TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn erupted for 98-points Saturday afternoon to down Sterling College 98-65 for a fourth straight victory. The Ichabods will begin MIAA play on Thursday, Dec. 5 on the road against Nebraska Kearney.
A quick start from the Warriors, playing the game as an exhibition, had them up 6-5 early on. A 3-pointer by Madelyn Amekporfor at the 7:02 mark sparked what would become an 11-2 run for Washburn (4-4) to go up 16-8. Both sides scored efficiently in the first quarter, trading baskets for the rest of the frame leaving the Ichabods in front 24-19 after 10 minutes.
Washburn kicked off the second quarter on a 9-0 run, going up by 14-points after Gabi Giovannetti got a layup to go. After shooting 50.0% in the first quarter the Ichabod offense continued to churn, shooting 52.6% in the second and connecting on four triples. Two of those connections from outside came on back-to-back possessions, first by Giovannetti then by Payton Sterk to go up 41-24 at the 4:29 mark. The lead grew to as many as 19 in the half and finished at 16 as the Ichabods led 50-34 at the break.
Yiibari Nwidadah scored a quick five points in the first two minutes out of the break to push the lead past 20 points. The efficient offense continued and Washburn would lead by 32-points after Sterk drained another triple with 1:03 left to play in the quarter. Giovannetti continued the outside attack, ending the quarter with a buzzer-beating triple to make it 82-51.
Sterling was unable to cut the lead below 25-points in the fourth quarter as all 12 Ichabods that were dressed touched the floor and entered the scoring column. Washburn ended the game with a 33-point win, 98-65, to get back to .500 on the season with a fourth straight victory by over 20 points.
The Ichabods shot 37-69 (53.6%) in the game and were 10-19 from beyond the arc. The Warriors were efficient overall, shooting 27-55 (49.1%), but were 0-6 from deep. Washburn had advantages on the boards, 37-25, and won the turnover battle 22-14.
The 22 turnovers from Sterling turned into 34 points for the Ichabods while the Warriors scored just six points on Washburn giveaways. Second chance points also went in Washburn's favor, 19-5.
Gabi Giovannetti led the way with 19 points on 8-12 shooting while adding three steals and a block on the defensive end. Payton Sterk scored 18 points, shooting 4-9 from deep, and Yiibari Nwidadah had 15 points on 6-8 shooting with eight rebounds. Madelyn Amekporfor and Brooke Gomez each chipped in nine points while tossing out seven assists.
Korynn Clason scored a game-high 25 points for Sterling on 11-17 shooting. Alissa Heskamp and Kayla Morris each finished with 10 points.
