TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's basketball team will play the final game of the 2022 calendar year on the road at Central Oklahoma with a New Year's Eve matinee in Edmond, Okla. on Saturday. Tip-off in Hamilton Field House is slated for 1:30 p.m.

OPENING TIP

• The Ichabods are coming off a 57-40 victory against Bethany College to improve their overall record to 5-5.
• Central Oklahoma (4-6, 1-5 MIAA) has lost four games in a row and last played on Dec. 18 at Nebraska-Kearney, falling 73-52.
• The Ichabods and Bronchos split the regular season series last year as Washburn lost at UCO, 69-58, before picking up a 98-93 overtime victory in Topeka.
• The combined score of 191 total points in the 98-93 game tied for the third-most points scored in a Washburn game and was the most since 192 combined points on Feb. 14, 2009 in the 99-93 win at Southwest Baptist.
• Last season, the Bronchos finished in a tie for sixth in the conference standings with a 12-10 record and the Ichabods were close behind with an 11-11 MIAA mark to tie for eighth.
• In the 2022-23 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Bronchos and Ichabods were picked back-to-back in ninth and 10th, respectively.

WASHBURN BY THE NUMBERS

• Washburn is averaging 53.9 ppg and has a 37.5 field goal percentage.
• The Ichabods are second in the league and sixth in all of Division II in fewest points allowed per game as they hold opponents to just 52.4 ppg.
• Through 10 games, the WU defense has not allowed more than 64 points in any game yet and has held three opponents to 45 or fewer points, with two of those games occuring in the past three contests.
• 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.
• Washburn has outrebounded its opponents in eight of the 10 games so far.
• The Ichabod bench scored 30 of the 57 total points against Bethany.
• Gabi Artis made all three of Washburn's triples against Bethany to extend Washburn's three-point streak to 53-consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 16, 2021.

DEWEY-ING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

• Junior guard Aubree Dewey has stepped into the leadership role this season for Washburn as she leads the team in scoring (11.0 ppg - 21st in the MIAA), assists (3.5 apg - ninth in MIAA), steals (1.4 spg - 22nd in MIAA), and minutes (31.3 mpg - fifth in MIAA).
• Through 10 games, she has led or tied for the team-lead in assists in seven games and led/tied the squad in steals in six games.
• Last season, she started four of the 30 games and played 447 minutes ... she recorded 105 points and had 43 field goals as well as 15 steals.
• This season, she has started all 10 games and racked up 313 minutes of playing time ... she's totaled 110 points and 46 field goals to go with 14 steals.
• In her freshman campaign, she finished with 125 points in 20 games played and 447 minutes of court time.

THE WU CREW

• Dewey is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and put up 12 points against Bethany for her fifth double-figure scoring game of the season.
• Natalia Figueroa is the only other Ichabod who has started every game so far and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg ... she leads the team with 19 made three-pointers on the season.
• Mackenzie Gamble is close behind Figueroa in the three-point category with 17 total and a 36.2 percentage from beyond the arc ... for the season, she averages 7.3 ppg.
• In the post position, Emma Chapman adds 6.8 ppg and is tied for the team-lead in rebounds with 5.3 rpg ... out of her 53 rebounds, 22 have been offensive.
• Macy Doebele also averages 5.3 boards per game and contributes 6.3 ppg and has made 25 of her 50 shot attempts for a 50.0 field goal percentage.
• In Washburn's last matchup against Central Oklahoma, it was Doebele who scored Washburn's nine final points in regulation, including the game-tying layup with 0.2 seconds left to send the game to overtime. She finished the game with a career-high 18 points.
• Artis recorded season-highs in scoring (11 pts), rebounds (seven), steals (two), three-pointers made (three), free throws made (two), and tied her season-best in blocks (two) against Bethany. The freshman bumped up her scoring average to 5.1 ppg for the year.
• Fellow freshman Yiibari Nwidadah averages exactly 4.1 in both ppg and rpg after seven games of action.
• Lauren Cassaday played 15 minutes off the bench against Bethany and had five rebounds and four points ... for the season, she has 4.0 rpg and 2.6 ppg.
• Lakyn Schieferecke made her first collegiate start against Bethany ... she averages 11.5 minutes per game and 1.0 ppg.

