TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball begins the 2023-24 season this weekend in Shawnee, Okla. at the Central Region Crossover against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. and the host school Oklahoma Baptist at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
OPENING TIP
Washburn women's basketball will begin its 55th season on Friday, Nov. 10 at the Central Region Crossover in Shawnee Okla. with games against Southwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Baptist University.
The Ichabods will take on the Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Friday in a neutral court game and will face the Bison on their home court at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Last season Washburn opened the season against the Bulldogs and Bison in Lee Arena for the Washburn Crossover Classic.
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.
Southwestern Oklahoma State went 8-19 overall in 2022-23 and was 8-14 in the GAC, missing out on the conference tournament.
In 2022-23 Oklahoma Baptist finished 17-13 overall and 12-10 in the GAC, advancing to the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.
The Ichabods were picked to finish in eighth place in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and were slotted at 10th in the media vote.
Central Region Crossover
The two day tournament will include just four teams with Pittsburg State joining SWOSU and OBU along with the Ichabods.
All games will be played in the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.
Tickets will be sold for each individual day and game for the 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. time slots.
All games will be live-streamed on the Bison Sports Network. A tournament pass to watch all games will be $25 and a day pass is $15. Day passes will be available 12 hours prior to the start of the game.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
Washburn is 41-13 all-time in season openers after winning after winning last season to snap a four year drought.
The Ichabods' most recent season-opening victory away from home was the first game of the 2017-18 campaign when WU defeated Minnesota State-Mankato, 78-65, on Nov. 10 in a neutral site game in Kansas City, Mo.
Bods and Bits
Last season Washburn averaged 57.6 ppg and shot 37.4% from the floor and at a 30.4% clip from deep.
The Ichabods held advantages in rebounding and passing over opponents averaging 36.7 boards and 10.6 assists per game.
The Ichabods carry a three-point streak of 71 consecutive games into the new year after making eight against Emporia State.
Washburn started the 2022-23 season with five straight home games, not playing on the road until Nov. 28
The Ichabods went 1-1 in overtime last season with both games against Northwest Missouri State only 10 days apart from eachother.
Last season WU scored 71 points in its season-opening victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the most points scored in a season opener since defeating Minnesota State University - Mankato 78-65 on Nov. 10 2017.
The 12 player roster for Washburn is the smallest roster since the 2006-07 roster which also featured 12 players.
Back in Blue
Aubree Dewey leads a group of six Washburn returners and a trio of seniors after leading WU in minutes last season at 34.1 per game and was the only player to start in all 28 contests. She also led Washburn in scoring at 10.4 ppg and dished out a team high 3.4 assists.
Dewey was an All-MIAA honorable mention last season and the only Ichabod to earn all-conference recognition.
Gabi Giovannetti begins her sophomore campaign after playing in 26 games and starting 20 her freshman season. In year one she averaged 7.7 points per game while leading the Ichabods from deep at 34.9%. She was also top on the team in blocks with 19 total (.7 per game).
Yiibari Nwidadah had a strong finish to her freshman season in 2022-23 and returns after coming off the bench all 25 games last season. Nwidadah led the Ichabods with 5.8 rpg in just 16.3 minutes per contest. She also shot a team-high 53.1% from the floor and secured two double-doubles.
Mackenzie Gamble begins her senior year for Washburn after playing in 18 games with eight starts last season. She averaged 5.1 ppg with 2.6 rebounds before missing the final 10 games of the season.
Amaya Davison averaged 14.8 mpg and played all 28 games off the bench her freshman season. She was one of four players to appear in every game averaging 3 ppg and 1.1 rpg.
Lakyn Schieferecke returns for her senior year after playing in all 28 games and making 18 starts averaging 15.5 mpg in 2022-23. Schieferecke averaged 2.1 ppg with 2.2 rpg and shot 78.3% from the line.
Fresh Faces
Washburn adds six new members to the 2023-24 roster with one transfer and five freshmen.
Aniah Wayne joins the Ichabods as a sophomore after transferring from DI Northern Colorado where she played in nine games scoring 13 total points on 46% shooting. Prior to college Wayne played at Omaha Central HS in Omaha, Neb.
