TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team looks to add to its three-game home winning streak as the Ichabods host Emporia State on Saturday afternoon.
GAME INFORMATION
Washburn (6-9, 4-5 MIAA) vs. Emporia State (9-7, 4-6 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 22 | 1 p.m. | Topeka, Kan. | Lee Arena
Tickets: Online only
Watch: MIAA Network
Radio: 106.9 FM
Live stats: wusports.com/sidearmstats/wbball
OPENING TIP
>> The Ichabods (6-9, 4-5 MIAA) defeated Northwest Missouri, 58-52, on Monday night in Lee Arena.
>> Washburn has won its last three home games and is now 3-5 when playing in Topeka this season.
>> Emporia State has lost three-straight road games at Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, and Missouri Southern.
>> The Lady Hornets are now 9-7 (4-6 MIAA) and are 3-4 in true road games.
>> These two teams played each other twice last season with Emporia State winning on its home court on Jan. 23, 2021, before Washburn captured a double-digit senior day win in the regular season finale on Feb. 27, 2021.
>> Saturday's game will be the 108th all-time meeting between these programs and Emporia State leads the series, 59-48.
>> WU is 3-3 in Saturday games this season.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 58.2 ppg and have a 40.6 field goal percentage.
>> Hunter Bentley leads Washburn's offense with 12.7 ppg, which ranks 13th in the MIAA. She has led the team in scoring in 10 games this season.
>> Bentley scored a career-high 29 points when the Ichabods captured a 96-88 double overtime victory at then-ranked No. 23 Emporia State on Jan. 5, 2019.
>> Abby Oliver has finished in double-figure scoring in five of the last seven games and averages 8.0 ppg to go with 4.3 rpg. She was 6-of-9 from the field against Northwest Missouri.
>> Macy Doebele contributes 7.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Her free throw streak ended on Monday at 27 after going 4-for-5 at the charity stripe and barely missing her last attempt of the game. Doebele is tied with Bentley shooting 83.3 percent from the free throw line.
>> Off the bench, Shae Sanchez chips in 6.6 ppg. She made all four of her free throw attempts and grabbed a team-best six rebounds against the Bearcats.
>> Nuria Barrientos averages 5.7 ppg and leads the squad with 4.9 rpg and has also made a team-high 20 blocks.
>> Mackenzie Gamble and Lauren Cassaday round out the starting five averaging 5.3 ppg and 4.2 ppg/4.1 rpg, respectively.
>> Gamble turned in a career-game last season when the Ichabods defeated the Lady Hornets. She finished the game 8-of-16 from the field while making 6-of-12 from behind the arc to finish with a personal-best 22 points.
>> Aubree Dewey averages 4.3 ppg and is tied for the team-high in assists at 2.1 apg.
>> The Ichabod bench has scored 61 of Washburn's 114 total points combined in the last two games.
>> Washburn held Northwest Missouri to a 32.7 field goal percentage, the lowest FG% the Ichabod defense has achieved this season.
MILESTONE TRACKER
>> Bentley is No. 8 on Washburn's all-time scorers list with 1,391 career points. She needs 77 more to pass former teammate Reagan Phelan.
>> Bentley is tied with Phelan for the most minutes played in a Washburn uniform with 3,802. Shelley Foster (1991-95) is the all-time leader with 3,978 minutes played.
>> Cassaday is eight points away from 200 career points as an Ichabods.
>> Dewey is also approaching the 200 milestone and is 10 points away.
>> Oliver and Doebele are nearing the 200 mark in rebounds. Oliver needs three and Doebele needs 12.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
>> The 2021-22 season marks the 38th season of play in Lee Arena as the facility opened in the 1983-84 season.
>> Washburn is 434-113 all-time in Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods went 7-4 at home last season.
>> Head Coach Ron McHenry is 243-65 when coaching in Lee Arena.
WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
TOPEKA, Kan. – A strong defensive effort propelled the Ichabods to a 58-52 victory against Northwest Missouri in Lee Arena on Monday evening.
Northwest Missouri (11-5, 6-4 MIAA) scored the first four points of the game before Washburn found its groove at the 7:22 mark with a layup from Hunter Bentley that sparked a 9-0 run. The Ichabod (6-9, 4-5 MIAA) defense locked in and forced five turnovers while holding the Bearcats to shooting just 30 percent in the frame and Washburn took a 13-8 advantage into the second quarter.
The Ichabods kicked off the second quarter with a 7-1 run to extend their lead to 20-9 with seven minutes on the clock. The Bearcats started an 11-2 rally midway through the period and pulled within 22-20 when Aubree Dewey hit back-to-back jump shots gave Washburn a 26-20 lead at the break.
Bentley scored the first points of the second half to make it 28-20 in favor of Washburn, but Northwest Missouri clawed its way back into the game and took the lead with 10 unanswered points. Abby Oliver knotted up the game at 30-all with 4:45 left in the third when back-and-forth scoring ensued and the Bearcats drained a three-pointer to even the score at 35. The Bearcats made two free throws in the final minute to take a 37-35 lead at the end of the third.
