TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team continues its homestand into this week hosting Newman on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Washburn (7-9, 5-5 MIAA) vs. Newman (2-17, 0-13 MIAA)
Wednesday, Jan. 26 | 5:30 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 won back-to-back home games last week and improved to 7-9 overall and 5-5 in MIAA play after knocking off Emporia State, 72-67, on Saturday.
>> Washburn has won its last four home games and is now 4-5 when playing in Topeka this season.
>> The Jets are looking for their first conference victory as they sit at 2-17 (0-13 MIAA).
>> These two teams met earlier this season in Wichita and Washburn posted a 51-40 win on Dec. 11.
>> Newman is winless on the road this season with a record of 0-7 in true away games.
>> Wednesday's game will be the 15th all-time meeting between these programs and the fifth time since Newman joined the MIAA for the 2019-20 season.
>> WU is 1-2 when playing on Wednesdays this season.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 59.1 ppg and have a 41.0 field goal percentage.
>> WU is second in the MIAA with 3.75 blocks per game.
>> Hunter Bentley leads Washburn's offense with 13.0 ppg, which ranks 12th in the MIAA. She has scored eight or more points in 14 of the 16 games she's played this season.
>> Abby Oliver continues to excel off the bench and has scored double-digits in each of the last three games. She was 4-of-8 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line to tally 13 points against the Lady Hornets.
>> Oliver also averages 4.4 rpg and out of her 70 total rebounds this season, 30 have been offensive boards.
>> Macy Doebele contributes 7.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg. She finished with seven points and six rebbounds against ESU.
>> Shae Sanchez averages 23.3 minutes off the bench and adds 6.5 ppg.
>> Nuria Barrientos averages 6.3 ppg and leads the team with 5.4 rpg. She has also made a team-best 21 blocks to average 1.3 bpg, ranking fifth in the league.
>> Mackenzie Gamble and Lauren Cassaday round out the starting five averaging 4.9 ppg and 4.2 ppg/3.9 rpg, respectively.
>> Aubree Dewey has scored exactly six points in each of the last four games. She averages 4.4 ppg and 2.0 apg.
>> Irene Sanz is on a three-game streak of hitting at least one three-pointer.
>> Washburn is 3-0 when scoring in the 70s.
>> The Ichabods have shot 40 percent or better from the field in seven of their last eight games. WU has gone 6-2 during that stretch.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THIS THIS
>> Barrientos, who led the team last season with seven double-doubles, notched her third double-double of the season on Saturday.
>> Her first of this season was at Newman on Dec. 11, recording 10 points and rebounds.
>> Bentley is the only other Ichabod so far to also achieve a double-double. She had 20 points and 10 rebounds at Missouri Southern (Jan. 13).
MILESTONE TRACKER
>> Bentley is No. 8 on Washburn's all-time scorers list with 1,409 career points. She needs 59 more to pass former teammate Reagan Phelan.
>> Bentley passed Phelan for the second-most minutes played in a Washburn uniform and is up to 3,838. Shelley Foster (1991-95) is the all-time leader with 3,978 minutes played.
>> Cassaday and Dewey are both four points away from their 200th career points as Ichabods.
>> Doebele is nearing the 200 mark in rebounds and needs six more.
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 435-113 all-time in Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods went 7-4 at home last season.
>> Head Coach Ron McHenry is 244-65 when coaching in Lee Arena.
WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team captured a 72-67 triumph over Emporia State in Lee Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The first quarter was back and forth as there were four lead changes and four tie scores. Emporia State (9-8, 4-7 MIAA) knotted up the score at 15-all and then ended the first period on a 5-0 run to go in front, 20-17.
Abby Oliver scored the first three points of the second quarter to level the score at 20 and then after an ESU bucket, Washburn (7-9, 5-5 MIAA) hit back-to-back jumpers to retake the lead, 24-22. The Ichabods pushed their lead to six, 35-29, on a triple by Irene Sanz with just over a minute left in the first half. Emporia State scored the final three points of the quarter but Washburn remained in the lead, 35-32, at the break.
The Lady Hornets scored three unanswered points to start the second half to even the game at 35-35. Nuria Barrientos grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up to give the Ichabods the lead again and Washburn stayed in front for rest of the quarter. Oliver tallied eight points in the frame and her final three points sent Washburn into the final stanza with a 57-48 advantage.
