TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn hits the road for the first time in 2024 on Wednesday and will face No. 17 Central Missouri at 5:30 p.m. in Warrensburg. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball heads on the road for the first time in 2024 against Central Missouri on Wednesday. 
• The Ichabods will face the Jennies at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10 in the UCM Multipurpose Building. 
• Washburn is coming off a 84-58 victory at home over Newman on Saturday for its third win in a row. 
• WU is now 10-3 overall on the year and has gone 5-2 in the MIAA. 
• They have gone 6-0 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. 
• No. 17/RV Central Missouri is 10-3 overall as well to start the year and are 4-3 in the MIAA after falling in overtime 79-74 to Nebraska-Kearney 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. 

BODS AND BITS

• As a team Washburn averages 75.9 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the floor and 37.5% from deep. 
• Opponents average 59.8 ppg on 35.8% shooting and 27.0% from behind the arc. 
• WU is shooting 69.7% from the line this year going 198-284 overall while opponents are 175-243, for a 72.0% clip. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 41.9 rpg while holding opponents to just 33.4 rpg. They also average 13.1 apg while opponents only average 9.4.
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 82 games with ten 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. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabod scoring attack at 14.1 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the floor. Dewey dishes out a team-high 5.8 apg and pulls down 5.8 rpg from the point guard position, second most on the team. She leads the team playing 32.5 and snags 1.8 spg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team averaging 13.7 ppg and nearly averages a double double pulling down a team-high 9.7 rpg with 3.7 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 58.0% from the floor and is doing so in just 24.2 mpg. 
• Aniah Wayne is averaging double figures, scoring 10.9 ppg this season in 27.0 mpg with 12 starts. She also pulls down 3.4 rpg and is shooting 37.6% from behind the arc, leading the Ichabods with 32 triples. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 8.7 ppg in 18.0 mpg off the bench in seven games. She has averages of 46.8% from the floor and is shooting a team-high 46.9% from behind the arc. Defensively she has come away with a team-high 0.9 bpg and snagged 0.7 spg. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made seven starts and is averaging 22.5 mpg. She is scoring 6.6 ppg, dishing 1.7 apg with 2.8 rpg. She is second on the team shooting 42.6% from deep and is 100% from the free throw line. 
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started seven games for Washburn playing 21.0 mpg. She is averaging 5.3 ppg on 43.4% shooting and is pulling down 4.0 rpg .
• Amaya Davison is averaging 7.0 ppg off the bench on the year shooting 43.5% from the floor. She is shooting 37.5% from three point range and plays 19.9 mpg. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made seven starts averaging 16.0 mpg and is scoring 5.4 ppg on 41.1% shooting with 0.7 steals per game. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 6.0 ppg in just 11.8 mpg while shooting 45.9% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.5 rpg off the bench.
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.2 ppg with 2.0 rpg playing 9.2 mpg with appearances in every game and five starts. 
• Nia McKenzie has made one start and appeared in twelve games playing 6.6 mpg and scoring 1.2 ppg.

STACKING THE STATS

• WU is 19th in the nation in scoring margin as they have outscored teams by an average of 16.1 points per game. 
• Washburn is 40th nationally in field goal percentage at 43.6. That number is good for fifth among MIAA teams. 
• On the defensive end the Ichabods are 30th 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 15th nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 8.5 more boards per game than opponents. 
• The Ichabods are 6th in the nation in efficiency from deep shooting 37.5% for the year, the best mark in the MIAA. 
• Washburn is second in the conference and 51st nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 27.0% shooting from behind the arc. 
• WU is first in the MIAA and 28th nationally shooting 21.85 free throws per game. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks 8th in the nation in assists per game with 5.8, that number is second among MIAA players. She is 9th nationally in total assists with 75. 
• She is also ninth in the conference in field goal percentage at 43.9%.
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 25th nationally averaging 9.7 rpg. She is also 18th in the nation in field goal percentage at 58.0% which puts her second in the conference. 
• Nwidadah is tied for 12th nationally with six double doubles on the season. 
• Aniah Wayne is second in the conference in total three pointers made and three's per game with 32 total makes and 2.46 per game. She is third among qualified players in percentage shooting at 37.6%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Aubree Dewey reached 700 career points against Newman and is now seven steals away from 100 as an Ichabod. 
• Mackenzie Gamble hit her 100th career triple against the Jets on Saturday and is just four assists away from 100 in her career. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah needs 29 more rebounds to reach 29 in his 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

Washburn 84, Newman 58 (Jan. 6, 2024)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn put up 53 points in the second half on 52.6% shooting on Saturday afternoon to fly past Newman 84-58 for a third straight win. The Ichabods head on the road and face Central Missouri at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 10.  

Washburn (10-3, 5-2 MIAA) was strong in the paint all 40 minutes, scoring 36 points inside the blue starting from the jump with Yiibari Nwidadah scoring the first four points of the game. The Jets (2-12, 1-7 MIAA) quickly tied the game back up and took a 10-7 lead midway through the quarter. Aniah Wayne drilled a 3-pointer with 4:47 left in the quarter to spark a 10-0 Ichabod run, helping put Washburn up 19-14 after a quarter.  

Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter with defenses tightening up. The Ichabods first field goal came with 6:33 left on a 3-pointer from Mackenzie Gamble. While Washburn had offensive trouble in the second quarter, shooting 17.7% in the frame, it did not impact the defense as they were able to hold Newman to just 4-13 shooting in the second period. The Jets were able to tie the game late in the quarter but never took the lead and Lakyn Schieferecke was able to give the Ichabods a 31-28 lead before the half, hitting a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left.  