ON THIS DAY - DECEMBER 31

• Washburn is a perfect 7-0 on New Year's Eve games.
• The Ichabods' last December 31st game was last season when WU knocked off Central Missouri on its own court, 66-59.
• The top-returning scorer from that game is Doebele, who totaled eight points and four rebounds against the Jennies.
• Out of the seven NYE games, Washburn has only played three teams.
• On NYE, WU is 3-0 against UCM; 3-0 against Saint Mary; and 1-0 against Fort Hays State.

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 57, Bethany 40 (Dec. 29, 2022)
TOPEKA, Kan. – Ten different Ichabods scored in Washburn's 57-40 non-conference victory against Bethany College on Thursday evening.

After surrendering the first basket of the game four seconds into the contest, the Ichabods (5-5) locked in and shot 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field while holding the Swedes to just 23.1 percent (3-of-13) in the first quarter. Washburn ended the opening period on a 4-0 mini run to lead 15-7.

Gabi Artis got the scoring started in the second quarter with a three-pointer to push Washburn's lead to double-figures and the Ichabods led by as many as 15 in the frame. The Swedes ended the first half on a 5-0 scoring run and trimmed the deficit to 30-20 at the break.

The Ichabods maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second half and held the Swedes to just five points in the third quarter. Washburn closed out the third quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 41-25 lead into the final stanza.

Washburn remained in control in the fourth quarter and tallied nine of the final 11 points scored in the game to finish off the 17-point victory.

The Ichabods finished the evening shooting 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the floor and limited the Swedes to a 27.1 field goal percentage (13-of-48). Washburn made 3-of-10 from three-point range while Bethany made just 1-of-9 from deep. The Ichabod bench contributed 30 of the 57 total points.

Dewey paced the Ichabods with a team-high 12 points. Artis, a freshman, recorded a season-high 11 points and seven rebounds. Macy Doebele was 4-of-6 from the field and finished with eight points.

R'Manie Pulling led the Swedes with 12 points. For Bethany, the game counted as an exhibition on its schedule.

ABOUT THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS

• The Bronchos finished the 2021-22 season seventh in the MIAA standing with a conference mark of 12-10 ... the Bronchos' season ended in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals with an overall record of 17-13.
• After 10 games in the books, UCO averages 71.1 but allows the most points of any MIAA team at 75.8 ppg.
• The Broncho defense does rank third among MIAA programs in steals (9.9 spg) and fourth in blocks (3.7 bpg).
• Three UCO players rank in the top-20 in the conference in scoring and are led by Alayzha Knapp's 15.9 ppg ... she has recorded eight double-figure scoring games, including three with 20+ points.
• Knapp's 43.2 field goal percentage is 10th among MIAA players and she is sixth in the league with 1.3 bpg.
• Karly Wadsworth contributes 12.8 ppg and has made 23 three-pointers for an average of 2.3 triples per game (third in MIAA).
• Brooke Rayner rounds out the double-figure scorers with 11.8 ppg and hands out 4.0 apg (sixth in MIAA).

HEAD COACH EMMA ANDREWS

• Emma Andrews is in his first season leading the Bronchos after she was named the head coach in May of 2022.
• She joins UCO after six seasons as the head coach at Cameron where she compiled a record of 73-87 and led the Aggies to five Lone Star Conference tournament appearances and a berth in the NCAA postseason tournament in 2020-21.
• Prior to her time in Lawton, Andrews was a graduate assistant coach for her alma mater, Fresno State, from 2012-14.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

• These two programs have played each other 23 times since 1994 and Washburn leads the all-time series, 13-10.
• When playing in Edmond, Washburn is 4-5.
• The Ichabods' last road victory at the UCO was on Feb. 16, 2019 when Washburn won, 74-53.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME AGAINST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Washburn 98, Central Oklahoma 93 - OT (Jan. 29, 2022)
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.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 975-466-1 (.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 start the new year at home with games against Central Missouri (Jan. 5) and Lincoln (Jan. 7).