TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn Ichabod women's basketball kicks off the new year on Thursday, Jan. 4 in Lee Arena hosting Central Oklahoma beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball begins the 2024 calendar year hosting Central Oklahoma.
• The Ichabods will host the Bronchos at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 4 in Lee Arena to begin the second half of the season. 
• Washburn is coming off a 75-56 home victory over Northeastern State on Dec. 19. 
• WU is now 8-3 overall on the year and has gone 3-2 in the MIAA. 
• They have gone 4-0 at home, 3-2 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. 
• The Bronchos are off to an 2-10 start on the year and are 1-5 in the MIAA after an 84-66 loss to No. 21 Fort Hays State at home on Dec. 19. 
• The Ichabods were picked to finish in eighth place in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and were slotted at 10th in the media vote. 

BODS AND BITS

• As a team Washburn averages 76.3 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the floor and 37.4% from deep. 
• Opponents average 59.8 ppg on 35.8% shooting and 26.6% from behind the arc. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 41.2 rpg while holding opponents to just 33.3 rpg. They also average 13.5 apg while opponents only average 9.5.
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 80 games with seven triples in the final contest of 2023.
• The Ichabods have a 0.9 assist to turnover ratio while opponents average 0.6 assist for every giveaway. 
• The 12 player roster for Washburn is the smallest roster since the 2006-07 roster which also featured 12 players. 

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 451-125 all-time in Lee Arena. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Yiibari Nwidadah paces the Ichabod scoring attack at 14.0 ppg and nearly averages a double double pulling down a team-high 9.9 rpg with 3.8 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 59.6% from the floor and is doing so in just 23.8 mpg. 
• Aubree Dewey is second on the squad in scoring at 13.9 ppg on 44.8% shooting while playing a team high 33.2 mpg, starting every game.. She also leads the passing game averaging 6.1 apg. From the point guard position, Dewey is second on the team pulling down 5.5 rpg and has come away with 2.0 steals per contest this season.
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 11.0 ppg in just 19.8 mpg off the bench. She has averages of 52.6% from the floor and is shooting a team-high 48.1% from behind the arc. Defensively she has come away with a team-high 1.2 bpg and snagged 0.8 spg. 
• Aniah Wayne is averaging double figures, scoring 11.1 ppg this season in 27.4 mpg with 10 starts. She also pulls down 3.5 rpg and is shooting 38.8% from behind the arc, leading the Ichabods with 26 triples. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started seven games for Washburn playing 21.5 mpg. She is averaging 5.5 ppg on 44.7% shooting and is pulling down 3.8 rpg .
• Amaya Davison is averaging 7.2 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 45.0% from the floor. She is second on the squad at 42.9% from three point range in 19.4 mpg coming off the bench. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made five starts and is averaging 22.5 mpg so far. She is scoring 5.7 ppg, dishing 1.7 apg with 2.2 rpg. She is shooting 39.5% from deep as well. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 6.3 ppg in just 11.8 mpg while shooting 49.0% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.2 rpg off the bench.
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made six starts averaging 15.8 mpg and is scoring 5.5 ppg on 41.2% shooting with 0.7 steals per game. 
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.2 ppg with 2.3 rpg playing 9.6 mpg with appearances in every game and four starts. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in every game playing 6.0 mpg.

STACKING THE STATS

• WU is 14th in the nation in scoring margin as they have outscored teams by an average of 16.5 points per game. 
• Washburn is 35th nationally in field goal percentage at 44.5. That number is good for second among MIAA teams. 
• On the defensive end the Ichabods are also 35th in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents shooting a combined 35.8%. That ranks fourth in the conference.
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 21st nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 7.9 more boards per game than opponents. 
• The Ichabods are 18th in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 37.4% for the year, the best mark in the MIAA. 
• Washburn is second in the conference and 57th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 26.6% shooting from behind the arc. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game with 6.1, that number is first among MIAA players. She is 7th nationally in total assists with 67. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 28th nationally averaging 9.9 rpg. She is also 15th in the nation in field goal percentage at 59.6% which puts her second in the conference. 
• Nwidadah is tied for fourth nationally with six double doubles on the season. 
• Aniah Wayne is third in the MIAA in three point percentage at 39.4% and is also third in total 3-pointers made with 26. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Aubree Dewey is 18 points away from reaching 700 as an Ichabod. She is eight steals away from reaching the 100 mark in her career. 
• Mackenzie Gamble needs six more triples to reach 100 in her Ichabod career. She is also just seven assists away from dishing out 100 total. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is four points away from 250 career points. 

