TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team looks to extend its six-game home winning streak on Tuesday as the Ichabods host No. 25 Missouri Western in a makeup game on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Washburn (9-9, 7-5 MIAA) vs. Missouri Western (16-3, 10-3 MIAA)
Tuesday, Feb. 1 | 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 game was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 8, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
>> The Ichabods are on a four-game winning streak and hold a record of 9-9 (7-5 MIAA) after winning a shootout against Central Oklahoma in overtime, 98-93.
>> The Ichabods are also now 2-0 in overtime games this season.
>> WU is 31-21 all-time in overtime games.
>> Washburn has won its last six games in Lee Arena and are 6-5 when playing in Topeka.
>> The Griffons (16-3, 10-3 MIAA) have also won four in a row and are coming off an 84-53 victory against Lincoln.
>> MWSU is 5-1 when playing on the road this season.
>> Tuesday's game will be the 100th all-time meeting between the two programs.
>> The Ichabods swept the series last season, defeating the Griffons in St. Joseph 61-49 on Jan. 9, 2021 and then 51-41 in Topeka on Feb. 18.
WASHBURN NOTES
>> The Ichabods average 60.6 ppg and have a 41.4 field goal percentage.
>> Hunter Bentley ranks 14th in the MIAA averaging 12.8 ppg. She scored 20 points for the third time this season on Saturday.
>> Abby Oliver is second on the team in scoring with 8.4 ppg and adds 4.2 rpg off the bench. She has scored double-digits in four of the last five games.
>> Macy Doebele scored a career-high 18 points against Central Oklahoma and went 10-for-12 at the free throw line.
>> Doebele scored Washburn's nine final points in regulation against the Bronchos, including the game-tying layup with 0.2 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
>> In both games last week, Shae Sanchez scored double her season average and totaled 14 points in each game.
>> Sanchez made 5-of-9 from the field for the second-consecutive game on Saturday.
>> Nuria Barrientos averages 6.3 and leads the team with 5.5 rpg. She tallied 10 points and four rebounds against UCO.
>> Mackenzie Gamble found her groove again and was 4-of-5 from the floor and drained three triples against Central Oklahoma to finish with 11 points. On the season, she averages 5.0 ppg.
>> Lauren Cassaday rounds out the starting five averaging 4.3 ppg and has a 48.0 field goal percentage.
>> Aubree Dewey averages 4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, and 2.1 apg. She has recorded at least one assist in 16 of the 18 games played this season.
>> Washburn attempted a season-high 35 free throws against the Bronchos and successfully made 29 of those.
>> WU also tied a season-high in three-pointers in Saturday's game, making nine triples. The Ichabods made nine three-pointers in the overtime win against Oklahoma Baptist on Nov. 13.
>> The Ichabod offense has shot above 50 percent in three games this season and won all three.
OFFENSE EXPLOSION
>> After scoring 47 points against Newman last Wednesday, Washburn's offense racked up 98 points in Saturday's overtime win on Saturday.
>> The last time the Ichabods scored more than 95 points was a double overtime 96-88 victory at Emporia State on Jan. 5, 2019.
>> The combined score of 191 total points in the game tied for the third-most points scored in a Washburn game.
MOST COMBINED POINTS IN WASHBURN GAMES
No. 1: 02/23/1991 at Missouri-St. Louis W, 120-86 (206)
No. 2: 02/14/2009 at Southwest Baptist W, 99-93 (192)
T-No. 3: 02/14/2004 at Truman W/2OT, 97-94 (191)
T-No. 3: 01/29/2022 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA W, 97-94 (191)
MILESTONE TRACKER
>> Bentley is No. 8 on Washburn's all-time scorers list with 1,431 career points. She needs 37 more to pass former teammate Reagan Phelan.
>> Bentley has played the second-most minutes of any Washburn player with 3,914 in her career and is 65 minutes away from moving up to No. 1. Shelley Foster (1991-95) is the all-time leader with 3,978 minutes played.
>> Barrientos needs 14 rebounds to hit the 300 mark in career rebounds.
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 437-113 all-time in Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods went 7-4 at home last season.
>> Head Coach Ron McHenry is 246-65 when coaching in Lee Arena.
WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn's Macy Doebele made a layup with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime and the Ichabods went on to defeat Central Oklahoma in extra time on Saturday, 98-93.
The Washburn (9-9, 7-5 MIAA) offense was rolling to start the game as the Ichabods scored the first five points and led by 10 after a made three-pointer by Shae Sanchez. The Ichabods shot 53.8 percent from the field and made 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to hold a 23-15 advantage at the end of the quarter.
The Ichabods led by 13 with 4:45 left in the first half when Central Oklahoma (12-9, 8-7 MIAA) started to chip away at the deficit with a 14-2 run to get within one, 36-35, with 1:06 left in the frame. Washburn made 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the final minute, but Central Oklahoma ended the first half on a buzzer beating layup to cut Washburn's lead to 39-37.
Washburn added some cushion back to its lead to start the second half, thanks to a 10-4 scoring run. Three-consecutive Ichabod turnovers proved costly as Central Oklahoma went on a 10-1 tear and took its first lead of the game, 51-50, midway through the third quarter. There were five lead changes and two tie scores in the final five minutes and the third period ended with the score knotted up at 62.
