TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn will close out the week playing its third game in six days on Saturday afternoon at No. 12 Central Missouri. Tip-off in Warrensburg, Mo. is set for 1 p.m.

OPENING TIP

• The Ichabods (11-14, 7-12 MIAA) have won back-to-back games after topping Northwest Missouri in overtime on Tuesday and cruising to a 17-point win at Lincoln on Thursday.
• The Jennies are 20-3 (16-3 MIAA) and are coming off a 78-70 win over Emporia State on Thursday.
• Central Missouri won the first meeting earlier this year, 67-53, in Topeka on Jan. 5.
• In that game, the Ichabods held a 31-29 lead at halftime and then trailed by just one heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn't complete the upset over then-ranked No. 7 UCM.
• Washburn is 3-6 on the road this season and Central Missouri is 11-1 when playing in Warrensburg.
• UCM's one home loss occurred on Feb. 4 against Missouri Southern, 72-69.
• The Ichabods are ninth in the MIAA standings and the Jennies are second.

BODS AND ENDS

• Washburn is averaging 57.6 ppg and shooting 37.2 percent from the field.
• This season, Washburn has held opponents to fewer than 60 points in 18 contests.
• The Ichabods now hold a 68 game three-point streak after making six triples against the Blue Tigers.
• Washburn's offense exploded for 24 points in the second quarter against Lincoln, tying WU's highest-scoring frame of the season as the Ichabods scored 24 in the final quarter in the season opener against Southwestern Oklahoma.
• Additionally, WU made 9-of-11 from the field for a blistering 81.8% in the second quarter - its highest-percentage quarter of the season.
• The Ichabods have now scored a season-high 75 points in three games with all those occurring on the road (Dec. 31, 2022 - at UCO; Feb. 4, 2023 - at NWMSU; Feb. 16, 2023 - at LU).
• WU is 9-3 when scoring 60 or more points.
• Saturday's game will be WU's third game of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent.
• WU's last win over a ranked-opponent was on March 3, 2021 at then-ranked No. 15 Central Missouri in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal.

THE WU CREW

• Aubree Dewey continues to lead the Ichabods and rank in the top-25 in the MIAA in scoring (10.6 ppg/24th), assists (3.6 apg/eighth), steals (1.3 spg/24th), and time on the court (33.9 mpg/second).
• In Thursday's game at Lincoln, Dewey grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and added eight points. She has scored eight or more points in each of the last seven-consecutive games.
• Natalia Figueroa did not play at Lincoln for her first missed game of her freshman campaign...for the season, she averages 8.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, and has made a team-best 41 three-pointers.
• At forward, Emma Chapman notched her eighth double-figure scoring game of the season as she made 6-of-11 from the field and totaled 15 points at Lincoln. She scored the first six points of the game for the Ichabods at LU.
• Overall this season, Chapman is scoring 7.8 ppg to go with 4.7 rpg.
• Macy Doebele also averages 4.7 rpg and 7.7 ppg this season. She leads the team at the free throw line shooting 78 percent and has made 22-of-28 in the last four games.
• Freshman center Yiibari Nwidadah leads the squad with 6.0 rpg and adds 6.9 ppg with a 52.7 field goal percentage. She led the team in rebounds with 12 at Lincoln.
• Gabi Artis tied her career-high 16 points at Lincoln on Thursday and has totaled that amount in three games this season (vs. LU on Jan. 7; vs. FHSU on Jan. 18; at LU on Feb. 16). She made 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep with three of those triples coming in the second quarter.
• Artis averages 6.6 ppg and 3.7 rpg and has made 27 three-pointers.
• Amaya Davison has played in all 25 games off the bench and contributes 3.0 ppg.
• Lakyn Schieferecke returned to the starting lineup Thursday and scored six points to go with five rebounds. This season, she is averaging 2.4 rpg and 2.1 ppg.
• Lizzy Sanders played a season-high 14 minutes at Lincoln and scored five points and made her first collegiate three-pointer. In nine games off the bench, she averages 1.7 ppg and 7.1 mpg.
• Jaden Newfarmer achieved career-highs in scoring (six points), field goals (two), free throws (2-for-2), rebounds (four), and minutes (eight) at Lincoln.

MILESTONE TRACKER

• Doebele is eclipsed 600 career points in Thursday's game and now has 603 in her four-year career at Washburn.
• She is also 10 rebounds away from having 400 in her career.
• Dewey needs six more points to reach the 500 point mark in her time as an Ichabod.

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, Lincoln 58 (Feb. 16, 2023)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Ichabods led by as many as 28 points and never trailed in Thursday's 75-58 road victory at Lincoln.

Washburn (11-14, 7-12 MIAA) jumped out to a 6-0 start in the game with Emma Chapman scoring all six points. The Ichabods closed out the final 55 seconds of the opening quarter with a pair of free throws and a layup from Macy Doebele to extend the lead to 17-10.

The Ichabods carried their momentum into the second quarter and outscored the Blue Tigers 14-4 leading up to the media timeout with just under the five minutes left in the first half. Lincoln (5-2, 3-16 MIAA) came out of the timeout with a 6-0 scoring run, but Gabi Artis put an end to that with a three-pointer that sparked a run of 10 unanswered points for Washburn to finish out the period in front, 41-20. The Ichabods shot a blistering 81.8 percent from the field (9-of-11) and made 4-of-5 from three-point range in the quarter with Artis making all three of her shot attempts from beyond the arc.

