TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team is set to play its 110th all-time game against Emporia State this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lee Arena.

OPENING TIP

• The Ichabods are 3-3 (0-1 MIAA) after losing the conference-opening game at Northeastern State on Monday, 60-53.
• The Lady Hornets are 4-1 and will be playing their first MIAA game of the new season.
• The teams split the season series last year as Washburn won the first matchup, 72-67, in Topeka before falling in the regular season finale at Emporia, 79-77, on a shot just before the buzzer.
• ESU went 15-14 overall in 2021-22 with a 10-12 record in MIAA games.
• Last season, Washburn finished the regular season in a tie for eighth place in the conference standings after going 11-11 in conference action while Emporia State was one spot below in 10th.
• In this season's MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, Washburn was picked 10th and Emporia State was voted sixth.

WASHBURN BY THE NUMBERS

• Washburn is averaging 56.7 ppg and has a 39.2 field goal percentage.
• The Ichabods are third in the league in fewest points allowed per game as they hold opponents to just 54.0 ppg ... the WU defense has not allowed more than 64 points in any game yet.
• In each of the Ichabods' six games so far, they have led or had a tie score at halftime.
• WU is looking for its first Saturday win of this season as it is 0-2 so far.
• Washburn has now made at least one three-pointer in 49-consecutive games going back to Jan. 16, 2021.

THE WU CREW

• Aubree Dewey has started all six games and is the only Ichabod averaging double-figure as she adds 11.2 ppg ... she has been efficient with her shooting as she makes 46.8 percent from the field. She also helps others score and hands out 3.3 assists per game (11th in the MIAA).
• Mackenzie Gamble leads the team in three-pointers made with 15 and averages 9.2 ppg ... her 42.9 three-point field goal percentage ranks fifth in the conference. She made 3-5 from the beyond the arc at Northeastern State and finished with 11 points.
• Natalia Figueroa has scored nine or more points in each of the last four games and averages 8.8 ppg ... in her first collegiate season, she is one of three Ichabods who have started all six games for Washburn.
• Off the bench, Emma Chapman averages 6.7 ppg with a 42.9 field goal percentage and 5.8 rpg.
• Macy Doebele has been in the starting lineup for all six games and is ninth in the conference in rebounding as she averages a team-high 6.7 rpg ... she also contributes 6.0 ppg and is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.
• Gabi Artis has played the last two games off the bench and is averaging 5.5 ppg.
• Lauren Cassaday has started the last four games and averages 5.7 rpg and 3.7 ppg.
• The freshmen duo of Yiibari Nwidadah and Amaya Davison have come off the bench to help the Ichabods with 3.7 ppg and 3.3 ppg, respectively.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

• The 2022-23 season marks the 39th season of play in Lee Arena as the facility opened in the 1983-84 season.
• Washburn is 442-117 all-time in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods went 8-7 at home last season.

HEAD COACH LORA WESTLING

• Former Washburn women's basketball student-athlete Lora Westling has returned to Topeka and is in her first season as head coach in 2022-23.
• Westling returns to her alma mater after six seasons at Western Colorado, where she compiled a record of 77-78 and led the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament selections – the first two in program history.
• Her overall victories is second on the Western all-time list and her 63 RMAC wins is tied for second in program history.
• Prior to Western Colorado, Westling spent three seasons as the head coach at the Division III program, Illinois College.
• Before accepting the head job at Illinois College, Westling was the top assistant at Truman State from 2010-13.
• Westling's first full-time position came at University of Missouri-St. Louis where she was the top assistant from 2007-10.
• She got her start in coaching at Washburn, where she served as a graduate assistant for the women's basketball and women's soccer teams.
• Westling was a standout member of Washburn's women's basketball team from 2001-05 and helped the Lady Blues to the school's first NCAA Division II national championship in 2005.
• She is currently sixth in games played (132), sixth in career three-pointers made (144), 10th in assists (299), and 14th in three-point field goal percentage (.363).
• She also played one season of soccer for the Lady Blues.