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

Washburn 75, Northeastern State 56 (Dec. 19, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn put a bow on the 2023 portion of its season Tuesday afternoon running away in the second half with a 75-56 win over Northeastern State. The Ichabods take the court in 2024 on January 4 against Central Oklahoma in Topeka.  

The RiverHawks (4-6, 1-4 MIAA) claimed the first run of the game, jumping out to an 8-2 lead with 5:50 to play in the first quarter. A pair of Washburn (8-3, 3-2 MIAA) 3-pointers, first from Lakyn Schieferecke and then from Aniah Wayne got the offense going. The lead was pushed back up to seven before the Ichabods ended the quarter on a 7-0 run with Aubree Dewey scoring five including a bucket just before the break to tie it at 17.  

Washburn scored the first four of the second quarter but couldn't push the lead past four at any point in the first half. Northeastern State was able to tie the game and take a 3029 lead with 4:23 remaining in the quarter. They stayed in front until Wayne was able to convert an old fashioned three-point-play in the final seconds of the half to leave it tied at 34 after 20 minutes.  

After shooting 31.3% in the first half Washburn came out of halftime rolling on offense shooting 55.6% from the floor. The Ichabods began the half on a 7-0 run with Yiibari Nwidadah scoring the first five points. Nwidadah led the charge to Washburn shooting 8-9 at the free throw line in the quarter with the sophomore making five in the frame.  

The Ichabod defense held strong all quarter, holding NESU to 3-14 shooting, until the lead was pushed to double digits on a corner 3-pointer by Amaya Davison with 1:15 left. A triple by Wayne before the quarters end made it 54-43 after three.  

Wayne stayed hot, leading off the fourth with another shot from behind the arc. The RiverHawks cut the lead down to 10 in the opening minutes of the quarter but that was as close as they got, Nwidadah got an and-one to go with 5:10 left and the lead was back up to 16. Nia McKenzie scored the final two baskets of the game with the 75-56 final score as the largest lead of the game for the Ichabods.  

Washburn shot 43.4% from the game, missing only eight shots in the second half. The offense also generated 27 free throws with 22 of them sunk. Northeastern State was limited to 37.0% shooting and was just 5-16 from behind the arc. The Ichabods pulled down eight more rebounds and the home bench outscored the RiverHawks 25-12.  

Yiibari Nwidadah set a career high with 19 points on 4-4 shooting while going 11-12 from the line. She also added six rebounds and a pair of steals in just 21 minutes. Aubree Dewey finished with 13 points, four steals, seven rebounds and seven assists. Aniah Wayne made four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. Amaya Davison added eight off the bench.  

Courtney Lee and Halie Jones were the only RiverHawks in double figures with Lee scoring 14 on 5-7 shooting and Jones finishing with 10 points.  

ABOUT THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS

• The Bronchos are 2-10 on the year and 1-5 in MIAA play after a 84-66 loss at home to No. 21 Fort Hays State on Dec. 19. 
• Central Oklahoma went 11-17 overall in 2022-23 with an 7-15 mark in the MIAA where they lost in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. 
• On the year the Bronchos are averaging 65.4 points on 37.5% shooting overall and 29.7% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 75.6 points on 44.1% shooting and 34.2% from behind the arc. 
• UCO is 0-6 away from the Hamilton Field House this season. 
• Central Oklahoma has deficits in rebounding and in assists this season with opponents pulling down 5.2 more rpg and dishing out 2.8 more apg. 
• Karly Wadsworth averages a team-high 10.8 ppg on 39.5% shooting for the Bronchos. She shoots 34.2% from deep and rips away 2 spg in just 22.7 mpg.  
• Aliyah Llanusa pulls down 5.3 rpg to lead UCO. She also adds 5 ppg and picks up 1.9 apg. She plays a team-high 28.4 mpg. 
• Reagan Fox is second on the squad at 9.5 ppg shooting 36.5% from behind the arc while also averaging a team best 2.3 apg. 
• Alena Wilson has started every game for Central Oklahoma chipping in 6.3 ppg and 4.9 prg. 
• Eleven players have started at least one game for the Bronchos.

