TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball returns home to the friendly confines of Lee Arena to play the first game of the new year hosting No. 7-ranked Central Missouri on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

OPENING TIP

• The Ichabods have won back-to-back games for the first time this season and are now 6-5 (2-3 MIAA) after defeating Central Oklahoma, 75-73, on New Year's Eve.
• Central Missouri begins the week as one of five teams in Division II with an unblemished record and is ranked seventh in the WBCA Poll and second in the D2SIDA Poll
• The Jennies are 11-0 overall with a 7-0 mark in MIAA action after holding on to a 55-50 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Monday.
• The Ichabods swept the regular season series against the Jennies last year for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• Washburn defeated Central Missouri on Dec. 31, 2021 in Warrensburg, 66-59, and then posted a 72-71 comeback triumph in Topeka on Feb. 12, 2022.
• The Ichabods have now won three-straight against the Jennies, dating back to the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal on March 3, 2021.
• Last season, the Jennies finished fourth in the conference standings and went 19-11 (15-7 MIAA) and saw their season come to a close in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal.
• In the 2022-23 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Jennies were voted fifth and the Ichabods were picked 10th.

BODS AND ENDS

• Washburn is averaging 55.8 ppg and has a 38.0 field goal percentage.
• The Ichabods are second in the league and ninth in all of Division II in fewest points allowed per game as they hold opponents to 54.3 ppg.
• Washburn's defense has limited opponents' success from three-point range as the Ichabods lead the MIAA with an opponent 3PT FG percentage of 25.7.
• After Washburn's victory at Central Oklahoma last Saturday, WU maintained its perfect 8-0 record when playing on New Year's Eve.
• Saturday's win at UCO was also Washburn's first victory this season when trailing at the end of the third quarter.
• Washburn's three-point streak increased to 54-consecutive games after WU made 7-of-16 from deep at UCO.

FREE THROW RECORDS

• The Ichabods attempted 35 free throws against Central Oklahoma ... the last time Washburn had that many attempts was also against UCO on Jan. 29, 2022.
• Macy Doebele made a program-best 17 free throws against the Bronchos ... the previous single game free throw record holder was Janice Bright, who made 15-of-15 at Emporia State on Jan. 17, 2009.
• Doebele's 20 trips to the foul shot line also landed second in the record book for most free throws attempted in a single game, just one behind Dayna Rodriguez's 21 at Pittsburg State on Jan. 13, 2010.

THE WU CREW

• Aubree Dewey filled the stat sheet against the Bronchos last week as she finished with eight points, a team-high and career-best seven rebounds, and a team-best seven assists.
• For the season, she leads Washburn with 10.7 ppg, 3.8 apg (eight in the MIAA), and 1.5 spg. She also pulls down an average of 4.0 rpg.
• Natalia Figueroa is two points shy of hitting the century point milestone in her freshman campaign as she is averaging 8.9 ppg ... she is tied for the team-lead in three-pointers made with 20.
• Mackenzie Gamble has also made 20 triples this season and averages 7.6 ppg ... both she and Figueroa have recorded four games with three or more three-pointers.
• Doebele is coming off a career-high 19 points scored at Central Oklahoma and she did so by going 17-of-20 from the free throw line ... she had made 16-straight in the game and her first miss of the afternoon didn't come until 22 seconds left in regulation.
• Doebele's previous career-high total was 18 points against Central Oklahoma on Jan. 29, 2022, where she made 10-of-12 at the charity stripe.
• Through 11 games, Doebele chips in 7.5 ppg and a team-high 5.4 rpg and is second on the squad with 1.8 apg.
• In the post position, Emma Chapman adds 7.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg ... she has had four double-figure point games, including a 10 point effort at UCO.
• Gabi Artis scored double-digit points and hit three three-pointers in both games last week. She recorded a season-high 12 points against the Bronchos and is now averaging 5.9 ppg to go with a team-best seven blocks.
• Fellow freshman Yiibari Nwidadah averages 4.0 rpg and 3.8 ppg in eight games of action.
• Off the bench, Lauren Cassaday and Amaya Davison average 2.6 ppg and 2.2 ppg, respectively.
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started the last two games and averages 11.8 minutes per game and 1.0 ppg.

