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WBB vs Rockhurst in Washburn Classic Nov. 19, 2022.
Kyle Manthe/Assistant Director Athletic Communications

Washburn welcomes Missouri Western to Lee Arena on Saturday

12/14/2022 10:11:00 AM

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball will ring in the holiday season at home and play one more game before Christmas break hosting Missouri Western on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lee Arena.

OPENING TIP

  • The Ichabods are coming off their first conference victory of the young season as they defeated Rogers State by 10 points on the road last Saturday.
  • Washburn now holds an overall record of 4-4 with a 1-2 mark in conference action.
  • The Griffons (7-4, 2-2 MIAA) went 1-1 last week, first beating No. 22-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, 68-65, before falling to Fort Hays State, 64-58.
  • Missouri Western won both matchups against Washburn last year, posting an 80-47 victory in Topeka and then a 67-44 win in St. Joe in the span of 17 days.
  • Last season, the Griffons (24-10, 14-8 MIAA) finished fifth in the MIAA standings and although they were eliminated from the conference tournament semifinals, the team still earned an NCAA postseason berth and went on to claim the Central Region title to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
  • In this season's MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, Washburn was picked 10th and Missouri Western landed at fourth and earned three first-place votes.


WASHBURN BY THE NUMBERS

  • Washburn is averaging 54.8 ppg and has a 37.6 field goal percentage.
  • The Ichabods are second in the league and 10th in all of Division II in fewest points allowed per game as they hold opponents to just 53.4 ppg.
  • The WU defense has not allowed more than 64 points in any game yet and has held two opponents to 45 or fewer points.
  • The last time a Washburn team started the season this strong defensively was in 2008-09 when the Lady Blues did not surrender more than 62 points until the 13th game of the season which was also their first loss of the year.
  • In three of Washburn's four wins, the Ichabods have trailed after the first quarter.
  • The Ichabods have outscored their opponents in the second quarter, 112-80.
  • Natalia Figueroa kept Washburn's three-pointer streak alive last game as she hit both of WU's triples in the contest ... Washburn has now made at least one three-pointer in 51-consecutive games going back to Jan. 16, 2021.

THE WU CREW

  • Aubree Dewey has started all eight games and logged a team-high 30.9 minutes per game on the floor (10th in the MIAA). She leads Washburn in scoring with 10.3 ppg and is 11th in the league in assists as she dishes out 3.4 assists per game.
  • Figueroa is the only other Ichabod who has started every game so far and is averaging 9.1 ppg ... she currently ranks fifth in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage at 34.7 percent behind the arc and averages 2.1 threes per game and has 17 on the year.
  • Emma Chapman started her second-consecutive game last Saturday and scored a career-high 13 points against the Hillcats, with 11 of those coming in the second half. For the season, she averages 7.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg with 22 of her 46 rebounds being offensive boards.
  • Three-point specialist Mackenzie Gamble adds 7.5 ppg and is eighth in the conference with 1.9 threes per game. She also averages 3.0 rpg and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds at RSU last Saturday ... the last time she had seven rebounds in a game was also in Claremore, Okla. last season (Feb. 7, 2022).
  • Macy Doebele is shooting a team-best 48.8 percent from the field and contributes 6.9 ppg to go with 6.3 rpg, which ranks 15th in the MIAA.
  • Yiibari Nwidadah played just eight minutes at Rogers State, but successfully made her only shot attempt of the contest. Through five games, she has recorded exactly 4.2 in ppg and rpg.
  • Fellow freshmen Gabi Artis and Amaya Davison add 4.0 ppg and 2.5 ppg, respectively, off the bench.
  • Lakyn Schieferecke has now scored in three-straight games off the bench and averages 1.1 ppg and 1.5 rpg.
     

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 442-118 all-time in Lee Arena.
  • The Ichabods went 8-7 at home last season.
  • This year, Washburn has played all but two games this season in the friendly confines of Lee Arena ... WU is 3-3 so far in those games.

ON THIS DAY - DECEMBER 17

  • Washburn is 7-1 when playing on December 17.
  • The most recent Dec. 17 matchup was a 67-45 home loss to Central Missouri.
  • WU hosted Missouri Western on Dec. 17, 2011 and won, 87-63.


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
Washburn 55, Rogers State 45 (Dec. 10, 2022)
CLAREMORE, Okla. -- The Washburn women's basketball team captured its first MIAA victory of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Ichabods defeated Rogers State, 55-45. 

Washburn (4-4, 1-2 MIAA) led 4-0 to start the game and later a layup from Yiibari Nwidadah pushed the lead to 6-3 with 4:19 on the clock. On the next possession, Rogers State (2-8, 0-4 MIAA) hit a three-pointer to start a 12-2 scoring run to end the first quarter with a 15-8 advantage. The Hillcats shot 50 percent in the first period, making 6-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep while the Ichabods made just 25 percent from the floor.

In the second quarter, Rogers State made a layup at the 5:18 mark to go up, 22-16, but that would be its final points of the frame as the Washburn defense locked in and held the Hillcats to just five shot attempts in the final five minutes. The Ichabods scored five points during that time to trim the deficit to one, 22-21, at halftime.