WASHBURN ASSISTANT COACHES

• Coach Westling brought in a new coaching staff for her first season and chose J'nae Squires-Horton and Will Marchino as her assistants.
• Squires-Horton served as a graduate assistant at the University of Colorado Springs-Colorado.
• As a student-athlete, Squires-Horton was a three-year member of the MSU Denver basketball team and earned all-RMAC second team honors twice.
• Following her graduation at MSU Denver with a degree in Journalism, Squires-Horton played one season in Latvia with the Latvian Basketball League's SBK Liepaja/LSSS.
• Marchino spend the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Seward County Community College where he oversaw recruiting and scouting.
• Prior to his time in Liberal, Kansas, Marchino was an assistant coach for Grand View University.
• Before making the jump to the college ranks, Marchino was the varsity girls basketball head coach at Iowa Christian Academy.
• Marchino is a 2008 graduate from the University of Iowa where he received his degree in Health and Sports Studies.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
Northeastern State 60, Washburn 53 (Nov. 28, 2022)
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Washburn ended the second quarter on a 7-2 run to tie the game at halftime, but Northeastern State shot 52 percent from the field and made 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the second half to defeat the Ichabods 60-53 in the MIAA opening game on Monday evening.

Both teams started slowly as the first points of the game didn't come until the 7:06 mark when Natalia Figueroa drained a three-pointer for the Ichabods (3-3, 0-1 MIAA). The RiverHawks got on the board with a pair of free throws with 4:59 on the clock to start an 8-0 run while holding Washburn scoreless for just over five minutes. Trailing 10-4 with 1:50 left in the opening period, the Ichabods regained the lead with a 7-0 run. The RiverHawks (4-1, 1-0 MIAA) hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to go back up 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Similar to the first quarter, both teams struggled to score early as Mackenzie Gamble made the first basket 3:04 into the period to knot up the score at 13. Northeastern State broke the tie with a 9-4 run to take a 22-17 advantage with 1:53 left in the opening half. Washburn ended the run with a three-pointer by Gamble and after the Ichabod defense forced a turnover on NSU's ensuing possession, Aubree Dewey made a layup to even the score again at 22. The RiverHawks got a second-chance layup to fall and went up by two, but their lead was short-lived as Lakyn Schieferecke hit a jumper with eight seconds left to tie up the game at 24 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Dewey made 10 of Washburn's 12 points and gave the Ichabods a two-point lead twice, but Northeastern State went 5-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the free throw line to outscore WU by five and take a 41-36 lead into the final period.

Washburn trailed by 10 within the first 50 seconds in the fourth quarter before trimming the deficit down to six, 46-40, at the 8:12 mark. That would be as close as the Ichabods would get for the remainder of the game, though, as the RiverHawks went up by as many as 12 points. Washburn fought until the end and scored five points in the final four seconds, but it wasn't enough as the Ichabods fell by seven.

Washburn shot above 40 percent in three of the fourth quarters and finished the game with a 44.2 field goal percentage while Northeastern State shot slightly less at a 40.4 clip. WU made 4-of-11 from deep while NSU made 3-of-12. A big difference maker in the game was free throws as Northeastern State converted on 19-of-20 from the charity stripe while Washburn went just 3-for-8. The RiverHawks recorded 10 more rebounds than the Ichabods, 35-25.

Dewey made 9-of-14 from the field and led all players with 18 points and handed out a team-best three assists. Gamble also finished in double-figures with 11 points as she made 3-of-5 from deep. Figueroa finished with nine points. Macy Doebele had four rebounds to lead the team.

Three RiverHawks finished in double-figure points led by Jaylee Kindred's 16. She also helped the team defensively with three steals and three blocks. Courtney Lee had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Ashton Hackler also recorded 12 points.

