TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn will begin the month of February on the road in Claremore, Okla. against Rogers State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball continues its multi-week road trip against Rogers State on Thursday. 
• The Ichabods will face the Hillcats at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 in Claremore, Okla.
• Washburn is coming off a 75-74 road loss in overtime against Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. 
• WU is now 11-8 overall on the year and has gone 6-7 in the MIAA.
• They have gone 7-1 at home, 3-6 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. 
• Rogers State is 8-11 overall to start the year and are 3-10 in the MIAA after falling to Missouri Southern 76-54 on the road on Saturday. 
• 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 71.9 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the floor and 32.9% from deep. 
• Opponents average 63.9 ppg on 38.2% shooting and 27.6% from behind the arc. 
• WU is shooting 71.2% from the line this year going 280-393 overall while opponents are 247-334, for a 74.0% clip. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 40.3 rpg while holding opponents to just 35.7 rpg. They also average 12.0 apg while opponents only average 11.1.
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 88 games with six of triples on Saturday afternoon.
• 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 16.5 ppg on 45.3% shooting from the floor. Dewey dishes out a team-high 4.8 apg and pulls down 5.2 rpg from the point guard position, second most on the team. She leads the team playing 34.2 and snags 1.9 spg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team averaging 12.6 ppg and averages a double double pulling down a team-high 10.0 rpg with 3.7 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 55.4% from the floor and is doing so in just 24.9 mpg. 
• Aniah Wayne nearly averages double figures, scoring 9.9 ppg this season in 27.3 mpg with 18 starts. She also pulls down 3.2 rpg and is shooting 35.0% from the field and leads the Ichabods with 40 triples. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made 13 starts and is averaging 22.4 mpg. She is scoring 6.2 ppg, dishing 1.4 apg with 2.8 rpg. She leads team shooting 39.7% from deep and is 81.8% from the free throw line. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started seven games for Washburn playing 20.3 mpg. She is averaging 4.7 ppg on 40.0% shooting and is pulling down 3.4 rpg .
• Amaya Davison is averaging 6.1 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 36.9% from the floor with 2.1 rpg in 20.1 mpg.  
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 5.9 ppg in 15.1 mpg off the bench in 12 games. She has averages of 38.7% from the floor and leads the team shooting 39.5% from deep.
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made 12 starts averaging 17.6 mpg and is scoring 5.4 ppg on 40.7% shooting with 0.9 steals per game. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 4.7 ppg in just 11.6 mpg while shooting 42.9% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.2 rpg off the bench.
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.1 ppg with 1.6 rpg playing 7.9 mpg with appearances in 18 games and six starts. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in 17 games playing 6.6 mpg and scoring 1.1 ppg. 

STACKING THE STATS

• WU is 70th in the nation in scoring margin as they have outscored teams by an average of 7.9 points per game. 
• Washburn is 74th nationally in field goal percentage at 41.8. That number is good for sixth among MIAA teams. 
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 57 nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 4.6 more boards per game than opponents, fourth in the MIAA.
• The Ichabods are 71st in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 32.9% for the year, the sixth best mark in the MIAA. They are 76th in the nation averaging 6.6 3-pointers per game. 
• Washburn is fourth in the conference and 56th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 27.6% shooting from behind the arc. 
• WU is first in the MIAA and 42nd nationally shooting 20.68 free throws per game. They are 34th in the nation knocking down 14.74 shots from the charity stripe per contest. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks 31st in the nation in assists per game with 4.8, that number is third among MIAA players. She is 24th nationally in total assists with 92. 
• She is also seventh in the conference in field goal percentage at 45.3%.
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 20th nationally averaging 10.0 rpg. She is tied for 10th nationally and first in the conference with nine double doubles on the year. 
• Aniah Wayne is fourth in the conference in both total three pointers and three pointers per game. Mackenzie Gamble is 12th in both categories. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Amaya Davison is one point away from reaching 200 in her career. Aniah Wayne is 11 points away from reaching the same mark in her first season as an Ichabod. 
• Mackenzie Gamble needs to pull down one more rebound to reach 200 at Washburn. 
• Liz Boyd needs 10 more points to reach the 100 point mark in her freshman season. 

