TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball hosts the Newman Jets on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Lee Arena to conclude a three game home slate. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball wraps up a three game homestand against Newman on Saturday. 
• The Ichabods will host the Jets at 1:00 p.m. on Jan. 6 in Lee Arena.
• Washburn is coming off a 64-62 home victory over Central Oklahoma on Thursday. 
• WU is now 9-3 overall on the year and has gone 4-2 in the MIAA. 
• They have gone 5-0 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 Jets are off to an 2-11 start on the year and are 1-6 in the MIAA after an 68-58 win over Emporia State in Emporia on Wednesday. 
• 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 75.3 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the floor and 37.0% from deep. 
• Opponents average 60.0 ppg on 36.0% shooting and 26.7% from behind the arc. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 41.4 rpg while holding opponents to just 33.2 rpg. They also average 13.2 apg while opponents only average 9.4.
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 81 games with seven triples on Thursday.
• 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 452-125 all-time in Lee Arena. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabod scoring attack at 14.1 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the floor. Dewey dishes out a team-high 6.0 apg and pulls down 5.7 rpg from the point guard position, second most on the team. She leads the team playing 33.0 and snags 1.8 spg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team averaging 13.6 ppg and nearly averages a double double pulling down a team-high 9.8 rpg with 3.9 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 58.9% from the floor and is doing so in just 24.0 mpg. 
• Aniah Wayne is averaging double figures, scoring 11.1 ppg this season in 27.3 mpg with 11 starts. She also pulls down 3.5 rpg and is shooting 37.7% from behind the arc, leading the Ichabods with 29 triples. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 9.2 ppg in just 17.8 mpg off the bench. She has averages of 50.0% from the floor and is shooting a team-high 46.4% from behind the arc. Defensively she has come away with a team-high 1.0 bpg and snagged 0.7 spg. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started seven games for Washburn playing 21.3 mpg. She is averaging 5.2 ppg on 43.8% shooting and is pulling down 4.1 rpg .
• Amaya Davison is averaging 6.9 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 42.9% from the floor. She is third on the squad at 40.0% from three point range in 19.8 mpg coming off the bench. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made six starts and is averaging 22.4 mpg. She is scoring 6.2 ppg, dishing 1.7 apg with 2.7 rpg. She is second on the team shooting 41.7% from deep.  
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made six starts averaging 16.2 mpg and is scoring 5.8 ppg on 41.1% shooting with 0.7 steals per game. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 5.8 ppg in just 11.9 mpg while shooting 46.2% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.1 rpg off the bench.
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.3 ppg with 2.2 rpg playing 9.7 mpg with appearances in every game and five starts. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in eleven games playing 6.0 mpg.

STACKING THE STATS

• WU is 22nd in the nation in scoring margin as they have outscored teams by an average of 15.2 points per game. 
• Washburn is 41st nationally in field goal percentage at 43.8. That number is good for fifth among MIAA teams. 
• On the defensive end the Ichabods are 44th in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents shooting a combined 36.0%. That ranks sixth in the conference.
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 19th nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 8.2 more boards per game than opponents. 
• The Ichabods are 13th in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 37.0% for the year, the best mark in the MIAA. 
• Washburn is third in the conference and 56th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 26.7% shooting from behind the arc. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game with 6.0, that number is first among MIAA players. She is 9th nationally in total assists with 72. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 24th nationally averaging 9.8 rpg. She is also 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 58.9% which puts her second in the conference. 
• Nwidadah is tied for eighth nationally with six double doubles on the season. 
• Aniah Wayne is second in the conference in total 3-pointers made with 29, triples per game at 2.42 and three point percentage at 38.2%.

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Aubree Dewey is only two points away from reaching 700 as an Ichabod. She is eight steals away from reaching the 100 mark in her career. 
• Mackenzie Gamble needs three more triples to reach 100 in her Ichabod career. She is also just six 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 64, Central Oklahoma 62 (Jan. 4, 2024)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn built a double-digit first half lead and held on in the second with a game-winning layup from Aubree Dewey with two seconds left to buck Central Oklahoma 64-62. The Ichabods stay in Topeka and take on Newman at 1:00 on Saturday, Jan. 4.  