The Ichabods began the fourth quarter on a tear, scoring the first nine points to reclaim the lead at 44-37. Macy Doebele recorded five of those nine points. With Washburn leading 51-44 with 2:35 remaining, the Bearcats made one last push and got within one point at the 1:27 mark and then with 36 seconds left in regulation but that was as close as it would get as the Ichabods made 5-of-6 from the free throw line to close out the win.
Washburn finished the night shooting 43.8 percent from the floor while Northwest Missouri shot 32.7 percent. The Bearcats made 4-of-24 from deep and the Ichabods were 2-for-6 from three-point range. Both teams recorded exactly 34 rebounds.
Three Ichabods finished in double-figure scoring led by Bentley's 14 points. She also recorded a team-best four assists. Oliver made 6-of-9 from the floor and finished with 12 points. Doebele made all three of her shot attempts and went 4-for-5 at the free throw line to total 11 points. Shae Sanchez and Irene Sanz both grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Peyton Kelderman and Kelsey Fields each scored 10 points to lead Northwest Missouri.
ABOUT THE EMPORIA STATE LADY HORNETS
>> The Lady Hornets went 18-7 (17-5 MIAA) in the 2020-21 campaign and fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Minnesota Duluth.
>> This season, ESU is 9-7 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
>> The Lady Hornets lead the conference at the free throw line, shooting 80.9 percent.
>> Just like she has done for the past two seasons, Tre'Zure Jobe leads the ESU offense and averages 19.0 ppg and has made a team-high 38 three-pointers while shooting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks third in the MIAA.
>> She is also second in the league with 2.4 spg and adds 3.4 apg.
>> Fredricka Sheats averages 10.6 ppg and is shooting 43.6 percent from the floor.
>> Karsen Schultz and Ehlaina Hartman both contribute 10.5 ppg. Shultz leads the team with 5.4 rpg.
HEAD COACH TOBY WYNN
>> Toby Wynn is in his fourth season with the Lady Hornets and has compiled a record of 64-23 while leading ESU to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons.
>> Before joining ESU, Wynn was the head coach at Seward Community College (Liberal, Kan.) for 13 seasons where he went 349-84.
>> Wynn played one season of basketball at Northwestern Oklahoma State before transferring to Oklahoma State where he earned his Bachelor's in Business Education
>> Wynn is 3-3 against the Ichabods.
SERIES WITH EMPORIA STATE
>> Washburn has faced Emporia State more times than any other team in its program history as this will be the 108th meeting.
>> The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series, 59-48.
>> When playing Emporia State in Topeka, Washburn is 22-29.
>> In the last matchup between these two teams, WU defeated ESU in Lee Arena for the first time since Jan. 2, 2013 by the score of 79-68.
>> Coach McHenry is 28-27 against ESU.
LAST MEETING WITH EMPORIA STATE
Washburn 74, Emporia State 64 -- Feb. 27, 2021
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team held the highest-scoring team in the MIAA to 64 points on Saturday afternoon as the Ichabods captured a 74-64 victory over Emporia State in Lee Arena to close out the regular season.
The Ichabods wrap up the regular season with a record of 11-11 while the Lady Hornets finish at 17-5 overall.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle that saw seven lead changes before the period ended with the score knotted up at 13.
Hunter Bentley got the second quarter started with a huge three-pointer to break the tie. A layup by Macy Doebele at the 5:41 mark started a 12-2 scoring run to make it 28-17 in favor of Washburn with 92 seconds left in the opening half. Mackenzie Gamble drained two three-pointers during that scoring run. Emporia State scored the final four points of the frame to trail by seven, 28-21, at the break.
Washburn started the third period with a 10-0 scoring tear and held Emporia State scoreless until the 6:16 mark. Mackenzie Gamble scored five points during a 7-0 run to give Washburn a 22-point lead at 51-29 with 1:58 on the clock. A triple by Bentley sent the Ichabods into the final stanza in front, 54-35.
Both teams took turns scoring until Emporia State rattled off eight-straight points to cut its deficit to eight, 63-55, with just under five minutes remaining. The Lady Hornets were unable to make up much ground as the Ichabods continued to hit timely shots. ESU got within seven with 61 seconds to go, but a Washburn free throw and a layup clinched the 10-point victory.
Washburn finished the day shooting 44.1 percent from the floor while Emporia State had a 35.9 field goal percentage. The Ichabods made 10-of-30 from deep and the Lady Hornets were 7-of-26. Washburn out-rebounded Emporia State, 43-35, and scored 10 points off of 12 offensive rebounds.
Gamble led five Ichabods in double-figure scoring with a career-high 22 points after making 6-of-12 from behind the three-point line. Bentley added 13 points while Doebele was right behind with 12 points and eight boards. Nuria Barrientos and Lauren Cassaday each tallied 10 points.
Tre'Zure Jobe totaled 23 points for Emporia State. Fredricka Sheats recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 22nd season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 480-172 (287-122 MIAA).
>> Brette (Ulsaker) Herber begins her ninth 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.
>> Herber has filled in as the head coach for three total games this season and holds a record of 2-1.
>> Erika (Lane) Yoder starts her third 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 963-454-1 (.680) all-time and will commence the 53rd year of the program's history.
>> 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.
NEXT UP
>> Washburn will continue its homestand and play three home games in seven days starting Jan. 26 against Newman.
