TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball will face off with Truman State on Friday at 11 a.m. in Kirksville to wrap up it's beginning of season road trip. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball will finish out its beginning of season road swing at Truman State. 
• The Ichabods will take on the Bulldogs at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 inside Pershing Arena in Kirksville, Mo. 
• Washburn is 0-4 on the year after getting its first win with an 80-58 road victory over William Jewell on Tuesday. 
• They are coming off a 13-16 season in 2023-24, finishing 10th in the MIAA with an 8-14 record in the conference and advancing to the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
• The Ichabods were picked to finish 9th in the MIAA Preseason Media Poll and were tabbed 10th by the coaches.  
• Truman State will enter the morning matchup squared away at 2-2 on the year after falling 70-64 on the road to Winona State on Nov. 16 last time out.

BODS AND BITS

• Washburn returns eight letterwinners from last season's roster while adding seven total new faces with five incoming freshmen and two junior transfers rounding out the 15-player roster. 
• The five freshmen are flanked by four sophomores and a junior class that is six players deep. It is the first roster without a senior going back to the 1980's. 
• The Ichabods are scoring 70.6 ppg on 42.0% shooting overall and 27.4% from behind the arc.
• Opponents average 72.2 ppg on 44.1% shooting and 31.4% from deep.
• They are grabbing 35.0 rpg while giving out 13.4 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 8.4 spg and swat away 4.6 bpg.
• Washburn is 1-2 in road contests and 0-2 in neutral court games while having not played a home game yet. 
• Washburn hit eight triples against William Jewell to extend its streak of games with a made triple to 103 games.
• The matchup with former MIAA foe Truman State will be the 53rd in the series history. 

BLUE REPORT

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team offensively with 17.2 ppg while also shooting a team-high 67.9% from the field. She grabs a team-best 6.4 rpg and swats away 2.0 bpg while snagging 1.0 spg. The junior has started all five games playing 29.4 mpg. She currently leads all MIAA players in field goal percentage and bpg, while ranking second in ppg. Nationally, she is 10th in field goal percentage, 24th in bpg and 81st in ppg. She has shot over 50.0% in every game this season.
• Payton Sterk is second on the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg while starting all five contests and playing a team-high 30.8 mpg. She is shooting 41.9% from the floor and a team-high 34.6% from deep while dishing out 3.4 apg, most on the squad. She is 7th in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in apg. She has scored at least eight points in every game this season.
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 12.6 ppg while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 100.0% at the free throw line. The junior has started all five games playing 28.6 mpg. She is adding 2.4 rpg with 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg and 1.0 bpg. She leads the team with 10 made 3-pointers including seven in the last three games. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 8.0 ppg on 46.7% shooting while starting in all five games and playing 26.2 mpg. She is grabbing 4.2 rpg with 1.8 apg and on the defensive end making 1.2 spg and 0.8 bpg. She grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against William Jewell and has made a steal in each of the last three games. 
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 7.4 ppg while shooting 31.3% from the floor and 28.6% from deep off the bench. She is logging 19.2 mpg while playing in all five games and pulling down 3.2 rpg and making 1.2 spg.
• Brooke Gomez has played in all five games making four starts in her freshman season logging 20.6 mpg. She averages 4.4 ppg while adding 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.0 spg. 
• Rebecca Snyder has came off the bench in all five games playing 10.6 mpg and is scoring 1.8 ppg with 3.2 rpg. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all five games and started one logging 14.2 mpg. She is giving out 1.2 apg and coming away with 1.2 spg while scoring 2.8 ppg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played in all five games averaging 8.6 mpg off the bench while grabbing 2.0 rpg.
• Emajin McCallop has played in three games scoring 1.7 ppg across 8.0 mpg. 
• Liz Boyd, Lauren Luebbert and Willow Gideon have each played of the bench without scoring this season. 

STAT STACKING

• Washburn is protecting the paint ranking 31st in the nation averaging 4.6 bpg. The mark is good for third among MIAA teams. 
• With a 42.0% field goal percentage the offense is the fifth most efficient from the floor in the MIAA. 
• The Ichabods are crashing the offensive glass ranking fourth in the MIAA with 13.2 extra opportunities per game, 99th best in the nation.
• Washburn averages 8.4 spg, sixth most in the MIAA. 
• Defensively, the Ichabods are creating havoc as they are seventh among conference teams forcing 17.0 turnovers per game. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 163 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 11th in program history. She is five rebounds away from moving up to No. 10. In overall rebounds she ranks 34th in Washburn history with 423. 
• Her career rebounding average of 7.4 rpg is seventh highest in program history. With an average of 2.9 orpg she has the third highest offensive average of any Ichabod. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is tied for 27th in program history with 75 career 3-pointers made. She will move up to 26th with two more triples. 