The Blue Tigers put up nine of the first 11 points scored to start the second half and trimmed the deficit to 43-29, but the Ichabods quickly regained control of the game with a 14-0 burst to go up by a game-high 28 points, 57-29, with 2:49 left in the frame. The Blue Tigers closed out the quarter almost exactly how they started with an 8-2 run to cut the Washburn lead to 59-37 heading to the fourth.

Lincoln pulled within 12 with 78 seconds to go in regulation, but would get no closer as the Ichabods capped off the win with a three-pointer from Amaya Davison and a layup by Jaden Newfarmer.

Washburn shot just under 50 percent for the game, finishing at 49.0 percent, and held Lincoln to a 31.7 field goal percentage. The Ichabods made 6-of-13 from behind the arc and the Blue Tigers were 5-for-20 from deep. Washburn made 23 trips to the free throw line and successfully made 19 foul shots while Lincoln was 15-of-22 at the charity stripe. WU dominated on the glass and outrebounded LU, 46-27.

Artis tied a career-high in scoring with 16 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Chapman made 6-of-11 from the field and tallied 15 points. Aubree Dewey grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to go with eight points. In eight minutes off the bench, Newfarmer recorded career-highs with six points and four boards.

Ashlyn Alloway notched a double-double for the Blue Tigers with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES

• Central Missouri started the season on a 16-game win streak before falling at Missouri Western on Jan. 21. UCM's only two other losses have been against Missouri Southern and Nebraska-Kearney earlier this month.
• The Jennies are currently second in the league in scoring (75.5 ppg) with a league-best 46.4 field goal percentage that ranks 11th in Division II.
• Brooke Littrell has been a force all season as she's earned MIAA Athlete of the Week honors four times, is second among conference players/14th in DII in scoring (19.7 ppg), second in the MIAA/23rd in DII in rebounds (9.0 rpg), and second in free throw percentage (86.9%). She makes nearly half of her shot attempts as she holds a 49.7 field goal percentage.
• Against Emporia State last time out, Littrell was 8-of-16 from the field and 9-for-9 at the free throw line to total 25 points and added 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of this season.
• Also averaging double-figures is Olivia Nelson at 12.8 ppg with a 48.7 field goal percentage. She has one fewer three-pointer than Littrell's team-high 23.
• Ashley Tull contributes 9.7 ppg and leads the team with 38 blocks (1.7 bpg).
• Lauren Frost and Nelson average 4.1 apg while Frost leads the team with 1.5 spg.

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 43-26 and has won three of the last four matchups.
• When playing in Warrensburg, WU is 17-13.
• The Ichabods have won the last two games against the Jennies in the Multipurpose Building by seven or more points.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME AGAINST CENTRAL MISSOURI
Central Missouri 67, Washburn 53 (Jan. 5, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team trailed by just one point at the end of the third quarter, but the Ichabods were unable to complete the upset over unbeaten No. 7 Central Missouri and lost, 67-53, on Thursday evening.

Washburn (6-6, 2-4 MIAA) quickly found itself in a 9-0 deficit to start the game and did not score its first basket until the 6:16 mark. The Ichabods finished the quarter on a 6-2 run to cut Central Missouri's lead to 18-14.

Both teams struggled to score to start the second quarter until the Jennies (12-0, 8-0 MIAA) hit a three-pointer with 6:51 on the clock for the first points of the frame. Washburn trailed 23-16 with 3:49 left in the first half when Aubree Dewey drained a three-pointer to spark an 11-2 burst for the Ichabods to even the score at 27. The Jennies made a jump shot to break the tie, but were held scoreless for the final two minutes while Washburn ended the half with four unanswered points to take a 31-29 lead at halftime.

It was back-and-forth scoring in the third quarter with six ties and five lead changes and neither team leading by more than two until Central Missouri built a 44-41 advantage at 2:44 with a 5-0 run. Emma Chapman made a layup on the following possession for the final points of the quarter to trim the deficit to one, 44-43.

The Central Missouri offense took control of the game to begin the fourth and ripped off a 12-2 scoring run in the first four minutes and five seconds of the period to take its largest lead of the contest, 56-45. Washburn would get no closer than nine points after that as the Jennies outscored the Ichabods 23-10 in the final quarter to capture the double-figure victory.

Both teams had nearly the same shooting percentage from the field as Washburn made 36.8 percent (21-of-57) and Central Missouri finished at 36.5 percent (23-of-63). From three-point range, UCM hit 5-of-12 and WU made 3-of-13 from deep. At the free throw line, the Jennies made 16 of their 19 attempts while the Ichabods were 8-of-13. UCM finished with 10 more rebounds, 44-34, and turned its 17 offensive boards into 13 points.

Dewey made 6-of-10 from the field and sank both her three-pointer attempts to total a team-high 15 points. Yiibari Nwidadah recorded 10 points and six rebounds. Natalia Figueroa had nine points and Chapman had six rebounds and six points.

Brooke Littrell scored a game-high 27 points for Central Missouri.   

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 982-475-1 (.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 play its final two games of the regular season next week. The Ichabods are set to host Missouri Southern on Thursday, Feb. 23 for senior night and then will head to Emporia State for the regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 25.