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

Nebraska-Kearney 75, Washburn 74 (Jan. 27, 2024)
KEARNEY, Neb. -- Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney needed more than 40 minutes to decide things on Saturday afternoon but after 45 minutes the Ichabods ran out of time falling 75-74 in overtime to the Lopers. Washburn will stay on the road next week taking on Rogers State on Thursday, Feb. 1. at 5:30 p.m.  

The Lopers (14-5, 8-5 MIAA) offense got started first scoring the first four points of the game with the lead quickly expanding to seven points at the 7:53 mark of the first quarter. Washburn (11-8, 6-7 MIAA) battled back taking the lead after Nia McKenzie put in a layup at the 4:29 mark and held UNK scoreless for the entire stretch. Nebraska-Kearney continued to fire away, knocking down four 3-pointers in the quarter to re-take a 17-14 lead after one. 

After falling behind by five in the second quarter Washburn rattled off eight straight points going up by three on a triple from Aubree Dewey at the 5:55 mark in the quarter. Both teams had opportunities in the quarter, with 11 combined offensive rebounds, but the Ichabods made the most of them shooting 7-18 while holding UNK to 26.3% shooting for the quarter. Dewey converted on the final opportunity, knocking down a jumper as time expired to lead 32-29 at the break.  

After going back-and-forth most of the first half Washburn led for were tied for the entire third quarter. The lead reached a game-high seven points after Mackenzie Gamble connected on a 3-pointer to go up 45-38 with 3:51 left in the quarter. In the final minutes Nebraska-Kearney took advantage of a 14-8 rebound advantage in the quarter and scored the final five points and cut the lead to just one point going into the fourth.  

Neither team scored until Aniah Wayne sunk a pair of free throws with 7:32 left in the quarter. The Lopers tied the game and took the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter after hitting two free throws with 5:22 to play in regulation. In the final five minutes there were five lead changes and four ties including a tie at the end of the fourth quarter after Dewey was able to find Wayne under the basket for a layup on a play that started with four seconds left on the clock.  

Playing for the first time this season in overtime Yiibari Nwidadah sunk a pair of free throws with 3:41 remaining to break the tie. The Lopers didn't score until there was 1:55 left in the extra period on a two-point jumper. They took a one-point lead 42 seconds later and sunk another jumper with 18 seconds left to go up by three. Nwidadah connected on an extra chance layup but that would be the final score of the game with Washburn coming up one point short, 75-74.  

Washburn shot 29-72 in the game (40.3%) and were 10-11 at the line while holding UNK to 27-19 shooting (34.2%) and the Lopers were just 7-29 behind the arc. Nebraska-Kearney won the rebound battle 56-41 and grabbed 24 total offensive rebounds while also getting to the line 10 extra times creating separation in the close game.  

Aubree Dewey led all scorers with 21 points along with eight assists and three steals. She tied a career high with three 3-pointers and went over 20 points for the fifth time in her last six games. Yiibari Nwidadah tied a career high with 19 points on 8-10 shooting and made it a double double with 12 rebounds. Both Aniah Wayne and Mackenzie Gamble added eight points.  

Meg Burns scored 20 points for the Lopers to lead them. Shiloh McCool had a 15 point and 13 rebound double double while Jillian Aschoff had nine points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, the most of any Ichabod opponent this season.  

ABOUT THE ROGERS STATE HILLCATS

• The Hillcats are 8-11 on the year and 3-10 in MIAA play after a 76-54 loss on the road to Missouri Southern on Saturday. 
• Rogers State went 5-23 overall in the 22022-23 season with a 3-19 mark in the MIAA, missing out on the MIAA Tournament. 
• On the year the Hillcats are averaging 62.7 points on 37.9% shooting overall and 27.9% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 60.6 points on 36.7% shooting and 29.7% from behind the arc. 
• RSU is 7-6 inside of the Claremore Expo Center this season. 
• Rogers State averages 4.4 more rebounds than opponents this season while also dishing out 1.2 more assists than opponents. They have only had 32 total shots blocked this season (1.7 per game) while they have blocked 62 shots. 
• Alayzha Knapp leads the Hillcats in scoring at 16.2 ppg on 40.1% shooting from the floor and 30.1% from deep. She also pulls down 6.1 rpg and comes away with 1.1 spg and 0.8 bpg.
• Alyza Aikins is second on the squad in scoring at 8.4 ppg on 39.5% shooting. She comes away with 2.1 spg while dishing out 2.6 assists. Her 33.9 mpg are tops on the team. 
• Trinity Jackson leads Rogers State in rebounding at 6.9 per game. She also chips in 5.1 ppg on 44.4% from the field. 
• Kaya Goldsby posts an average of 3.3 assists per game and 2.2 spg, both leading RSU. She also chips in 6.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg. 
• Jackson, Aikins and Goldsby have started all 19 games this season for the Hillcats. 

