TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball looks to continue its winning ways with a second straight home game on Saturday as they host Barclay College at 4 p.m. in Lee Arena. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball finishes its first week at home of the 2023-24 season hosting the Barclay Bears. 
• The Ichabods will host Barclay in Lee Arena at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25. 
• Washburn won its home opener on Tuesday evening with a 86-66 win over the William Jewell Cardinals for the Ichabods fourth straight win. 
• WU is now 4-1 on the season and 1-0 at home. 
• The Ichabods 2022-23 season came to an end with in the regular season with a ninth place finish in the MIAA after going 11-17 overall and 7-15 in the conference.
• Washburn returns six players from last seasons roster including three players who started in at least 50% of games. The Ichabods round out the roster with five freshmen and one transfer. 
• Barclay went 17-8 last season losing in the Southwest Regionals of the NCCAA Tournament 95-60 to Dallas Christian College. 
• The Ichabods were picked to finish in eighth place in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and were slotted at 10th in the media vote.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

• The 2023-24 season marks the 40th season of play in Lee Arena as the facility opened in the 1983-84 season.
• Washburn is 448-124 all-time in Lee Arena.

BODS AND BITS

• As a team Washburn averages 78.0 ppg on 48.2% shooting from the floor and 41.2% from deep. 
• Opponents average 61.8 ppg on 35.4% shooting and 25.7% from behind the arc. 
• Last season Washburn averaged 57.6 ppg and shot 37.4% from the floor and at a 30.4% clip from deep. While opponents scored 60.8 ppg on 38.8% shooting.  
• The Ichabods are pulling down 40.2 rpg while holding opponents to just 30.6 rpg. They also average 14.0 apg while opponents only average 10.4. 
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 75 games with 10 triples on Tuesday. 
• The Ichabods are narrowly losing the turnover battle averaging 15.6 per game while  forcing opponents into 14.4.
• The four game winning streak is the longest in the Lora Westling era and is the longest since WU won four games in a row between Jan. 17 and Jan. 29 in the 2021-22 season. 
• The 12 player roster for Washburn is the smallest roster since the 2006-07 roster which also featured 12 players. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Yiibari Nwidadah is averaging a double-double for the Ichabods and has picked up one in three games this season. She is second on the Ichabods averaging 13.4 ppg while also pulling down a team-best 11.4 rpg including 4.4 orpg. Nwidadah also leads WU shooting 60.4% from the floor.
• Aubree Dewey paces the Washburn scoring attack at 15.2 ppg on 50.8% shooting. She also while leading the passing game averaging a team-high 6.8 apg. From the point guard position Dewey is second on the team averaging 5.4 rpg and has come away with 1.4 steals per contest this season as well. Dewey leads all players at 32.6 mpg. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team scoring 10.7 ppg in just 19.3 mpg after missing the first two games of the year. She has averages of 52.2% from the floor and is shooting 46.2% from behind the arc, tied for the team lead. Defensively she has come away with a team-high 1.3 bpg and snagged 0.7 spg. 
• Aniah Wayne is averaging double figures scoring 10.6 ppg this season. In 25.6 mpg with four starts she also pulls down 3.8 rpg. Wayne is shooting 46.2% from behind the arc and leads Washburn with 12 triples this season.
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started all five games for Washburn playing 21.8 mpg. She is averaging 5.4 ppg on 46.2% shooting and is pulling down 4.6 rpg with 0.8 spg. 
• Amaya Davison is averaging 7.6 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 50.0% from the floor. She is 50.0% from three point range in 20.2 mpg. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made one start and is averaging 23.4 mpg so far. She is scoring 6.0 ppg, pulling down 1.8 rpg with 1.0 spg. She is third on the squad at 42.1% from behind the arc this season. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 6.8 ppg in just 11.0 mpg while shooting 58.3% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.4 rpg off the bench.
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started all but one game averaging 15.8 mpg and is scoring 4.6 ppg  on 40.9% shooting with 0.8 steal per game. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in all four games playing 6.8 mpg.
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.2 ppg with 1.8 rpg playing 6.6 mpg in all five games this season.

STACKING THE STATS

• Washburn is 9th nationally in field goal percentage at 48.2. That number is good for second among MIAA teams. 
• On the defensive end the Ichabods are 58th in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents shooting a combined 35.4%. That ranks fifth in the conference. 
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 33rd nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 9.6 more boards per game than oppoennts.
• The Ichabods are 14th in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 41.2% for the year, third in the MIAA. 
• Washburn is second in the conference and 69th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 25.7% shooting from behind the arc. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks second in the nation averaging 6.8 assists per game which puts her first among conference foes. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second in the MIAA and 10th nationally averaging 11.4 rpg. She is also 29th in the nation in field goal percentage at 60.4% which puts her first in the conference. 
• Nwidadah is tied for second nationally with three double doubles on the season. 
• Aniah Wayne is number one in the MIAA in total 3-pointers made with 12, she is 43rd in the nation. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Aubree Dewey is 26 assists away from 25 in her career. 
• Mackenzie Gamble needs 15 more triples to reach 100 in her Ichabod career. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is three field goals away from 100 makes in her career. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke is 11 rebounds and 12 points away from the 100 mark. 

