and 1.5 bpg.
>> Graycen Holden (12.3 ppg) and Olivia Nelson (11.5 ppg) round out the top-scorers.
>> Three-point specialist Charley Bovaird averages 6.9 ppg and has a 48.4 three-point field goal percentage. She is a combined 7-for-10 from deep against Washburn this season.

HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER
>> Dave Slifer is in his 17th season leading the Jennies and 32nd season coaching collegiately. He holds an overall record of 736-252.
>> Slifer has guided the Jennies to 10 NCAA Tournament selections, including an NCAA National Championship in 2018 and currently has a record of 338-150.
>> Prior to his tenure at UCM, Slifer spent nine seasons at Missouri Western where he compiled a record of 206-69 (115-33 MIAA).
>> His coaching career started at Mt. Mercy College in Iowa, where he went 178-30 in six seasons.
>> He is a two-time WBCA Regional Coach of the Year and a four-time MIAA Coach of the Year.
>> Slifer is 14-21 when facing Washburn.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI
>> Washburn leads the all-time series 40-25, although Central Missouri has won 11 of the last 13 meetings.
>> WU is 15-13 when playing in Warrensburg.
>> The last time Washburn defeated Central Missouri in the Multipurpose Building was on Jan. 27, 2016. 
>> Erika (Lane) Yoder, who is now an assistant coach for Washburn, played 38 minutes of that game and scored seven points to go with seven rebounds and six assists.
>> Coach McHenry is 27-16 against the Jennies.

LAST TIME AGAINST CENTRAL MISSOURI (FEB. 13, 2021)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Washburn women's basketball team played well for three quarters, but was unable to overcome a sluggish second quarter and fell at No. 20-ranked Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon, 62-56. The Jennies remain atop the MIAA standings and improve to 16-2 on the season while the Ichabods fall to 7-10.

Washburn got off to a hot start and rattled off eight unanswered points and held Central Missouri scoreless until the 5:45 mark in the first quarter. UCM put together a run of their own, outscoring WU 12-4 over the final 4:42, to even the score at 14-all. Washburn shot 50 percent in the first 10 minutes, making 6-of-12 from the field.

The start of the second quarter looked similar to the first, but this time it was Washburn who did not score a bucket until midway through the frame and Central Missouri putting up seven unanswered points. The Ichabod offense scored just three layups while the Jennies made 6-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-6 from deep to head into the locker room in front, 31-20.

The Jennies held a game-high 15 point lead after scoring the first two baskets of the second half, but the Ichabods went on an 14-5 run in four minutes of action to get within five, 45-40.

Trailing 54-42 with 6:09 left in regulation, a layup by Hunter Bentley started an 8-0 run to get within four with 3:24 on the clock. The Jennies ended the Ichabod run with a huge three-pointer and held on for the win making 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Washburn shot 43.8 percent from the field and made 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc while Central Missouri had a 43.1 field goal percentage and made 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from deep. The Jennies dominated on the glass and out-rebounded the Ichabods, 39-22. Washburn forced 24 UCM turnovers and turned those into 24 points.

Barrientos led the Ichabods with 18 total points and was 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Bentley tallied 16 points to go with five rebounds and two blocks.

Central Missouri's Olivia Nelson made 7-of-10 from the field and finished with a. team-high 17 points. Nija Collier notched a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.

WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 21st season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 475-163 (282-117 MIAA).
>> His .744 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 956-445-1 (.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
>> If the Ichabods win on Wednesday, they will advance to the MIAA semifinal on Saturday to take on the winner of the No. 3 seed Nebraska-Kearney/No. 6 seed Pittsburg State quarterfinal matchup. The semifinal games and championship will be held at the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinal round.