HEAD COACH EMMA ANDREWS

• is in her second season as head coach since being hired in 2022.
• came to UCO from Cameron, where she spent the previous six seasons leading the Aggie women's program in Lawton, Oklahoma. She led CU to five Lone Star Conference tournament appearances and one NCAA Division II national tournament appearance in 2020-21.
• was an assistant at Cameron for two seasons before being named head coach there in May of 2016.
• Prior to her time in Lawton, Andrews was a graduate assistant coach for Fresno State from 2012-14. She was a student assistant in 2011-12. That span followed her four-year standout playing career for the Bulldogs.
• Andrews is originally from Melbourne, Australia.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

• Tuesday will be the 26th meeting all-time between the Ichabods and the Bronchos with Washburn leading the series 14-11.
• The series began Dec. 9, 1994 with a 75-68 win for Washburn in Edmond, Okla. 
• It would be until 2005 before the two played again. 
• The Ichabods are 6-4 against the Bronchos in Lee Arena. 
• Both teams split the season series last year, with both teams winning the road contest. 

LAST TIME VS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

Central Oklahoma 73, Washburn 62 (February 11, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Ichabods outscored the Bronchos 22-14 in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough as Washburn lost, 73-62, on Saturday afternoon. Washburn will play next against Northwest Missouri at home on Tuesday, Feb. 14. 

Both teams shot well in the opening quarter as the Bronchos made 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the floor with three 3-pointers while the Ichabods were 6-of-12 from the field. The Bronchos made three free throws in the final seven seconds to lead, 23-16, at the end of one. 

Central Oklahoma (8-14, 5-13 MIAA) extended its lead in the second quarter to as many as 14 after shooting above 50 percent again while holding Washburn (9-14, 5-12 MIAA) to just 2-of-15. The Ichabods did go 8-of-10 in free throws in the period and a pair of made foul shots by Macy Doebele made it 41-29 in favor of the Bronchos at halftime.

The Ichabods came out firing in the second half and used an 18-8 tear over the first 5:25 of the third quarter to pull within two, 49-47. Central Oklahoma responded with a 4-0 mini run before the Ichabods scored four of their own to trim the deficit down to two again with 2:04 left in the quarter. The Bronchos scored one final basket and carried a 55-51 advantage into the final stanza.

Washburn would get no closer in the fourth quarter, though. The Ichabods were limited to just 1-of-12 from the field while making 9-of-12 from the free throw line and the Bronchos shot 5-of-9 with 7-of-10 at the charity stripe to close out the win.

The Bronchos finished the game with a 51.9 field goal percentage and held the Ichabods to shooting 30.9 percent. UCO made one more three-pointer and had one more attempt than WU, going 5-of-15 from behind the arc. The Ichabods made 31 trips to the free throw line and made 24 foul shots and the Bronchos were 14-of-19. Washburn edge Central Oklahoma on the glass, 36-33. 

Natalia Figueroa led the Ichabods with 13 points and made three shots from deep. Amaya Davison recorded her second-straight game in double-digits as she tallied 12 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Yiibari Nwidadah added 11 points and led the team with six rebounds. 

Brooke Rayner led all scorers with 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Aspen Williston recorded a triple-double as she finished with 14 points, 10 blocks, and 10 boards. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 990-481-1 (.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 finish up a three-game homestand against Newman on Saturday, Jan. 6. 
• 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.