HEAD COACH LORA WESTLING

• Former Washburn women's basketball student-athlete Lora Westling is in year two as the head coach in Topeka for the 2023-24 season. 
• 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

• The Ichabods will have three fresh faces on the sidelines with an all new assistant coaching staff in year two of the Lora Westling era. 
• Matt Barreiro and Monique M. Scott join the staff as assistant coaches while Damiel Fulp is a volunteer assistant in his first season with WU. 
• Barriero is a 2005 graduate of Arizona Christian and got his masters from Walden University in 2005. He played basketball at both Washington State and Arizona Christian.  
• He has several years of head coaching experience with seven years at the helm at The King's University in Canada and most recently spending the last two years as the head coach at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. 
• Scott isa 2019 graduate of Xavier University and received her masters degree from Liberty University in 2022. 
• While at Xavier she worked as a manager on the women's basketball teams and has been a coach and teacher at the prep ranks. 
• Fulp is a 2020 graduate of The King's University where he played after transferring from the University of Alaska Anchorage. 
• He has experience working and attending basketball camps and conferences to develop training methods. 

ABOUT THE BARCLAY COLLEGE BEARS

• Barclay College lost all three of its first games of the 2023-24 season.
• The Bears have not scored more than 41 points in any of the three contests. 
• Last season Barclay lost in the Southwest regionals of the NCCAA Tournament 95-60 to Dallas Christian College.
• They finished the season 17-8 overall and finished second place in the MCCC Tournament after falling 98-57 to Ozark Christian College in the championship round. 

HEAD COACH TRE JACKSON

• Tre Jackson is in his first season as the head coach of the Barclay Bears women's basketball program. 

SERIES WITH BARCLAY

• Washburn and Barclay have never met on the hardwood with the matchup on Saturday making history. 

LAST TIME OUT

Washburn 86, William Jewell 66 (Nov. 21, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn reached the 80-point mark in a third straight game on Tuesday night in a 86-66 win over William Jewell in the 2023-24 home opener. The Ichabods stay in Topeka for one more game hosting Barclay College at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25.  

Washburn (4-1) led wire-to-wire in its fourth straight victory with back-to-back buckets by Liz Boyd off the bench putting the Ichabods up 10-5 with 5:14 in the first. Amaya Davison ended the quarter with a pair of baskets to make it 19-13 over the Cardinals (1-4) after one.  

After a slow offensive start Washburn picked up the pace in the second quarter shooting 76.9% from the floor going 3-4 from behind the line and 5-6 from the charity stripe. The lead grew to double digits at the 7:28 mark after a 3-pointer by Gabi Giovannetti. The triple was part of a 17-0 run which began with a triple by Aubree Dewey and was capped off by another basket by Giovannetti to make the game 40-19. Yiibari Nwidadah was able to get a bucket inside the paint with 2:07 to extend the lead up to 24 points before the Ichabods went into the half leading 47-27.  

William Jewell had its highest scoring quarter of the game in the third quarter notching 21 points and going 11-12 at the line. Washburn was able to keep pace shooting 47.5% in the quarter and only committing one turnover in the frame. Another triple by Giovannetti put the lead at the quarter century mark before the Cardinals ended the quarter with the final two baskets.  

The Ichabods didn't score until the 7:49 mark of the final quarter but still led by 21 after Davison delivered the first bucket. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Dewey made it a 77-52 game with 6:16 left. William Jewell was able to cut the lead down to 16 with 2:42 remaining but a Mackenzie Gamble 3-pointer and two layups were able to salt the game away for Washburn to win 86-66.  

Dewey led the Ichabods with a career-high 23 points on 9-15 shooting, she also tossed out eight assists reaching the eight-assist mark for a third straight game. Yiibari Nwidadah notched her third double-double of the season with 13 points on 6-11 shooting and adding 15 rebounds. Gabi Giovannetti scored 17 points off the bench going 5-8 from behind the arc.  

Washburn shot 47.9% from the floor and went 10-22 (45.5%) from deep while holding the Cardinals to 32.8% shooting. The Ichabods controlled the glass, pulling down 50 boards while William Jewell grabbed just 31. The extra opportunities led to a 46-16 points in the paint advantage.  

Emree Zars led three Cardinals finishing in double-figures with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 986-479-1 (.673) all-time and are in the 55th 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.

LOOKING AHEAD

• The Ichabods go on the road for an exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 28 against South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. at 7 p.m. 
• Senior day for Washburn will be on March 2 against Emporia State
• The MIAA Championship Tournament begins March 6 in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.