WU brings two new members into its guard room from the prep ranks with Karly Neufeld coming from Baldwin HS and Baldwin City, Kan. and Nia McKenzie from the mountains in Eaglecrest HS in Aurora, Colo.
The Ichabods bring in three freshmen post players for 2023-24. Liz Boyd comes from Prospect, Ky. after playing prep ball at North Oldham HS. Madelyn Amekporfor heads east to Washburn coming from Andover, Kan. and Andover Central HS. Rebecca Snyder rounds out the class traveling up the turnpike from Emporia, Kan. and Emporia HS.
HEAD COACH LORA WESTLING
Former Washburn women's basketball student-athlete Lora Westling begins her second season in Topeka as head coach in 2023-24.
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 is a 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 SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA LADY BULLDOGS
After making the NCAA Tournament the previous five seasons the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs went 8-19 (8-14 GAC) in 2022-23 and did not qualify for the GAC Tournament.
The Bulldogs were winless in no-conference competition and went 2-12 in games away from Weatherford.
Last season, SWOSU averaged 64.3 ppg and shot 36.8% from the floor while opponents averaged 71.1 ppg and shot 45.2%.
The Lady Bulldogs were picked 11th in the GAC Preseason Poll with 10 new players joining the roster surrounding just three returners.
Two freshman join the team along with eight transfers from junior college, NCAA Division I & II and NAIA levels complete the 13-player roster.
Friday will be the first action of the fall for SWOSU as it did not play an exhibition game.
Averi Zinn and her sister, Layni will be the top returner in nearly every category. Their sister, Libbi, is one of the eight transfers joining the roster this season.
Averi Zinn started all 27 games last season playing 36.3 mpg. She led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring at 14 ppg on 36.7% shooting and dished out 3.4 assists which tied for a team high. She also came away with 61 steals (2.3 per game) to lead the Bulldogs.
Layni Zinn returns having played and started in all 27 games a season ago averaging 27.8 mpg. She put in 8.4 ppg on 32.9% shooting from the floor and grabbed 3.2 rpg with 1.3 steals per game.
JaMaya Johnson is the only other returner for SWOSU going into her junior season playing all 27 games last season and starting one. She averaged 3.6 ppg and 3.3 rpg.
HEAD COACH JEFF ZINN
Jeff Zinn enters his second season as the head coach in Weatherford with an 8-19 record with the Bulldogs.
Prior to joining SWOSU he had spent time as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts and the 28 years prior as a high school head coach.
Zinn spent 10 years at Anadarko High School from 2011-2021 and finished his last three seasons with a record of 76-7 with state championship titles in 2019 and 2012.
During his time at Anadarko, he earned many accolades for himself including NFHSA State Coach of the Year (2021), NFHSA National Sectional Coach of the Year (2020), Daily Oklahoma Coach of the Year (2019), and OGBCA State Coach of the Year (2012, 2019).
Prior to coaching at Anadarko, Zinn coached at Newkirk High School.
Zinn began his head coaching career at Blanchard High School where he was named Canadian Valley Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2001.
Zinn's high school head coaching record amounts to 563-247.
SERIES WITH SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
After knocking off Southwestern Oklahoma in the season opener last year the Ichabods now lead the all-time series 4-3.
The last neutral court matchup between the two came on Nov. 8, 2019 in Pittsburg, Kan. in the first year of the current Central Region Crossover where SWOSU won 80-62.
The first matchup between the two schools came on March 6, 1984 with the Bulldogs winning 64-57.
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA BAPTIST BISON
The Bison went 17-13 overall last season and posted a 12-10 record in the GAC, finishing 5th in the regular season and advancing to the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.
It was the first winning season for OBU since the 2015-16 season.
Last year, OBU averaged 63..5 ppg and shot 41.1% from the field and 34.9 percent from three-point range.
Oklahoma Baptist allowed 64.9 ppg and opponents shot 38.4% from the floor and 32.4% from behind the three point arc.
Heading into this new season, Oklahoma Baptist was voted third in the GAC Coaches Preseason Poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.
The Bison will open up the season against Pittsburg State on Friday before taking on the Ichabods.
This year's squad has a young look to it with six freshmen added to last year's roster and only one senior.
The Bison lost their top scorer from a season ago but return GAC Freshman of the Year Jaedyn Getman who averaged 13.1 ppg on 43.1% shooting along with 5.4 rpg both of which were second on the team a season ago.