After the break, the Ichabods quickly jumped ahead 32-26 as they began the second half on an 11-4 run. The Hillcats scored four of the final five points in the quarter to pull within three, 33-30, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Hillcats carried their momentum into the fourth and reclaimed the lead with a 7-2 rally in the first two minutes of play. Macy Doebele made a layup to level the score at 37 and after RSU went 1-for-2 at the free throw line on the ensuing possession, Aubree Dewey hit a jumper to start a 9-0 scoring burst and give the Ichabods a lead they would hold for the remainder of the contest. The closest the Hillcats would get was five points with just over two minutes left before the Ichabods scored the last five points of the afternoon, all on free throws.

Both teams finished the game shooting exactly 38 percent, making 19-of-15 from the floor. Rogers State made 5-of-16 from three-point distance while Washburn made just 2-of-10. The Ichabods made a season-high 21 trips to the free throw line and made 15 of those attempts. The Washburn defense committed a season-low 11 fouls for the game and Rogers State was just 2-of-6 at the charity stripe. The Ichabods grabbed one more rebound than the Hillcats, 28-27. Washburn forced 16 turnovers and turned those into 19 points.

Eight of the nine Ichabods who attempted a shot scored at least two points with three finishing in double-figures. Emma Chapman scored a career-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, to go with a team-best nine rebounds. Doebele also totaled 13 points and was 9-for-12 at the free throw line. Natalia Figueroa scored 10 points and was 4-for-7 from the field.

The Hillcats were led by Jordan Lewis' 16 points and tied for the team-high in rebounds with five boards. Thirty-eight of Rogers State's 45 points were scored from players off the bench.

ABOUT THE MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS

  • In 2021-22, the Griffons (24-10, 14-8 MIAA) won their first regional championship since 1995 after overcoming a 21-point deficit with two minutes left in the first half against the No. 1 seeded Fort Hays State.
  • Through 11 games, MWSU is second in the MIAA in scoring as it averages 78.6 ppg and has scored 100+ points on two occasions. The Griffs are also second in team field goal percentage, shooting 44.9 percent.
  • It's been a tough schedule to start the year as the Griffons have played five opponents either ranked in the top-25 or receiving votes.
  • Missouri Western returns 11 players from last year's Elite Eight squad, highlighted by Connie Clarke who led that team in scoring, rebounds, steals, and blocks.
  • Clarke currently leads the team and is ranked in the top-20 in the conference with 16.5 ppg (sixth in MIAA), a 53.6 field goal percentage (fifth), 9.0 rpg (second), 2.7 spg (fifth), and 2.8 apg (18th). She already has five double-doubles and scored a season-high 34 points in the 101-96 win over Lubbock Christian.
  • Another key returner is Brionna Budgetts, who contributes 15.2 ppg (10th in MIAA) while also shooting above 50 percent from the floor (51.6% - seventh in MIAA). She leads the team shooting 37 percent from behind the arc and has made 20-of-54 attempts from deep.
  • Freshman Cleao Murray has played in all 11 games and averages 7.9 ppg and makes 42.7 percent from the field.

HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER

  • Candi Whitaker is in her fourth year with the Griffons and has compiled a record of 51-34 heading into this season.
  • Whitaker has brought DI coaching experience to Missouri Western as she was the head coach at Texas Tech (2013-18) and at UMKC (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 4-2 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, 57-44.
  • When hosting the Griffons, Washburn is 29-17.
  • Washburn's last home win against Missouri Western was on Feb. 18, 2021 when the Ichabods posted a 51-41 victory in Lee Arena.
  • In that contest, Lauren Cassaday made 5-of-5 from the floor and finished with 11 points and two blocks.
  • Gamble added seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals to the cause.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI WESTERN
Missouri Western 67, Washburn 44 (Feb. 17, 2022)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Washburn women's basketball team fell, 67-44, at Missouri Western on Thursday evening.

Missouri Western (20-5, 14-5 MIAA) jumped out to a 6-2 advantage before Washburn had four unanswered points to level the score midway through the opening quarter. The Griffons scored on their next possession and held a 14-10 lead at the end of the frame.

The Griffons extended their advantage to double-digits and hit three triples in the second quarter while the Ichabods (12-12, 10-8 MIAA) were unable to find their rhythm offensively. Aubree Dewey scored the final points of the first half on the and-one free throw after being fouled on her made layup with four seconds remaining to cut Missouri Western's lead to 29-19 at the break.

Missouri Western pulled away in the third, outscoring Washburn 20-9, and went into the final quarter with a 49-28 advantage.

The Griffons maintained their double-figure lead for the rest of the game as they went on to claim the 67-44 victory.

Washburn was held to shooting a season-low 30 percent from the field while Missouri Western shot 41.4 percent. The Griffons made 6-of-21 from three-point range and the Ichabods hit just 2-of-9 from deep with Hunter Bentley making both. MWSU finished with the advantage on the glass and out rebounded WU, 48-32.

Bentley led the Ichabods with 16 points and tied for the team-lead in rebounds with six.

Connie Clarke paced the Griffons after making 8-of-12 from the field and totaling 20 points and grabbing 17 boards.


WASHBURN HISTORY

  • Washburn women's basketball is 975-465-1 (.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 return to the court after Christmas and host Bethany on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. for the Ichabods' final non-conference game of the season.
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