After Washburn (9-3, 4-2) scored the first four points of the game the Bronchos jumped ahead 7-4 with 6:14 left in the opening quarter. Central Oklahoma (2-11, 1-6) stayed ahead at 13-12 before the Ichabods closed the quarter on an 8-0 run with six points coming on a pair of triples by Mackenzie Gamble to lead 20-13.  

The lead reached double digits early in the second quarter on a free throw from Madelyn Amekporfor. It was extended to a game-high 14 points with 3:57 in the second quarter after Aniah Wayne knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner. The Bronchos were held to 28.6% shooting in the quarter but got to the free throw line nine times in the frame and were able to make it a nine-point game at halftime with Washburn up 36-27.  

After the Ichabods held Central Oklahoma to just one 3-pointer in the first half UCO knocked down three just in the third quarter. Back-to-back triples made it a three-point game with 7:12 left in the third. The lead got down to just two before a 10-1 Washburn run made it double figures again after two free throws from Dewey. The Bronchos scored the final five points of the quarter to make it 51-44.  

Central Oklahoma had another good start to a quarter and were able to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter with 7:26 left in the game. They pushed the lead up to four points on two occasions, the final time with 3:50 left. 

The next six points would all come from Washburn, with Aubree Dewey scoring the first four on a pair of turnaround jumpers in the paint. An inbound pass from Dewey to Yiibari Nwidadah for a layup put the home squad ahead with a minute to play. The Bronchos were able to tie the game up leaving the Ichabods with the final shot which was sunk by Dewey with two seconds remaining on a driving layup through the middle of the paint. Washburn made one final defensive stand to keep the final score at 64-62 and start out the season 9-3 for the first time since 2017-18.  

The Ichabods shot 34.5% for the game but made up for it shooting 19-24 at the line. On the other end They held the Bronchos to 37.3% shooting overall and just four 3-pointers. Extra opportunities were the difference with Washburn securing 44 rebounds to just 32 for UCO. 

Dewey scored 16 to lead WU, including 10 of the team's 13 fourth-quarter points. She also dished out five assists and grabbed seven boards. Aniah Wayne and Mackenzie Gamble each scored 11 and knocked down three triples. Yiibari Nwidadah added nine points with nine rebounds.  

Three Bronchos finished in double-figures with Alena Wilson and LaKysia Johnson each scoring 16 points to lead the visitors.  

ABOUT THE NEWMAN JETS

• The Jets are 2-11 on the year and 1-6 in MIAA play after a 68-58 Win on the road over Emporia State on Wednesday. 
• Newman went 10-18 overall in 2022-23 with an 7-15 mark in the MIAA before falling in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. 
• On the year the Jets are averaging 59.0 points on 33.5% shooting overall and 24.5% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 74.5 points on 41.5% shooting and 30.6% from behind the arc. 
• NU is 1-4 in true road contests this season. 
• Newman has deficits in rebounding and in assists this season with opponents pulling down 4.6 more rpg and dishing out 1.5 more apg. 
• Carissa Beck leads the Jets scoring attack averaging 9.6 ppg on 38.7% shooting from deep. She leads all players with 29.1 mpg and has started all 13 games. 
• Valeriya Lioukini and Delainey Wylie each pull down 5.3 rpg to lead Newman. Lioukina adds 8.5 ppg while Wylie chips in 4.2 ppg on 45.1% shooting. 
• Dani Williams is tied for a team-high 1.8 apg while scoring 6.2 ppg. 
• Amiya Josey averages 8.6 ppg with 3.9 rpg and 0.8 bpg. 
• In MIAA play Newman is being outscored 51.7 to 79.7. 

