December 28, 2009

Washburn Women Defeat Missouri Western, 69-50

By David Boyce

TOPEKA, Kan. -- For the first few minutes Monday night at Lee Arena, Washburn didn't look like the No. 8 women's basketball team in NCAA Division II.

The Lady Blues gave up eight of the first 10 points to Missouri Western, a team that is winless in MIAA conference games.

It took a couple of three-point bombs by Washburn freshman Laura Kinderknecht to jolt the Lady Blues back into top-10 form.

Kinderknecht's long-range shots gave Washburn the lead that it never relinquished in a 69-50 victory over Missouri Western.

"We were off four or five days and when we came back the ball looked kind of different to us so I knew we wouldn't play a clean game," Washburn coach Ron McHenry said.

As the game progressed, Washburn showed why it remains the only undefeated team in the MIAA. The win lifted Washburn to 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA. Missouri Western dropped to 2-8 and 0-4.

Initially, the Griffons looked like a conference contender. Two treys by Jessica Koch staked Missouri Western to an early 8-2 lead.

"They were better than I thought they would be," said Washburn sophomore Stevi Schultz, who came off the bench and scored 11 points. "They came out wanting to win. You could tell that."

Washburn quickly recovered from the slow start and scored the next seven points for a 9-8 lead. Washburn 6-2 senior center Dayna Rodriguez established her post presence by making a couple of baskets.

But a basket and later a free throw by Dana Elliott put Missouri Western back in front 11-9.

And that's when Kinderknecht's dashed the Griffons' hope of a stunning upset. Kinderknect hit back-to-back three-pointers that gave the Lady Blues a 15-11 lead, and it climbed to 17-11 on two free throws by Alyssa Mullen.

"Laura can really shoot it," McHenry said. "We've been trying to get her to be more aggressive shooting the ball. The first half she had three, three-pointers, a big nine points."

The six-point cushion was all the Lady Blues needed to find their rhythm. Washburn was firing up three-pointers all over the place in the first half.

Many of them missed, but a few landed and they were daggers, especially when Rodriguez stepped out and nailed a three-pointer that put Washburn up 35-24 with 2:17 left in the first half.

In the first 20 minutes, Washburn shot 20 three-pointers and made six. Kinderknecht, though, was automatic behind the arc, making all three of her attempts.

"I never really said don't take them," McHenry said. "We usually shoot it a little better than that. We got a lot of kids and that's what they do. If you take that away from them, then that limits what they can do. I would like to establish the inside a little earlier with Dayna."

The Lady Blues went into halftime with a comfortable 37-26 lead.

But credit must be given to Missouri Western for playing hard in the second half. A couple of times the Griffons cut their deficit to single digits. A basket by Koch, who finished with a game-high 18 points, gave Missouri Western some momentum when Washburn's lead was cut to 45-37.

Washburn just had too many scoring options for the Griffons to handle. Near the 10-minute mark, Schultz put the game away when she knocked down a three-pointer and quickly added a two-point bucket that pushed Washburn's advantage to 55-40.

Rodriguez led Washburn with 16 points.

The Lady Blues got a big lift off the bench from Schultz and Kinderknecht.

"The second group we just try to come in and play our role and give them a lift off the bench," Kinderknecht said.

Washburn returns to action Wednesday at Fort Hays State. It's the first of three straight MIAA road games.

"It's going to be pretty tough, but as long as we stay focused, I'm positive that we can do it." Schultz said. "We just have to stay focused and be ready."

To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.