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 443-119 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
Washburn 75, Central Oklahoma 73 (Dec. 31, 2022)
EDMOND, Okla. -- The Washburn women's basketball team closed out the 2022 calendar year on a high note as the Ichabods held on for a 75-73 road win at Central Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.

The Bronchos led 6-2 early to begin the game and then went up 8-3 at the 6:16 mark when the Ichabods (6-5, 2-3 MIAA) started to slowly chip away at the deficit with free throws. Although the Bronchos made 9-of-16 from the field for a 56.3 shooting percentage in the first quarter, fouls proved costly as they committed 10 fouls compared to the Ichabods' one. Washburn made 9-of-12 from the free throw line with Macy Doebele going a perfect 6-for-6. After the Ichabods made seven free throws, the shots started falling for Washburn as well as Natalia Figueroa made a jump shot with 3:29 left to spark an 11-4 run to close out the opening period with a 20-19 lead.

Figueroa quickly got the scoring going with a layup 10 seconds into the second frame. The Bronchos (4-7, 1-6 MIAA) leveled the score at 22 after an old-fashioned three-point play and tied things up again at 24 before being held scoreless for nearly four and a half minutes while the Ichabods put up seven unanswered points to lead, 31-24. The Bronchos hit a three-pointer with 4:36 left in the first half to end their scoring drought and begin a run of their own, taking a 34-31 advantage after a 10-0 burst. A three-pointer from Figueroa tied the game for a third time in the quarter, but UCO ended the first half on a 5-0 run capped off by a buzzer-beating triple to lead 39-34 at halftime.

The Ichabods chiseled down the deficit to one point on two occasions within the first four minutes of the second half, but the Bronchos used a 6-0 run to go up 49-42. Washburn responded with a 7-2 scoring stint and continued to keep the game in reach. With 10 seconds remaining, Gabi Artis hit a three-pointer to cut Central Oklahoma's lead to just two, 56-54, heading into the final quarter.

Artis made another three-pointer for Washburn's first points of the fourth and Emma Chapman followed that with a layup 72 seconds into the quarter to give Washburn its first lead since the three minute mark in the second period. Back-and-forth scoring ensued with eight lead changes and six tied scores over the next six minutes. Trailing 68-66 with 2:40 left, Figueroa was fouled on a made jump shot and then completed the and-one play to push Washburn ahead by one. Central Oklahoma hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to make 73-72 in favor of Washburn, but on UCO's next possession, the Bronchos committed an offensive foul and received a technical foul on the call. Doebele was chosen for the free shots and went 1-for-2 and was fouled again three seconds later, but missed both of those free throws and committed a foul herself battling for the rebound. With 19 seconds on the clock, Central Oklahoma made the first free throw and missed the second to keep Washburn's lead safe at 74-73. The Bronchos issued their 27th and final foul of the contest with nine seconds left and Mackenzie Gamble went 1-of-2 at the free throw line. Washburn's defense was tough throughout Central Oklahoma's last possession as the Bronchos' last-second three-point shot attempt that was off the mark.

For the game, the Ichabods scored a season-high 75 points and shot 44 percent from the floor while the Bronchos finished with a 40.3 field goal percentage. Washburn hit one more three-pointer than Central Oklahoma, making 7-of-16 from deep compared to UCO's 6-of-24. The Ichabods made a season-high 35 trips to the free throw line and successfully made 24 foul shots while the Bronchos went 13-of-15 at the charity stripe. On the glass, Washburn had one more rebound than the home team, 37-36.

Doebele led five Ichabods in double-digit scoring and finished the afternoon with a career-high 19 points after going 17-of-20 from the free throw line, setting a program record for the most free throws made in a single game. She also pulled down six rebounds. Figueroa made 5-of-8 from the floor and tallied 13 points.

Artis and Gamble both made a trio of three-pointers and totaled 12 and 11 points, respectively. Chapman rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. Point guard Aubree Dewey hit four of her six shot attempts for eight points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished out a team-best seven assists.