Madison Chambers led Oklahoma Baptist in assists with 3.3 per game. She was third in scoring putting in 12.7 ppg on 43.3% from the floor and 39.7% from deep.
Jill Leslie returns for a junior season after averaging 6.8 ppg on 44.2% shooting and leading the Bison in rebounding at 5.6 rpg a year ago. She also swatted away a team high 1.4 shots per game.
Kennedy Large returns after playing all 30 games in 2022-23 and averaging 5.4 ppg with 3.9 rebounds.
HEAD COACH BO OVERTON
Although Bo Overton is in his fourth year leading the Bison, he is no stranger to coaching as he has experience at all levels including the Chinese National Team, the WNBA, the University of Oklahoma, Louisiana Tech University, Oral Roberts University, and Murray State College.
Twice he was named the NAIA Coach of the Year and the SAC Coach of the Year.
Was a 1983 draft pick for the Phoenix Suns and played professionally for Pensacola of the Contentiental Basketball Association
He has gone 35-44 in three seasons at OBU.
SERIES WITH OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Saturday's matchup will be the fourth time in five seasons WU has played OBU in the season opening weekend after never squaring off before the 2019-20 season.
Washburn leads the series, 2-1 after Oklahoma Baptist narrowly defeated the Ichabods 43-41 last season at the Washburn Crossover Classic.
This will be the first time the two teams will meet in Shawnee.
WASHBURN'S 2022-23 SEASON OPENER (VS SWOSU)
Washburn 71, Southwestern Oklahoma State 55 (Nov. 11, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. – After falling behind by 10 points in the first quarter, Washburn women's basketball team outscored Southwestern Oklahoma State 23-5 in the second quarter and never trailed again as first-year head coach Lora Westling and the Ichabods started the season with a 71-55 victory on Friday evening. The Ichabods will wrap up the opening weekend Washburn Crossover Classic on Saturday afternoon against Oklahoma Baptist. Tip-off in Lee Arena is slated for 3 p.m.
Southwestern Oklahoma (0-1) jumped out to a 10-3 lead to start the game and closed out the final 4:17 of the first quarter on an 11-5 run to lead, 21-11.
The Ichabods (1-0) found their groove in the second quarter as they scored the first six points of the frame while holding the Lady Bulldogs scoreless until the 5:59 mark. The Washburn defense drew three offensive fouls during that stretch. Southwestern Oklahoma scored its first points of the frame on an old fashioned three-point play to go up 24-17, but Washburn used a 7-0 run to level the score. SWOSU hit a pair of free throws with 3:43 on the clock before WU ended the opening quarter on a 10-0 tear to take a 34-26 lead into the break.
Washburn would lead for the entire second half and had a 47-35 lead heading into the final period. Back-to-back buckets by Lizzy Sanders gave Washburn a 14-point lead 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 rally by SWOSU would trim the lead to six, 51-45. The Ichabods answered with an 8-2 run to go back in front and maintained a double-figure lead for the final 5:47 of the game as Washburn cruised to the 71-55 win. Mackenzie Gamble and Sanders each scored eight points in the quarter and were responsible for 16 of Washburn's 24 points scored.
The Ichabods made almost half of their shot attempts as they finished the night with a 48.2 field goal percentage (27-of-56) while the Lady Bulldogs shot 32.8 percent from the floor (20-of-61). Washburn won the battle on the glass and outrebounded Southwestern Oklahoma, 38-35. Washburn also had the advantage in the paint, outscoring SWOSU, 30-12.
Nine of the 10 Ichabods that attempted a shot scored during the game. Gamble led four Washburn players in double-figure scoring as she finished with 19 points after going 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Macy Doebele was 5-for-6 from the field and totaled 11 points and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Aubree Dewey and Sanders chipped in 10 points each.
Morgan Smith led Southwestern Oklahoma with 16 points and seven rebounds.
WASHBURN HISTORY
Washburn women's basketball is 982-478-1 (.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.
NEXT UP
Washburn heads north for the Quincy Classic next weekend to face McKendree University on No. 17 and Quincy on Nov. 18.
The Ichabods play in Lee Arena for the first time at 5:30 p.m. against William Jewell on Nov. 21.
