TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn is back in Lee Arena on Wednesday evening hosting the Missouri Southern State Lions at 5:30 p.m. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball takes on Missouri Southern on Wednesday in a return to Topeka. 
• The Ichabods will face the Lions at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in Lee Arena. 
• Washburn is coming off a 77-64 road loss to Lincoln on Saturday. 
• WU is now 10-5 overall on the year and has gone 5-4 in the MIAA. 
• They have gone 6-0 at home, 3-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral court games. 
• 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. 
• Missouri Southern is 11-4 overall to start the year and are 7-2 in the MIAA after a 72-56 win over Nebraska-Kearney in Joplin on Saturday for an 8th straight victory. 
• The Ichabods were picked to finish in eighth place in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and were slotted at 10th in the media vote. They are currently tied for 8th in the conference. 

BODS AND BITS

• As a team Washburn averages 74.8 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the floor and 36.9% from deep. 
• Opponents average 62.6 ppg on 37.4% shooting and 27.3% from behind the arc. 
• WU is shooting 70.3% from the line this year going 225-320 overall while opponents are 200-271, for a 73.8% clip. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 41.5 rpg while holding opponents to just 33.9 rpg. They also average 12.7 apg while opponents only average 10.1.
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 83 games with five triples on Thursday.
• The Ichabods have a 0.9 assist to turnover ratio while opponents average 0.7 assists for every giveaway. 
• The 12 player roster for Washburn is the smallest roster since the 2006-07 roster which also featured 12 players. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabod scoring attack at 15.9 ppg on 47.0% shooting from the floor. Dewey dishes out a team-high 5.3 apg and pulls down 5.7 rpg from the point guard position, second most on the team. She leads the team playing 32.9 and snags 1.6 spg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team averaging 13.3 ppg and nearly averages a double double pulling down a team-high 9.9 rpg with 3.9 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 57.5% from the floor and is doing so in just 24.9 mpg. 
• Aniah Wayne is averaging double figures, scoring 10.4 ppg this season in 26.9 mpg with 14 starts. She also pulls down 3.2 rpg and is shooting 36.1% from behind the arc, leading the Ichabods with 35 triples. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made nine starts and is averaging 22.0 mpg. She is scoring 6.5 ppg, dishing 1.6 apg with 2.8 rpg. She leads the team shooting 43.3% from deep and is 100% from the free throw line. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 7.1 ppg in 16.6 mpg off the bench in nine games. She has averages of 42.6% from the floor and is second on the team shooting 43.2% from deep. She also averages a team-high 0.7 bpg. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started seven games for Washburn playing 20.7 mpg. She is averaging 5.1 ppg on 41.4% shooting and is pulling down 3.6 rpg .
• Amaya Davison is averaging 6.5 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 38.3% from the floor. She is shooting 33.3% from three point range and plays 20.4 mpg. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made eight starts averaging 16.7 mpg and is scoring 5.4 ppg on 41.8% shooting with 0.8 steals per game. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 5.5 ppg in just 11.6 mpg while shooting 44.1% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.4 rpg off the bench.
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.0 ppg with 1.7 rpg playing 8.2 mpg with appearances in every game and six starts. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in 14 games playing 5.9 mpg and scoring 1 ppg.

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 453-125 all-time in Lee Arena. 

STACKING THE STATS

• WU is 39th in the nation in scoring margin as they have outscored teams by an average of 12.2 points per game. 
• Washburn is 49th nationally in field goal percentage at 43.2. That number is good for sixth among MIAA teams. 
• On the defensive end the Ichabods are 83rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents shooting a combined 37.4%. That ranks sixth in the conference.
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 22nd nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 7.7 more boards per game than opponents, third in the MIAA.
• The Ichabods are 8th in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 36.9% for the year, the best mark in the MIAA. 
• Washburn is second in the conference and 58th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 27.3% shooting from behind the arc. 
• WU is first in the MIAA and 29th nationally shooting 21.33 free throws per game. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks 16th in the nation in assists per game with 5.3, that number is second among MIAA players. She is 14th nationally in total assists with 79. 
• She is also sixth in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.0%.
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 22nd nationally averaging 9.9 rpg. She is also 15th in the nation in field goal percentage at 57.5% which puts her second in the conference. 
• Nwidadah is tied for 11th nationally with seven double doubles on the season. 
• Aniah Wayne is second in the conference in three-point percentage among qualified shooters at 36.1%. She is third in the MIAA in three's per game and total 3-pointers made. 
• Mackenzie Gamble is 11th in the conference in total 3-pointers made with 26. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Aubree Dewey needs six more steals to reach 100 as an Ichabod. 
• Mackenzie Gamble is only two assists away from recording 100 in her career. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah needs 6 more rebounds to reach 300 in her career. 