HEAD COACH HEATHER DAVIS

• is in her first season as the head coach of the Hillcats after being hired in June, 2023.
• arrived on College Hill from Southwestern Oklahoma State where she served as the top assistant coach for one year
• Prior to her stint in Weatherford, Davis spent eight years as an assistant at Central Oklahoma under UCO Hall of Fame Coach Guy Hardaker. She spend two seasons as a graduate assistant at UCO before taking over the full-time role in the summer of 2014. 
• She started her college career at Division I Kansas City and played two years there. Earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice in May 2012 and her master's in criminal justice management and administration in May 2014.

SERIES WITH ROGERS STATE

• Saturday will be the 9th meeting all-time between the Washburn and-Rogers State with the Ichabods leading the series 6-2.
• The series began Feb. 15, 2020 with a 80-53 win for Washburn in Claremore. 
• The Ichabods are 3-1 against the Hillcats in Claremore. 
• Washburn has won the last three games against Rogers State including a 56-44 win over the Hillcats on Dec. 9 this season. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah led the Ichabods with 13 points and had a double-double with 10 rebounds. 

LAST TIME VS Rogers State

Washburn 56, Rogers State 44 (December 9, 2023)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn overcame a slow start to earn its first conference win of the season Saturday knocking off Rogers State 56-44. The Ichabods travel to Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m.  

Washburn (6-2, 1-1 MIAA) scored just 15 points in the first half but held the Hillcats (4-5, 0-4) to just 23.7% shooting in the game to even up its record in MIAA play this season.  

Rogers State scored the first two baskets of the game with the Ichabods not getting on the board until there was 5:25 left in the first quarter on a pair of free throws by Mackenzie Gamble. Shooting struggles persisted throughout the first quarter for both teams as they shot a combined 5-31 in the first 10 minutes with the Hillcats leading 9-6.  

Rogers State began the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and the Washburn was not able to find the bottom of the net until there was 6:10 left in the quarter on a jumper by Aubree Dewey. The lead grew to nine before the Ichabods ended the quarter on a 5-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Aniah Wayne to trail 19-15 going into the break.  

Coming out of halftime Washburn went on a 7-2 run, taking the lead after Yiibari Nwidadah knocked down a pair of free throws. The lead went back one to the Hillcats before the Ichabods reeled off a 10-2 run ended with a 3-pointer by Madelyn Amekporfor to go up by eight. Lakyn Schieferecke ended the quarter with an old fashioned three-point-play to put WU ahead 37-29.  

After holding Rogers State to 21.4% shooting in the third quarter Washburn's defense continued to stay locked in, forcing the Hillcats to shoot 22.2% in the final frame. The Ichabods scored the first eight points of the quarter, pushing the lead into double figures on another triple by Amekporfor with 8:27 remaining. The lead never dropped below nine from that point and Washburn was able to ease into a 56-44 victory.  

The Ichabods shot just 28.3% for the game, but held RSU to 14-59 (23.7%) shooting. The difference in the game came off the bench, with the WU crew outscoring the Hillcats 25-14. On the boards Washburn also held a 51-40 rebound advantage, pulling down 11 offensively.  

Yiibari Nwidadah pulled down another double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Ichaobds in scoring. Madelyn Amekporfor had 12 points on 3-5 shooting with five boards. Aubree Dewey did a bit of everything finishing with nine points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.  

Destiny Jones and Breanna Fowler were the lone Hillcats to finish in double figure scoring with 11 and 10 respectively.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 993-486-1 (.671) 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 a four-game road trip on Saturday versus Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. 
• 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.