TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn is set to finish off its week in Missouri with a Saturday afternoon game at Northwest Missouri. Game time in Maryville, Mo. is set for 1 p.m.

OPENING TIP

• The Ichabods (9-11, 5-9 MIAA) are coming off a 67-47 loss at Missouri Western on Wednesday.
• The Bearcats are 10-11 (5-10 MIAA) after falling 52-42 to Emporia State on Thursday evening.
• Northwest Missouri finished the 2021-22 season with a record of 17-12 (12-10 MIAA).
• These two teams split the regular season series last year, as Washburn won the first meeting in Topeka, 58-52, before dropping an overtime contest in Maryville, 58-53.
• The Ichabods and Bearcats will face against in just 10 days as WU hosts them on Feb. 14.
• Washburn is 2-4 on the road this season and Northwest Missouri is 4-5 on its home court.
• The Ichabods are currently eighth in the MIAA standings and the Bearcats are right behind in ninth.

BODS AND ENDS

• Washburn is averaging 55.2 ppg and shoots 36.9 percent from the field.
• The Ichabods are second in the league and rank 21st in Division II for fewest points allowed per game as they hold opponents to 56.8 ppg.
• They also hold opponents to the second-lowest three-point percentage in the MIAA at 28.6 percent.
• Washburn pushed its three-point streak to 63-consecutive games after making three at Missouri Western.

THE WU CREW

• Dewey has been an anchor in the starting lineup as she leads the team with 10.2 ppg, 3.7 apg (eighth in the MIAA), and 32.8 mpg (fourth in the MIAA) while adding 4.0 rpg.
• She has led or tied for the team-lead in assists in 13 games as well as in steals in 11 games.
• Natalia Figueroa is the only Ichabod besides Dewey who has started all 20 games. She leads the team with 34 three-pointers to go with a .333 shooting percentage from beyond the arc and has a six-game three-point streak going.
• Overall, Figueroa scores an average of 8.5 ppg and has scored in every game.
• Macy Doebele contributes 7.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg off the bench. She scored all five of her points at Missouri Western in the final quarter.
• Doebele also leads the team shooting 79.4 percent from the free throw line (54-of-68).
• Emma Chapman tied for the team-lead in scoring alongside Figueroa with nine points...she was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. For the season, Chapman averages 7.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
• Gabi Artis is scoring 6.6 ppg and adding 3.7 rpg in 18 games in her freshman season. She has had exactly four rebounds in the last four games.
• Yiibari Nwidadah plays 14.9 mpg off the bench and averages 6.2 ppg, making 42 of her 76 shot attempts (55.3 field goal percentage) to go with a team-leading 5.6 rpg.
• Out of Nwidadah's 96 rebounds, 47 of those have been offensive.
• Lakyn Schieferecke averages 2.6 rpg and 2.2 ppg and has scored at least two points in each of the last eight-consecutive games.
• She had eight points, six of which came in the third quarter, and tied her career-high in rebounds with seven against the Griffons.
• Amaya Davison has played in all 20 games off the bench and averages 2.1 ppg. She hit a three-pointer against the Griffons and grabbed a season-high four rebounds.
• In limited playing time, Lauren Cassaday chips in 1.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg.

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
Missouri Western 67, Washburn 47 (Feb. 1, 2023)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Washburn was unable to overcome Missouri Western's second half offensive surge and lost Wednesday's road contest, 67-47.

Missouri Western (19-5, 13-3 MIAA) led 10-4 with 6:13 on the clock in the first when the Ichabod defense locked in and allowed only one free throw for the remainder of the quarter. Aubree Dewey and Amaya Davison hit back-to-back three-pointers to start a 9-1 run to end the period with Washburn leading 13-11.

The scoring drought switched teams and plagued Washburn (9-11, 5-9 MIAA) in the second quarter as the Ichabods were just 2-of-13 from the field and were outscored 12-4. Both teams went a five minute stretch without scoring a point, but the Griffons finished off the opening half with four unanswered points to go up, 23-17, at the break.

Lakyn Schieferecke made a layup on back-to-back possessions early in the third quarter to trim the deficit down to six points, but that would be as close as it would get for Washburn. Although Washburn shot 42.9 percent from the field and held Missouri Western to a 33.3 clip (4-of-12), the Griffons hit two three-pointers and were 8-for-10 at the charity stripe to lead by 10 at the end of the period.

The Griffons outscored the Ichabods, 26-16, to pull away in the final quarter and led by as many as 22 with one minute left in regulation.