HEAD COACH LORA WESTLING

• Lora Westling is in her third season as head coach at her alma mater entering the 2024-25 season. She has a 25-37 record with Washburn and is 102-115 at the DII level. 
• Westling comes back to Topeka 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 becoming a head coach Westling had stints as an assistant at Missouri-St. Louis from 2007-10 and Truman State from 2010-13.
• 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 also played one season of soccer for the Lady Blues.

WASHBURN ASSISTANT COACHES

• Assistant coaches Matt Barreiro and Katie Dalton along with student assistant Karly Neufeld round out the coaching staff.
• Barriero enters his second year on the staff. He is a 2005 graduate of Arizona Christian and got his masters from Walden University in 2012. 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 as the head coach at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. for two years.
• Dalton joins the staff for the 2024-25 season. She reunites with Westling who she played for at Western Colorado from 2017-22 and was a two-time All-RMAC selection. She graduated from Western Colorado in 2022. 
• She is originally from Magnolia, Texas and has spent time as a head rehabilitation technician and a physical therapy technician.
• Karly Neufeld joins the coaching staff after spending the 2023-24 season on the Ichabod roster.  

LAST TIME OUT

Washburn 80, William Jewell 58 (November 19, 2024)
LIBERTY, Mo. -- Washburn women's basketball rolled to its first win of the season Tuesday night as they downed William Jewell 80-58. The Ichabods will play one more road contest against Truman State at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 in Kirksville, Mo.  

Through the first three minutes of the game it was all Washburn (1-4) as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead starting with a triple by Gabi Giovannetti to open the game. The Cardinals (1-2) nudged their way back to tie the game at seven before back-to-back triples, first by Giovannetti then by Payton Sterk, started a 10-2 run putting the Ichabods up 17-9 at the 2:07 mark. William Jewell finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to make it just a two-point game.  

Both sides got off to a slow start in the second quarter with just one basket for either team in the first two and a half minutes. A layup by Giovannetti and an and-one by Madelyn Amekporfor ignited what would become a 24-point quarter for Washburn. The lead grew to double digits as Sterk connected on a triple with 4:18 to play in the half. On the defensive end, the Ichabods held William Jewell to 2-13 (15.4%) shooting. Giovannetti ended the half with a buzzer-beating triple of cap off a 7-0 run and make it 41-23 at the break.  

After the Cardinals scored the first bucket out of halftime the next nine points went to Washburn as Sterk connected on two triples and Giovannetti dialed up another one from long range, putting the visitors up by a game-high 25. After a pair of free throws by Sterk to end the quarter the Ichabods still led by 21 after a run by Jewell.  

Washburn's offense went cold to start the first quarter as the Cardinals had the first eight points over the first three minutes. A jumper by Yiibari Nwidadah ended the run at the 6:39 mark. William Jewell never got closer than 13 the rest of the way and the Ichabods were able to push the lead back up over 20 as Amaya Davison wrapped up the game with four free throws to make it 80-58.  

It was the most efficient offensive game of the season for Washburn shooting 26-55 (47.3%) overall while nailing eight triples and creating 30 free throw opportunities while converting on 20. Defensively, they held the Cardinals to 20-55 (36.4%) shooting and just 9-14 at the line.  

A 40-31 rebounding advantage helped give the Ichabods an edge, along with outscoring William Jewell 30-20 in the paint and holding the Cardinals to just five second chance points.  

Payton Sterk led the way with a Washburn career-high of 25 points on 8-14 shooting and 4-8 from deep. She added a team-high four assists. Gabi Giovannetti also made four triples, going 4-7 from beyond the arc and 7-11 overall for 18 points. Madelyn Amekporfor had seven points and 10 rebounds while Yiibari Nwidadah scored nine with three blocks.  

Kristen Hauck had 20 points on 7-8 shooting and 5-6 from deep to lead William Jewell. Kate Hillyer added 17 points.  