Washburn extended its lead to double-digits in the opening minute and kept it that way until Emporia State put together an 11-2 run starting at the 4:30 mark and trimmed WU's lead to 67-64 with 54 seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing possession, Hunter Bentley added some cushion to the lead converting on an old-fashioned three-point play. The Lady Hornets continued to fight back and drained a three-pointer with 22 seconds to go to get back within three. Needing to stop the clock, ESU fouled Bentley and she made both free throws to make it 72-67. The Lady Hornets missed their final two shot attempts and the Ichabods secured their second-consecutive home victory over ESU.
Washburn shot 47.5 percent from the floor while holding Emporia State to shooting 35.5 percent. The Lady Hornets made 7-of-30 three-pointers and the Ichabods were 3-of-13 from deep. The Ichabods dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Lady Hornets, 46-30.
Bentley led three Ichabods in double-figure scoring, making 6-of-10 shot attempts from the field and made all five of her free throws to finish with 18 points. Barrientos recorded her third double-double of the season and closed out the day with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. Oliver chipped in 13 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Four from Emporia State scored double-digits led by Tre'Zure Jobe's 15 points.
ABOUT THE NEWMAN JETS
>> The Jets went 4-18 in the conference-only season last year.
>> This season, Newman's two victories came back-to-back on Nov. 23 and Nov. 27 against Cottey College and Manhattan Christian College.
>> The Jets score 54.4 ppg and shoot 38.2 percent from the field.
>> Newman is led by Tiffany Dortland who averages 10.3 ppg to go with 4.4 rpg and 2.6 apg.
>> Britney Ho is just shy of averaging double-figures with 9.3 ppg shooting 51.7 percent from the floor.
>> Faith Mason-Vestal leads the squad with 5.5 rpg and at the free throw line with an 87.0 percent success rate.
>> Carissa Beck has made a team-best 33 triples and shoots 38.8 percent from deep.
HEAD COACH DREW JOHNSON
>> Drew Johnson is in his first season coaching the Jets. His wife, former WNBA star Nicole Ohlde-Johnson, is the co-head coach.
>> Before coming to Newman, Johnson coached four years at Bethel.
>> While at Bethel, Johnson broke numerous program records and led the team to its first ever NAIA National Tournament appearance.
>> Prior to coaching at Bethel, he coached high school basketball for nine years.
>> Johnson is 0-2 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH NEWMAN
>> Washburn holds a 10-4 series advantage.
>> The Ichabods are 6-2 when playing the Jets in Topeka.
>> Coach McHenry is 5-3 against NU.
LAST MEETING WITH NEWMAN
Washburn 51, Newman 40 -- Dec. 11, 2021
WICHITA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team win its first conference game of the season with a 51-40 victory at Newman on Saturday afternoon.
Washburn (2-7, 1-3 MIAA) quickly got things started with back-to-back shots made from Abby Oliver and a triple from Hunter Bentley. The Ichabods led 7-3 before getting into foul trouble. The Jets made four free throws to tie the game. Bentley later would hit back-to-back triples to give Washburn the 15-11 lead. A Laura Bello last-second layup tied it again heading into the second quarter.
Once again Oliver got the Ichabods started in the second to take the 17-15 lead. The Ichabods would not score again in the quarter until the 1:37 mark. It took the Jets almost three minutes before they made a free throw to draw within one then eventually take the 22-17 lead over Washburn. Sanchez ended the Ichabods' drought with a three. The Jets hit a three of their own to end the half to head into the break with the 25-22 lead.
In the third, Washburn got off to a hot start with a 12-2 run. Nuria Barrientos had six points in that span. Oliver scored and Bentley hit her fourth triple to go into the final frame with a 39-31 lead.
The Ichabods kept that momentum going as they took a double-digit lead four minutes into the fourth quarter. Washburn would hold onto that lead for the rest of the game.
Washburn had a 41.7 field goal percentage on the afternoon while Newman shot 37.5 percent. The Ichabods made 6-of-8 free throws despite not taking a one in the first half. A difference in the game was Washburn outrebounded the Jets 32 to 25 and their third-quarter play.
Bentley scored 19 points, shooting 6-for-15 from the floor with four three-pointers. Barrientos earned her first double-double of the season. She scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Oliver contributed to all facets of the game. She scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbed five rebounds, distributed four assists, stole the ball twice, and blocked three shots.
Britney Ho led the Jets with 12 points. She was the only Newman player to have over 10 points.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 22nd season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 481-172 (288-122 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 964-454-1 (.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 closes out the week hosting Central Oklahoma on Saturday at 1 p.m.