The Griffons finished the night shooting 38.9 percent from the field and the Ichabods shot 34.0 percent. Missouri Western made five more triples than Washburn, going 8-of-19 from deep. The Griffons also held a big advantage at the free throw line as they made 17-of-25 compared to the Ichabods' 8-of-15. MWSU narrowly outrebounded WU, 37-36, but the Ichabods used seven offensive boards to score 10 points. Defensively, the Griffons forced 22 Ichabod turnovers and turned that into 17 points.

Emma Chapman and Figueroa led the Ichabods with nine points each. Schieferecke had eight points and tied a career-high in rebounds with seven. Dewey also chipped in eight points.

Missouri Western's Brionna Budgetts and Connie Clarke teamed up to score 46 of the Griffons' 67 points. Budgetts had a game-high 29 points and Clarke had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds to go with six rebounds and three assists.

ABOUT THE NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS

• The Bearcats went 17-12 last season and their 12-10 MIAA record was the most conference wins for the program since the 2010-11 season.
• Although NWMSU has lost four of its last five games, the first three losses were all by one point to No. 5 Central Missouri, No. 13 Nebraska-Kearney, and Fort Hays State.
• The team averages 60.5 ppg and has a 39.4 field goal percentage.
• Molly Harnett leads the offense with 12.3 ppg and shoots it 40.9 percent from the field. She is also leading the conference as a 90.4 percent free throw shooter (66-of-77).
• When she is not scoring, she's helping others score and leads the team with 3.0 apg.
• Kelsey Fields is second on the squad in scoring at 8.0 ppg and has a team-best 9.4 rpg.
• Three-point shooter Peyton Kelderman has made 35 triples and averages 6.6 ppg.

HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER

• Austin Meyer (54-75) is in his fifth season leading the Northwest Missouri women's basketball team after being a full-time staff member of the Bearcats' men's team from 2008-18.
• As a student-athlete, Meyer was a four-year letterwinner at Northwest Missouri and held the then-program career record with 215 made three-pointers.
• Meyer is a native of the best hometown in America, beautiful Blue Springs, Mo.
• He is 2-6 against Washburn.

SERIES WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI

• Washburn first played Northwest Missouri in 1981 and leads the all-time series, 60-12.
• WU has won 16 of the last 18 matchups.
• When playing the Bearcats in Maryville, WU is 21-7.

WASHBURN'S LAST TIME AGAINST NORTHWEST MISSOURI
Northwest Missouri 58, Washburn 53 - OT (Feb. 19, 2022)
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Macy Doebele hit the game-tying layup with two seconds left in regulation, but the Ichabods fell in overtime at Northwest Missouri on Saturday, 58-53.

Both offenses got off to a slow start and Northwest Missouri (16-9, 11-8 MIAA) hit a three-pointer to lead 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bearcats scored eight unanswered points to begin the second frame to push their lead to 17-7. Washburn (12-13, 10-9 MIAA) put together a run of its own midway through the period when Hunter Bentley hit a layup to start a 7-0 spurt to pull within 19-18 with 3:07 left in the opening half. After Northwest Missouri made 4-of-4 at the free throw line, Washburn scored eight of the final 11 points to even the score at 26-all at the break.

Early in the third quarter, Bentley tied the score at 31 to start a 9-0 rally to put the Ichabods in front 38-31 with 3:51 on the clock. The Bearcats responded with a 7-2 run to trim the deficit to 40-38 at the end of three.

The Ichabods missed their first six shots of the fourth quarter while the Bearcats scored five points to retake the lead. Doebele made a layup to get Washburn back within one, 43-42, halfway through the quarter and the teams took turns scoring until a free throw by Abby Oliver and then another bucket by Doebele gave Washburn a 47-46 advantage with 21 seconds to go. Northwest Missouri answered with a three-pointer to go back in front by two with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. The Ichabods called a timeout and started their final possession with 11 seconds on the clock when Doebele made the game-tying basket just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

After Northwest Missouri made the first four points in overtime, Washburn made back-to-back baskets to even the score at 53. That would be the final points the Ichabods would score, though, as the Bearcats scored the final five points to capture the 58-53 overtime win.

The Ichabods finished with a 37.7 field goal percentage while the Bearcats shot 29.7 percent. WU made just 1-of-6 from three-point distance and NWMSU was 7-of-30 from deep. The Ichabods outrebounded the Bearcats, 42-36.

Bentley played all 45 minutes and led all scorers with 26 points to go with nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Doebele made 6-of-10 from the field and tallied 14 points. Nuria Barrientos grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Bearcats were led by Mallory McConkey's 16 points.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 980-472-1 (.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 finishes off its three-game road trip with a midweek game at Newman on Wednesday, Feb. 8 before returning home to host Central Oklahoma on Feb. 11.