ABOUT THE TRUMAN STATE BULLDOGS

• Truman State is 2-2 on the year after falling 70-64 to Winona State on the road on Nov. 16.
• The Bulldogs went 7-21 overall and 4-18 inside the GLVC last year, missing out on the conference tournament. 
• Truman State is 1-2 in road games and 1-0 in neutral court contests. Friday will be the home-opener inside Pershing Arena. 
• The Bulldogs average 69.0 ppg on 42.5% shooting while allowing 64.8 ppg to opponents. They pull down 30.5 rpg while dishing out 12.8 apg. 
• They are one of the top teams at protecting the ball as they average just 13.3 tpg, 26th most in the nation. With a 33.7 percentage from deep they have the 59th best mark in the nation. In overall field goal percentage they are 81st nationally.
• Molly Joyce leads the team at 21.3 ppg on 45.0% shooting overall and 38.5% from deep. She has started all four games playing 29.8 mpg and grabbing 4.3 rpg with 2.0 spg. Her scoring average is tops in the GLVC and 14th in the nation. She is 44th in the nation with 21 made free throws. 
• Maddie Niemeier is second on the team scoring 12.3 ppg on a team-high 55.0% from the field. She is grabbing 4.5 rpg, most on the team, in 27.3 mpg while starting in all four games. Her field goal percentage is fifth in the GLVC and 66th in the nation.
• Jordan Cunningham is scoring 11.0 ppg on 43.2% overall while shooting 42.9% from deep. She is dishing out a team-high 3.0 apg while making 1.8 spg and 1.0 bpg on the defensive end. The senior is playing a team-high 34.5 mpg. 
• Bryan Duwe is scoring 11.8 ppg while shooting 43.6% from the floor and a team-high 44.4% from beyond the arc. She adds 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.3 spg in 32.0 mpg. 
• Lexie White is chipping in 4.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg while playing 22.3 mpg and starting in all four games. 

HEAD COACH THEO DEAN

• Is in his 6th season as the head coach of the Truman State women's basketball program. 
• Has been a part of the program in some capacity for over ten years. He was a student manager and graduate assistant from 2010-14; Dean then returned to Kirksville to become the full-time assistant and recruiting coordinator from June 2016-August 2019.
• After graduating from Truman, Dean assisted the Lansing (Kansas) High School Boys Basketball program from 2014-16.
• A Chicago, IL native, Theo Dean came to Truman in 2008 as a freshman and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications degree from Truman State University in 2012 and his Master of Arts degree in Leadership, with a concentration in Coaching and Sport Management, from Truman in 2014. 

LAST TIME versus TRUMAN STATE

Washburn  68, Truman State 67 (November 25, 2017)
TOPEKA, Kan. --- Taylor Blue's last second heroics lifted the Washburn Ichabods to victory Saturday afternoon as the women's basketball team topped Truman State, 68-67, in the Parrish Hotels Thanksgiving Classic overcoming a late double-digit deficit for the second game in as many nights.

Trailing 62-49 with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter, Washburn (6-0) used a 12-0 run slicing the Truman State (3-2) margin to one. Alexis McAfee sparked the stretch for the Ichabods knocking down a three-pointer before Reagan Phelan followed suit as both contributed five points each during the run while Blue added two.

A Bulldog attempt from deep with 2:28 remaining nudged Truman State to 65-61. Phelan immediately responded for Washburn as her drive down the lane was good giving her 22 points. With just 0:25 left on the clock, Blue gave the Ichabods a narrow 66-65 advantage, however it was short-lived as TSU answered with a layup with 16 seconds to go.

Following an Ichabod timeout, a Truman State foul late allowed Washburn to check in the ball from the baseline. With 0:02 left, Blue tossed the ball to Axelle Bernard where she handed back allowing Blue to drain the long jumper from just inside the arc for the game winner.

The Ichabods started the afternoon flat as Truman State opened the contest with a 9-0 run before eventually found their rhythm with a 10-4 stretch during the latter stage of the first period and early into the second.

With the Bulldogs leading 27-15 at the 5:55 mark in the second, Washburn rallied back by scoring 13 unanswered taking its first lead of the game, 28-27, with 2:38 left in the first half, before leading at the break 35-33.

Possession see-sawed throughout the third as the teams played through five ties and two lead changes while Truman State's 5-0 run before the end of the quarter provided the largest margin of the period. The Bulldogs outscored Washburn during the third, 17-10, despite the Ichabods tallying a four steal during the stanza.

The Washburn offense was led by Phelan who's 22-point performance was a game-high. McAfee followed with 17 points while Blue and Bernard finished with eight each. Bernard also finished with a game-high as she pulled down 15 rebounds.

Collectively, the Ichabods out-shot Truman State from the line, .833-.692, and edging out the Bulldogs from the field, .442-.420, while each shot .368 from three-point distance.

Washburn returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Wichita to take on Newman. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 pm.

SERIES WITH TRUMAN STATE

• Washburn leads the all-time series with Truman State 43-9. 
• They are 16-7 against the Bulldogs in Kirksville.
• The series began on Nov. 20, 1979 with a 62-53 win for Truman State in Topeka. 
• The last game in the series between the two teams came on Nov. 25, 2017 and was a 68-67 win for the Ichabods in Lee Arena. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 996-498-1 (.666) all-time and are in the 56th 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 will play inside Lee Arena for the first time at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25 against Lincoln University. 
• MIAA play begins on the road against Nebraska Kearney on Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. 
• The MIAA Basketball Championship Tournament will be held in Kansas City, Mo. at the Municipal Auditorium from March 5-9.