Back-and-forth scoring continued as the fourth quarter saw 10 lead changes and four ties. Trailing by one with 1:04 left in regulation, Doebele drew a foul and made both of her free throws to put Washburn back on top, 82-81. After an Ichabod turnover, the Bronchos connected on a three-pointer to go back in front with 19 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Doebele found herself at the free throw line yet again and hit both freebies to level the score at 84 with 12 seconds left. Central Oklahoma let the clock get down to three seconds before making a jumper to reclaim the lead. The Ichabods called a timeout to advance the ball to half court and with 0.2 seconds on the clock, Doebele drove towards the basket and made the game-tying layup to send the contest to overtime.
The game was knotted up at 88 and 90 before Sanchez sparked a 5-0 mini run to make it 95-90 in favor of WU. The Bronchos pulled within two with 30 seconds left, but Ichabods never trailed again and closed out the game going 3-of-4 at the free throw line to capture the 98-93 victory.
Washburn finished the afternoon shooting 52.6 percent from the field while Central Oklahoma had a 47.9 clip. From three-point range, the Ichabods were 9-of-16 and the Bronchos made 7-of-18. WU made a season-high 35 trips to the free throw line and successfully made 29 while UCO went 16-for-20. The Ichabods held a slight edge in rebounds, 35-33, and used 12 offensive rebounds to get 20 second chance points. Washburn also scored 25 points after forcing 16 Central Oklahoma turnovers.
Six Ichabods scored double-digits led by Hunter Bentley's 20. She also had a team-high eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Doebele added 18 points and was 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Sanchez was 5-of-9 from the field to finish with 14 points. Mackenzie Gamble and Abby Oliver contributed 11 points apiece. Nuria Barrientos rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
Kelsey Johnson led four UCO players in double-figure scoring and notched a double-double, finishing with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
ABOUT THE MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS
>> After going just 6-16 in the conference-only 2020-21 schedule, Missouri Western opened the new season on a nine-game winning streak and are currently 16-3 (10-3 MIAA).
>> The Griffons lead the MIAA and are 17th in the nation in scoring as they average 77.9 ppg. MWSU also has the largest margin in the conference as it limits opponents to 59.5 ppg.
>> They have scored 80 or more points in nine games.
>> The Griffons also average a league-best 41.2 rpg.
>> Three from Missouri Western rank in the top-20 in the MIAA in scoring, led by Brionna Budgetts' 13.4 ppg.
>> Connie Clarke (12.8 ppg) and Corbyn Cunningham (11.9 ppg) also average double-figures.
>> Clarke also leads the team in rebounds (8.6 rpg), steals (1.9 spg), blocks (0.9 bpg).
>> Against Lincoln on Saturday, Cunningham led the Griffons with 20 points and eight boards.
HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER
>> Candi Whitaker is in her third year with the Griffons and held a record of 27-24 heading into this season.
>> Whitaker brings ample coaching experience to the program as she was most recently the head coach at Texas Tech (2013-18) and also led the UMKC women's team (2006-12).
>> She became one of the youngest head coaches in women's basketball, taking over the UMKC program at age 26 and winning 83 total games in her tenure to rank as the second-winningest coach in program history.
>> She also served as an associate head coach at Oklahoma State (2012-13) and started her coaching career as an assistant at Valparaiso (2002-04).
>> As a student-athlete, Whitaker played two seasons at Seward County Community College and then transferred to Texas Tech where she helped the Lady Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
>> She is 2-2 against Washburn.
SERIES WITH MISSOURI WESTERN
>> Washburn won the very first game of the series against Missouri Western on Jan. 17, 1976 in overtime, 74-70.
>> WU leads the all-time series, 57-42.
>> When playing against the Griffons in Topeka, WU is 29-16.
>> Coach McHenry is 33-14 against Missouri Western.
LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI WESTERN
Washburn 51, Missouri Western 41 -- Feb. 18, 2021
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team put an end to Missouri Western's three-game winning streak on Thursday night with a 51-41 victory in Lee Arena. With the win, the Ichabods are now 8-10 on the season while the Griffons drop to 6-12.
It was back and forth to start the game as the teams exchanged buckets after every score until the Ichabods went on a 4-0 mini run to take a 9-8 lead. Hunter Bentley scored the last seven points for Washburn in the opening quarter to give the home team a 16-13 advantage.
Washburn quickly pushed its lead to double-digits in the second period, thanks to a 10-2 scoring run over the first 4:15 of the frame. The Ichabods went into the locker room with a 30-21 advantage.
Holding a five point lead with 4:17 in the third quarter, Washburn put together an 8-1 run to extend its lead to 42-30. Bentley started the fourth quarter with a bang as she connected on a three-pointer to make the score 45-32 in Washburn's favor. Yet another three from Bentley made it a 15-point contest and the Ichabods closed out the double-digit win.
The Ichabods shot 38.9 percent from the field while the Griffons finished with a 34.8 field goal percentage. Washburn made six of their 20 attempts from behind the arc and Missouri Western was just 1-of-10 from deep. Both teams pulled down 33 rebounds and scored 10 second chance points. The Ichabods scored 18 points after forcing 20 turnovers by the Griffons.
Bentley was the top-scorer with 20 points, making 4-of-7 from the three-point land. She also added six assists, five steals, and four rebounds. Lauren Cassaday made all five of her shot attempts from the field and totaled 11 points off the bench and also blocked two shots. Mackenzie Gamble added seven points to go with three assists and four boards.
Asia McCoy led the Griffons with 13 points and eight rebounds.
WASHBURN COACHES
>> McHenry is in his 22nd season at Washburn and holds an overall record of 483-172 (290-122 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 966-454-1 (.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 hits the road for games this week at Rogers State (Feb. 3) and Northeastern State (Feb. 5).