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 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. 

LAST TIME OUT

Lincoln 77, Washburn 64 (Jan. 13, 2024)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Washburn scored the first two points of the game but did not lead the rest of the way, falling on the road to Lincoln, 77-64 The Ichabods head back to Topeka and take on Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17.  

After scoring the first basket of the game Washburn (10-5, 5-4 MIAA) fell behind 4-2. Scoring slowed down for both teams with Amaya Davison tying the game on pair of free throws with 5:18 left in the quarter. The Blue Tigers (6-8, 2-6 MIAA)scored the next six points as the Ichabods shot just 3-14 in the first quarter and trailed 14-10 after 10 minutes.  

With six straight points Lincoln was able to make the lead double digits after a made triple at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter. Washburn was able to score nine in a row in the final five minutes of the half, capped off by two free throws from Lakyn Schieferecke to make it 26-25. Three turnovers in the final two minutes by the Ichabods propelled the Blue Tigers to end the half on an 8-0 run.  

Washburn was able to bring the lead back down to six at the 8:06 mark of the third quarter after Madelyn Amekporfor connected on a corner 3-pointer. Lincoln shot 8-18 for 44.4% shooting in the quarter, keeping the Ichabods from getting closer than five. The Blue Tigers had another strong end to the quarter, scoring the final five points and pushing the lead back to 10.  

Lincoln scored the first six points in the fourth quarter but both offenses had no trouble scoring in the final 10 minutes. For Washburn, Aubree Dewey scored 21 of the Ichabods' 23 points in the final quarter on 7-8 shooting. Still, the lead did not get below 12 points in the final eight minutes with the Blue Tigers winning the turnover battle 4-0 in the quarter to get the 77-64 win.  

Washburn shot 38.6% from the floor and 15-19 from the line while Lincoln shot 47.1% overall and went only 7-10 from the charity stripe. The Ichabods had a 42-36 advantage on the boards but lost the turnover battle 21-12 leading to 31 points on the other end for the Blue Tigers.  

Dewey tied her career high of 28 points set the game before on 10-14 shooting along with seven rebounds. Yiibari Nwidadah had eight points and 12 rebounds while Aniah Wayne had eight points.  

Only two players scored in double figures for Lincoln with Imani Jones scoring 23 and grabbing 10 rebounds. Saniya Simmons added 13 points.  

ABOUT THE MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS

• The Lions are 11-4 on the year and 7-2 in MIAA play after a 72-56 home win over Nebraska-Kearney. They are receiving votes in both of the most recent D2CCA and the WBCA Coaches polls. 
• Missouri Southern went 29-7 overall in 2022-23 with an 16-6 mark in the MIAA, winning the MIAA Championship Tournament and advancing to the finals of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. 
• On the year the Lions are averaging 73.7 points on 43.3% shooting overall and 35.7% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 64.3 points on 37.8% shooting and 28.1% from behind the arc. 
• MSSU is 4-3 in true road games this season. 
• The Lions have an advantage on the boards this season averaging 3.0 more rpg than opponents. They also come away with 8.7 spg while opponents average just 6.7 spg. 
• Kryslyn Jones leads a balanced scoring attack at 12.1 ppg on 41.4% from the floor while shooting 38.2% from deep. She also pulls down 3.4 rpg with 1.6 apg and has played in all 15 games averaging 29.9 mpg. 
• Brandi Hudson is second on the Lions in scoring at 11.6 ppg while leading the team at 57.0% shooting in just 19.4 mpg. She also pulls down 4.8 rpg with 0.9 spg. 
• Kaitlin Hunnicut averages 11.4ppg on 40.8% shooting while going 37.3% from behind the arc. She averages 1.2 spg and 3.5 rpg. 
• Mia Topping leads Missouri Southern at 2.5 apg and with 1.6 spg while chipping in 8.2 ppg. She has also started all 15 games 
• Only Topping and Reese Webb have started all 15 games this season. Webb averages 22.0 mpg with 4.1 rpg. 

HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL

• is in his 8th season as head coach at Missouri Southern State after being hired on March 16, 2017.
• served three years as an assistant and one year as an interim head coach
• For the four seasons prior to his time with the women, Ressel mentored the posts at Southern. He was elevated to the position of men's Associate Head Coach in 2010-11
• Prior to joining the Lions, Ressel was a head coach at Rend Lake College where he produced a record of 118-92 and was named Great Rivers Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1996
• Also during his stint at Rend Lake, he served as assistant softball coach and coordinator of the Rend Lake Fitness Center
• Ressel played two seasons at Missouri Southern from 1989-91

SERIES WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN

• Wednesday will be the 89th meeting all-time between the Washburn and Missouri Southern with the Ichabods leading the series 53-35. 
• The series began Feb. 2, 1970 with a 30-19 neutral court win for Washburn. 
• The Ichabods are 30-13 against Missouri Southern in Lee Arena.
• Last season the Lions won 71-56 on the road and claimed a 61-45 win in Joplin. 
• Missouri Southern has won the last six matchups between the two teams. 

LAST TIME VS MISSOURI SOUTHERN

Missouri Southern 71, Washburn 56 (February 23, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team lost its final home game of the 2022-23 season to Missouri Southern on Thursday evening, 71-56. The Ichabods will close out the regular season at Emporia State on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to the game, Washburn's three senior student-athletes, Emma Chapman, Macy Doebele, and Abby Oliver, as well as student manager, Noah Garber, were recognized on the court for their contributions to the Washburn women's basketball program.

The Ichabods (11-16, 7-14 MIAA) won the tip and started the game on a 7-2 run for an early lead. Missouri Southern (23-6, 15-6 MIAA) answered with a 7-2 run of its own to level the score at 9-all. Washburn reclaimed the lead with a 5-0 mini run, but the Lions closed out the last four minutes and 33 seconds on a 15-6 tear to go up, 24-20, at the end of the opening quarter. The Ichabods finished the frame shooting 53.3 percent from the field. 

For the second-straight quarter, Gabi Artis got the scoring started with a three-pointer in the first 30 seconds to pull the Ichabods within one, 24-23. Both teams experienced a scoring drought as the next points weren't scored until Missouri Southern made a triple with 6:22 on the clock. The Lions scored four points in the last 18 seconds to take a 41-29 lead into the break.

The Lions maintained their lead for the remainder of the second half. Washburn trailed 59-46 at the start of the fourth quarter, but put together a 9-2 run to pull within six, 61-55, midway through the frame. Washburn would get no closer, though, as Missouri Southern finished off the final four and a half minutes with a 10-1 run to win by 15.

Missouri Southern finished the evening shooting 44.8 percent from the field while Washburn shot 39.0 percent. From three-point range, the Ichabods made 6-of-16 and the Lions made 3-of-12. Missouri Southern had a resounding advantage at the free throw line, going 16-of-18, while Washburn was 4-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Ichabods outrebounded the Lions, 36-34. MSSU forced 20 turnovers and turned those into 31 points. 

Artis led the Ichabods with 14 points and made 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Aubree Dewey also added double-digits with 10 points and led the team with nine rebounds. Doebele chipped in nine points and seven boards. 

Three from Missouri Southern finished in double-figures, led by Mia Topping's 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 992-483-1 (.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 get one more game at home on Saturday against Pittsburg State before a four-game road swing. 
• 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.