Brooke Rayner paced the Bronchos with 19 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES

• Central Missouri's 2021-22 season came to an end in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal, finishing with a record of 19-11 (15-7 MIAA).
• The Jennies' offense averages 78.4 ppg and leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation with a 48.5 field goal percentage.
• Brooke Littrell is the reigning MIAA Player of the Week for two-consecutive weeks and averages a double-double through 11 games. She is second among MIAA players in scoring with 19.5 ppg and has a 53.0 field goal percentage (seventh in the MIAA) to go with a conference-best 10.0 rpg. She has scored double-figures in every game, including six with 20+ points and a 31-point effort at Pittsburg State (Dec. 17).
• Littrell helps the team defensively with 1.2 bpg (seventh in MIAA) and 1.6 spg (14th in MIAA).
• Also averaging double-digit scoring is Olivia Nelson at 14.0 ppg and is fourth in the MIAA with a 56.0 field goal percentage ... in 19 minutes of action against William Jewell (Dec. 29), she scored 19 points making 8-of-9 from the field.
• Nelson and teammate Lauren Frost have both handed out 44 assists for a 4.0 apg average, good for fifth in the league.
• In addition to dishing out assists, Frost is third on the team in scoring with 8.9 ppg.
• Ashley Tull has started eight of the 11 games and has chipped in 8.8 ppg and made 20 total blocks (1.8 bpg).

HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER

• Dave Slifer is in his 19th season leading the Jennies and 34th season coaching collegiately. He holds a career record of 759-265, ranking him as the second winningest active coach in Division II and 13th across all three divisions.
• Slifer has guided the Jennies to 11 NCAA Tournament selections, including an NCAA National Championship in 2018 and heading into this season, held a record of 375-166 at Central Missouri.
• Prior to his tenure at UCM, Slifer spent nine seasons at Missouri Western where he compiled a record of 206-69 (115-33 MIAA).
• His coaching career started at Mt. Mercy College in Iowa, where he went 178-30 in six seasons.
• He is a two-time WBCA Regional Coach of the Year and a four-time MIAA Coach of the Year.
• Slifer is 14-24 when facing Washburn.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI

• Washburn leads the all-time series 43-25 and has won three in a row.
• WU is 22-10 when playing UCM in Topeka.
• The last time Washburn won three or more consecutive games against Central Missouri was an eight-game winning streak from 2009-2011.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME AGAINST CENTRAL MISSOURI
Washburn 72, Central Missouri 71 (Feb. 12, 2022)
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team took its first lead of the second half with 2:06 left in regulation and then later forced a Central Missouri turnover in the final seconds to capture the 72-71 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The Ichabods have now won the last three meetings against the Jennies dating back to last season's MIAA Tournament quarterfinal victory. The last time Washburn won three or more consecutive games against Central Missouri was an eight-game winning streak from 2009-2011.

The opening quarter was wire-to-wire with four lead changes and four ties. Hunter Bentley hit a three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock to give Washburn (12-11, 10-7 MIAA) the 20-16 advantage at the end of the first period.

Central Missouri (16-9, 12-6 MIAA) came out firing in the second quarter and shot 61.5 percent from the field to outscore Washburn, 20-9, and take a 36-29 lead into the break.

The Ichabods trailed by eight, 49-41, with just under two minutes left in the third when Nuria Barrientos made a layup to start a 7-0 burst to close out the frame and pull Washburn within one, 49-48.

The Jennies pushed their lead back up to seven with 7:42 in the final stanza when Washburn started to make its move. An 8-2 run that included triples from Bentley and Shae Sanchez made it a one-point contest again with 6:10 to go. A wide open three-pointer by Macy Doebele leveled the score at 65 and ignited a 10-3 spurt by the Ichabods to give them a 72-68 lead with 1:42 on the clock. The Jennies converted on an old-fashioned three-point play with 90 seconds remaining to pull within one, 72-71, but those would be the final points of the game. Central Missouri had the final possession with 4.8 seconds on the clock, but were unable to inbound the ball cleanly and ultimately turned it over right before the buzzer.

The Ichabods shot an even 50 percent on the day while the Jennies finished at 47.2 clip. Behind the arc, Washburn was 8-of-21 and Central Missouri was 6-for-18. WU finished with a slight edge in rebounds, 30-28, and scored 11 points off of 13 UCM turnovers.

Bentley played the entirety of the contest and led the Ichabods with 19 points, five assists, and three steals. Abby Oliver made 8-of-12 from the field and totaled 17 points. Barrientos chipped in 12 points and six boards. Doebele led the team with 11 rebounds to go with seven points.

Brooke Littrell also played 40 minutes of the contest and finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and two assists.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 977-466-1 (.677) 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 close out the first week of games in 2023 hosting Lincoln on Saturday at 1 p.m.