ABOUT THE EMPORIA STATE LADY HORNETS

• Emporia State is 4-1 to start the new campaign after going 15-14 last season, marking its lowest win total in any season in the 21st century.
• Through five games this year, the team averages 68.0 ppg and makes 39.0 percent from the field and 24.8 percent from behind the arc.
• They have held their opponents to a 61.6 ppg average.
• Just like it has been for the past three seasons, Tre'Zure Jobe continues to be the team leader ... she is currently averaging 17.0 ppg to go with 3.4 rpg and is tied for the team and conference-lead in steals 3.2 per game.
• Victoria Price also has 3.2 spg and averages 12.4 ppg with a 41.7 shooting percentage.
• In her first season at ESU after transferring from Oral Roberts, Faith Paramore contributes 11.2 ppg and a team-best 5.4 rpg and 1.8 apg.

HEAD COACH TOBY WYNN

• Toby Wynn is in his fifth season with the Lady Hornets and has compiled a record of 79-37 while leading ESU to the NCAA Tournament in his first 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 4-4 against the Ichabods.

SERIES WITH EMPORIA STATE

• Washburn has played Emporia State more than any other team in its history.
• The first-ever meeting between these two programs was on Dec. 12, 1974 in Topeka ... ESU won, 73-52.
• The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series, 60-49.
• When playing in Topeka, Washburn is 23-29 ... the Ichabods have won the last two games in Lee Arena against the Lady Hornets.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State 79, Washburn 76 (Feb. 26, 2022)
EMPORIA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and took its first lead of the game with 90 seconds left in regulation, but a late foul call helped set up the game-winning jump shot to give Emporia State the 79-77 victory in Saturday's regular season finale.

Emporia State (15-13, 10-12 MIAA) jumped out to a 14-1 lead in the first 4:34 of the game and held a 21-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

A 6-0 run by Washburn trimmed Emporia State's lead to 29-23 with 3:58 in the first half, but the Lady Hornets extended their lead with three triples and made a jump shot right before the buzzer to go up 44-31 at halftime.

Emporia State took its largest lead of the game at 52-35 with 7:06 on the clock in the third frame when Washburn started its comeback with an 11-0 burst. After the Lady Hornets stopped the run with a three-pointer, Washburn started another scoring tear with six unanswered points to make it a 55-52 game at the 3:06 mark. The teams traded baskets in the final two minutes and Emporia State led 63-57 heading to the fourth quarter.

Trailing 75-69 with 3:53 to go, Abby Oliver made a layup to start an 8-0 run to give Washburn its first lead of the game at 77-75 with 1:30 remaining. Oliver scored six of the eight points during that run. ESU went 1-of-2 at the free throw line at the 38 second mark to put the score at 77-76 and on Washburn's ensuing possession, a jump ball was the official call and the arrow pointed in ESU's direction. A technical foul was issued to Washburn's head coach Ron McHenry after the jump ball decision and the Lady Hornets' Tre'Zure Jobe went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe again to level the score at 77. ESU got its final possession started with 33 seconds remaining and Jobe hit the go-ahead jumper with three seconds left and Washburn's half court heave was off line as the buzzer sounded.

The Ichabods finished the game shooting just under 50 percent, making 29-of-59 from the floor, while the Lady Hornets had a 46.8 field goal percentage (29-of-62). Emporia State finished with the advantage from behind the arc, going 11-of-32, and Washburn made just 1-of-6. At the free throw line, the Ichabods successfully made 18 of their 23 attempts and the Lady Hornets went 10-for-12. WU outrebounded ESU, 37-27, and scored 22 points off 14 Lady Hornet turnovers.

Hunter Bentley played all 40 minutes and led the Ichabods with nine rebounds, 20 points, and three steals. Oliver also scored 20 points to set a new career-high. Nuria Barrientos was 8-for-14 from the field for a season-best 18 points.

All seven Lady Hornets who played scored at least three points, led by Ehlaina Hartman's 21 points.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 974-464-1 (.678) all-time and are in the 54th 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 have a whole week between games as the Ichabods travel to Claremore, Okla. on Saturday, Dec. 10.