HEAD COACH AMY BRIGGS

• is in her first season as head coach since being hired in 2023.
• spent the last three seasons at Truman State where she was an assistant for two seasons before being promoted to Associate Head Coach before the 2022-23 season. Briggs helped lead the Truman to an overall record of 46-26, and 36-10 in the GLVC
• Prior to Truman, Briggs spent four seasons at Central College, the Dutch increased their win total every year. She began her coaching career at Missouri Valley College as a graduate assistant.
• Briggs began her playing career at Johnson County (Kan.) Community College before transferring to Truman State.
• Sister, Stacy, runs track and field and cross country at Washburn

SERIES WITH NEWMAN

• Saturday will be the 17th meeting all-time between the Ichabods and the Jets with Washburn leading the series 11-5.
• The series began Dec. 9, 1975 with a 61-52 win for Washburn in Wichita, Kan. 
• The Ichabods are 7-3 against the Jets in Lee Arena. 
• Last season Newman came away with a 74-62 home win in the only game between the two teams. 
• This will be the only time this regular season that the two squads will face off in the regular season. 

LAST TIME VS NEWMAN

Newman 74, Washburn 62 (February 8, 2023)
WICHITA, Kan. – The Washburn women's basketball team chipped away at a 12-point deficit to get within three late in the third quarter, but could get no closer as Newman pulled away and defeated the Ichabods, 74-62, on Wednesday evening. The Ichabods will return home to close out the week, hosting Central Oklahoma on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Ichabods (9-13, 5-11 MIAA) scored the first basket of the game on a layup by Emma Chapman, but that was their only lead of the quarter as the Jets (7-15, 4-13 MIAA) scored eight of the next 11 points to go up 8-5 midway through the quarter. Washburn fought back with a 6-2 run to level the score at 13 with just over a minute left in the period, but the Ichabods committed a shooting foul just before time expired and the Jets hit both free throws to take a 15-13 advantage into the second.

Gabi Artis got things going in the second quarter with a three-pointer to give the Ichabods their first lead since the very first bucket. The teams took turns scoring back-and-forth and Washburn tied things up at 17 and 20 and held a 24-23 lead after Aubrey Dewey's successful layup after a steal with 5:18 to go in the half. The Ichabod offense fell into a lull after that point, though, as the Jets went on an 11-2 run to finish off the quarter, capped off by a buzzer-beating layup, to head to the locker room in front, 34-26. Newman finished the frame 7-of-12 from the field (58.3 percent) and 3-of-7 from deep while the Ichabods made 5-of-12 from the floor and just one three-pointer.

Natalia Figueroa buried a three-pointer 15 seconds into the second half, but the Jets used a 7-0 to build a 41-29 lead with 6:55 on the clock. With 3:30 left to go in the third, Dewey made 1-of-2 at the free throw line to start a 9-0 rally to pull within three, 45-42, at the 1:50 mark. During that run, the Ichabod defense used full-court pressure to capture three steals. The three-ball started to fall again for Newman as the Jets made two from deep in the midst of closing out the period on a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 53-44.

The Ichabods made it a seven-point difference twice early in the fourth quarter when the Jets started to pull away with a 9-2 run and led by double-digits for the remainder of the game. Between both teams, there was a combined 25 free throws taken in the fourth quarter with Washburn making 7-of-8 and Newman going 13-of-17.

Washburn finished the evening shooting exactly 40 percent from the field and Newman shot at a 44.9 clip. The Jets went 9-for-24 from behind the three-point line while the Ichabods made 5-of-13. At the free throw line, the Jets converted on 21-of-27 attempts and the Ichabods were 17-of-27 on foul shots. The Ichabods outrebounded the Jets, 33-28.

Eight of the nine Ichabods who played in the game scored at least two points and the Washburn bench accounted for exactly half of the 62 points. Amaya Davison scored a career-high 15 points and made 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Dewey finished with 12 points, four steals, four rebounds, and three assists. Macy Doebele rounded-out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and made 6-of-8 at the free throw line to go with five rebounds.

Three Newman players also finished in double-figures. Britney Ho recorded 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and Maddie Spagnola also added 14 after making 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 991-481-1 (.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 go on the road next week beginning with Central Missouri on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 5:30 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.