SBU BEARCATS (10-17, 8-12 MIAA) vs
#10 WASHBURN LADY BLUES (23-3, 17-3 MIAA)

MIAA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT • FIRST ROUND
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 • 12:00 PM
KANSAS CITY, MO • MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM
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SBU NOTES | WASHBURN NOTES
   
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Now that the SBU Bearcats have righted the ship and pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds in school and conference history, they face an even bigger task: upsetting the top-seeded and 10th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues. While Washburn did sweep the season series, SBU dropped the second game by only nine points, after falling behind by as much as 17 in the second half.

After starting the MIAA season 1-10, the Bearcats have won seven of their last nine. Senior Rachel Graves has helped lead SBU through the turnaround, averaging 16.8 points in the month of February. Graves has raised her scoring average more than a full point, going from 12.4 at the end of January, to 13.8 (10th in MIAA). Graves also leads the team in three-point percentage (38.2%, 4th in MIAA) and threes made per game (2.7, 4th in MIAA). Earlier this week, Graves was named to the All-MIAA Second Team, as well as the All-MIAA Defensive Team.

Courtney Heady has scored in double figures in seven of her last eight games, and scored a team-high 19 points against UNO, including the last second shot for the win. Heady is also among the league leaders in scoring, ranking 17th with 11.7 points per game. Along with Graves, Heady ranks in the top ten in the MIAA in both three-point percentage (36.2%, 8th), and treys made (2.7, 5th). Ashleigh Gallio ranks sixth in the MIAA in assists (3.6), tenth in three-point percentage (34.8) and threes made (1.8) and 9th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). The junior guard also ranks third in minutes played (32.6).

Freshman Kourtni Williams has been a big part of SBU's late-season run, after being named as a starter at the beginning of February. Williams has set a new career high in scoring four times since her first start against Pittsburg State, scoring 16 in the nail-biter against Nebraska-Omaha.
 
THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES   
SBU head coach J.C. Carter has led the Bearcats to a fourth consecutive MIAA Tournament appearance, and improved the team's win total from eight last season to ten this year. In his two seasons as head coach of the Bearcats, Carter has a 18-37 record. In what could be considered some of his biggest wins to date, Carter led the Bearcats to an upset of nationally-ranked Emporia State on their home court last year, and knocked off Missouri Western on the last game of the regular season to earn a berth into the MIAA Tournament, in back-to-back seasons.

Ron McHenry is in his 10th season coaching the Lady Blues, where he has gone 264-52. He was recently named MIAA Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Blues to another MIAA title. Washburn leads the all-time series over the Bearcats, 29-11, and has won 18 of past 19 meetings. SBU hasn't knocked off the Lady Blues since an upset in Bolivar in the 2007-08 season. The last time the two sides met at the MIAA Tournament was in 2007, a first-round loss for the Bearcats.

SCOUTING THE LADY BLUES       
The Lady Blues are winners of 10 straight, and are coming off a 12-point victory over rival Emporia State that clinched their seventh MIAA regular season championship. The Lady Blues are ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense (54.4 ppg, 12th), scoring margin (+16.7, 15th), rebounding margin (+8.3, 13th), and turnovers per game (14.8, 13th). Rose Hammond is ninth in the country with a 2.22 assist-to-turnover ratio. Dayna Rodriguez, named to the All-MIAA First Team earlier this week, is Washburn's leading scorer, averaging 15.4 points a game, fifth-most in the conference.

NEXT UP FOR THE SBU BEARCATS 
If the Bearcats can pull off the upset over the Lady Blues, they would face the winner between Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State. SBU defeated both teams during their run to the tournament, and gave the Gorillas their only home loss of the season. Both teams had a player on the All-MIAA First Team; Gentry Dietz, the junior center for the green Bearcats, and DePrice Taylor, a senior guard for Pittsburg. Northwest and Pitt have a number of scorers that the Bearcats would need to contain to have a shot at moving on. Abby Henry (16.6 ppg), Dietz (15.5), and Gabby Curtis (11.8) are all among the league leaders in scoring for Northwest, while Nicole McCombs (13.5), Taylor (13.2) lead the way for the Gorillas.