The game quickly flipped for Washburn in the second half, shooting 12-20 overall (60%) in the third quarter. Back-to-back hits from Gamble behind the arc made it a 10-point game at the 8:03 mark. From 3:29 to 1:03 The Ichabods rattled off a 10-0 run with a pair of baskets by Nia McKenzie pushing the lead up to 21 near the end of the quarter.  

Washburn saved its best defense for last holding the Jets to 23.5% shooting throughout the fourth quarter. The frame began with seven straight points for the home team with Aubree Dewey delivering the final four. The lead reached a game-high 26 on a triple by Aniah Wayne with 6:25 left and that would be the deficit at the final horn with the Ichabods on top 84-58.  

For the game Washburn shot 44.4% from the field and 41.7% from deep with 10 makes from behind the arc. They held Newman to 33.3% shooting on the other end. The Ichabods secured double-digit advantages in rebounding, points in the paint, points off turnovers and in bench scoring.  

Yiibari Nwidadah led the balanced charge with 15 points on 6-12 shooting and eight rebounds. Aubree Dewey had 14 points, seven boards and three assists while Mackenzie Gamble had 12 points on 4-8 shooting. Liz Boyd added nine points and eight boards off the bench.  

Monica Redondo and Jaeden McMillin both scored 11 off the bench to lead Newman.  

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES

• The Jennies are 10-3 on the year and 4-3 in MIAA play after a 79-74 overtime loss to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. 
• They are ranked No. 17 in the latest WBCA poll and are receiving votes in the D2SIDA poll released on Tuesday.
• Central Missouri went 25-5 overall in 2022-23 with an 19-3 mark in the MIAA. They advanced to the Championship of the MIAA Tournament and the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 
• On the year the Jennies are averaging 75.0 points on 44.1% shooting overall and 30.6% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 63.3 points on 40.7% shooting and 29.7% from behind the arc. 
• UCM is 2-2 inside the UCM Multipurpose Building this season.
• Newman has advantages in rebounding and in assists this season, pulling down 4.1 more rpg and dishing out 3.8 more apg than opponents.
• Brooke Littrell leads the MIAA in scoring at 19.4 ppg on 46.4% while also hitting 11 3-pointers. She is second in the conference grabbing 9.2 rpg while also dishing out 2.5 assists and making 1.5 spg in 29.9 mpg. 
• Olivia Nelson is second on the squad averaging 16.4 ppg on 44.7% from the floor and a team-high 44.2% from deep with 23 makes on the year. She leads the team with 4.4 assists and in steals with 2.4 per game in a team-high 33.6 mpg. 
• Ashley Tull averages 9.4 ppg on a team-high 58.3% shooting along with 5.9 rpg and a team best 1.3 bpg in just 16.4 mpg off the bench. 
• Graycen Holden chips in 8.9 ppg while shooting 53.1% and pulls down 5.1 rpg. 
• Central Missouri has used the same starting lineup in all 13 games with Lauren Frost and Allie Clevenger filling in the spots around Littrell, Nelson and Holden. 

HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER

• is in his 20th season at the helm of the Jennies basketball program.
• has led the Jennies to 12 NCAA postseason berths and a National Championship in 2017-18 with the Jennies best record in team history. 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.
• Slifer is the second winningest active head coach in Division II and ranks in the top-10 among all three divisions with his 784 career victories.
• Prior to UCM, Slifer was Missouri Western's mentor, where he posted a record of 206-69. The winningest coach in Missouri Western women's basketball history
• Before his stint at Missouri Western, Slifer served six seasons at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  He won at least 28 games all six seasons
• Slifer received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Mount Mercy in 1982, and a master's degree in business administration from Eastern Illinois in 1985.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI

• Wednesday will be the 71st meeting all-time between the Ichabods and the Jennies with Washburn leading the series 43-27.
• The series began Jan. 17, 1990 with a 75-66 win for Washburn in Topeka.  
• The Ichabods are 18-15 against Central Missouri in Warrensburg
• Last season the Jennies swept the season series last season with a 67-53 win in Topeka and a 78-54 victory at home. 
• Prior to last season Washburn had won the previous three matchups. 

LAST TIME VS CENTRAL MISSOURI

CENTRAL MISSOURI 75, WASHBURN 54 (February 18, 2023)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – A trio of Ichabods scored double-figure points on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as No. 12-ranked Central Missouri posted 78-54 win on its home court. The Ichabods will play the final two games of the regular season next week, first hosting Missouri Southern on Thursday for senior night.

Washburn (11-15, 7-13 MIAA) leveled the score early at 2 and 4 when Central Missouri used a 13-2 run to create some space. At the end of the first quarter, the Jennies held a 22-10 advantage.

Central Missouri's (21-3, 17-3 MIAA) offense continued to click in the second quarter and led by as many as 22 points in the frame. The Ichabods closed out the first half on a 6-2 run to trim the deficit to 42-24 at the break.

The Jennies held a double-figure lead throughout the second half. Washburn finished out the game on a 5-0 run in the last 2:16 of the contest with points by Gabi Artis and Jaden Newfarmer.

Central Missouri finished the afternoon with a 50.9 field goal percentage and Washburn shot at a 44.9 clip. From three-point range, UCM made 7-of-18 and WU hit 3-of-11. The Jennies made 13-of-15 from the free throw line and the Ichabods were 7-of-10. Central Missouri had the edge in rebounds, 31-25.

Artis led the Ichabods in scoring, making 6-of-9 from the field and tallying 14 points. She also led the team in rebounds with seven. Aubree Dewey and Macy Doebele contributed 10 points apiece.

Brooke Littrell led all scorers with 25 points as she made 10-of-14 from the floor and hit all three of her three-point attempts.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 992-481-1 (.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 the week in Missouri taking on Lincoln University on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1 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.