TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn Ichabod women's basketball stays on the road to wrap up the first week of conference play against No. 7 Fort Hays State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.  

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball returns to the state of Kansas to face No. 7 Fort Hays State on Saturday.  
• The Ichabods will take on the Tigers on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2:00 p.m. inside of Gross Memorial Coliseum.  
• Washburn is 4-5 on the year after falling 66-61 to Nebraska Kearney on the road in the first game of conference play, snapping a four-game winning streak.  
• 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.   
• Fort Hays State is undefeated on the year and 1-0 in conference play after knocking off Central Missouri 77-44 on Thursday evening.  

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 74.8 ppg on 45.0% shooting overall and 32.0% from behind the arc. 
• They are grabbing 36.6 rpg while giving out 14.7 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 8.4 spg and swat away 2.9 bpg. 
• Opponents average 67.3 ppg on 43.1% shooting and 28.2% from deep. 
• Washburn is 2-0 inside of Lee Arena while going 2-3 in road contests and 0-2 in neutral court games.  
• Washburn hit eight triples against Nebraska Kearney to extend its streak of games with a made triple to 107 games. 
• Saturday's meeting with Fort Hays State will be the 88th meeting all-time between the two programs.  

BLUE REPORT

• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team offensively scoring 17.3 ppg while also shooting a team-high 70.2% from the field. She grabs a team-best 7.8 rpg and swats away 1.4 bpg while snagging 1.3 spg. The junior has started all eight games she has played in logging 28.1 mpg. She has shot over 50.0% in every game this season and has two double-doubles. 
• Payton Sterk is leading the team in scoring at 18.0 ppg while starting all nine contests and playing a team-high 31.3 mpg. She is shooting 43.5% from the floor and a team-high 43.9% from deep while dishing out 2.9 apg, also the most on the squad. She also has a team-high 25 3-pointers and has made 20 in the last five games. Last time out she scored a Washburn career-high 31 points, most of any player in a single game under Lora Westling.  
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 12.4 ppg while shooting 44.7% from the floor and 100.0% at the free throw line. The junior has started all nine games playing 27.9 mpg. She is adding 2.7 rpg with 2.3 apg and 1.1 spg. She is second on the team with 17 made triples and has scored at least double figures in two of the last three games.  
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.1 ppg on 44.0% shooting while starting in all eight games she has appeared in and logging 23.6 mpg. She is grabbing 3.5 rpg while adding 2.6 apg. On the defensive end she comes away with 1.1 spg. She has a steal in six and multiple assists in six straight appearances.  
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 7.3 ppg in 19.4 mpg off the bench while playing 19.4 mpg. She adds 3.0 rpg and 1.1 spg. Her three games with double figure scoring off the bench lead the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in all nine games making seven eight in her freshman season logging 20.6 mpg. She averages 4.4 ppg while adding 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg and 0.8 spg. Last time out she grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all nine games and started two logging 15.8 mpg. She scoring 3.9 ppg on 40.7% shooting while giving out 1.3 apg and coming away with 1.3 spg.  
• Rebecca Snyder has played in all nine games with one start logging 12.4 mpg and scoring 3.1 ppg with 2.8 rpg.  
• Nia McKenzie has played in all nine games averaging 10.8 mpg off the bench while grabbing 2.9 rpg and scoring 2.1 ppg. She has at least five rebounds in four of the last five games. 
• Emajin McCallop has played in seven games scoring 1.4 ppg across 10.0 mpg.  
• Willow Gideon has played 6.0 mpg across five appearances while scoring 1.4 ppg.  
• Lauren Luebbert and Liz Boyd are each playing less than 6.0 mpg off the bench and average 0.9 ppg.  

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 175 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 9th in program history. She is 11 boards away from moving up to No. 8. In overall rebounds she ranks 27th in Washburn history with 453. 
• Her career rebounding average of 7.6 rpg is sixth highest in program history. With an average of 2.9 orpg she has the second highest offensive average of any Ichabod. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 20th in program history with 82 career 3-pointers made. She will move up to 19th 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 28-38 record with Washburn and is 105-116 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

Nebraska Kearney 66, Washburn 61 (December 5, 2024)
KEARNEY, Neb. -- Washburn women's basketball came up short in its conference opener Thursday evening, falling 66-61 on the road to Nebraska Kearney. The Ichabods finish out the weekend roadtrip with No. 7 Fort Hays State on Saturday.   

The Lopers (7-2, 1-0 MIAA) scored the first five points of the contest as Washburn (4-5, 0-1 MIAA) was held scoreless until Rebecca Snyder got free for a layup at the 7:10 mark. A pair of triples, first from Aniah Wayne then Payton Sterk, put the Ichabods in front 10-7 with 4:03 to play in the quarter. In the final minutes Nebraska Kearney finished on a 10-2 run to lead 17-12 after one.   

The first four points of the second quarter came from Washburn to pull within one. They were able to tie the game up at 19 after Snyder connected on a triple. The Ichabods briefly went up in the final minute before half as Sterk scored two of her 15 first half points on a jumper. A late bucket from the Lopers tied it up at 31 going into the break.   

After Washburn scored the first two points out of the break the next nine went to Nebraska Kearney. The lead reached as high as nine points as the Lopers shot 8-15 (53.3%) in the quarter. Sterk had the final seven points of the quarter for the Ichabods as they trailed 51-43 with 10 minutes to go.   

Washburn was scoreless for the first two minutes of the first quarter but quickly went on a 10-2 run and tied the game at 53 after Sterk knocked down a triple with 5:48 to play. Brooke Gomez connected on a pair of free throws to tie it back up under the five-minute mark but the next five points went to the Lopers. Defense created opportunities, as UNK shot just 3-13 (23.1%) in the quarter, and Sterk drained two more 3-pointers in the final three minutes to pull within two each time. Nebraska Kearney was able to respond each time, as they held onto the lead shooting 8-12 at the line in the quarter to win 66-61.   

Washburn shot 23-62 (37.1%) for the game and made eight triples in 24 attempts. On the other end the Lopers shot 23-60 (38.3%) and were just 7-27 from deep. The Ichabods lost the rebounding battle 44-35 as Nebraska Kearney created extra opportunities. Turnovers went in Washburn's favor, 17-16.   

The Lopers kept the Ichabods from getting any second chance points while scoring eight themselves. The bench for UNK added 28 points while Washburn got six from reserves.   

Payton Sterk came away with a Washburn career-high of 31 points on 11-21 shooting and 5-8 from deep. She added three assists, accounting for more than half of the Ichabod points. Rebecca Snyder had nine points and three steals while Brooke Gomez had six and grabbed eight rebounds.   

Jillian Aschoff led a balanced attack for Nebraska Kearney with four players in double figure scoring. She had 13 to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists.   

ABOUT THE FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS 

• Fort Hays State remains perfect on the year at 8-0 and 1-0 inside the MIAA after knocking off Central Missouri 74-44 on Dec. 5.  
• They are ranked No. 7 in the latest WBCA poll.  
• Last season the Tigers went 25-8 overall and 16-6 inside the MIAA. They fell in the MIAA Championship game and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Semifinals before losing 78-66 to Minnesota State.  
• This season, Fort Hays State is 4-0 playing inside the Gross Memorial Coliseum, and 2-0 in both road and neutral court games.  
• The Tigers average 75.4 ppg on 45.4% shooting while allowing 51.6 ppg to opponents. They pull down 45.5 rpg while dishing out 18.1 apg.  
• They rank first in the MIAA in scoring defense, rebounding, field goal percentage defense, assists per game and assist to turnover ratio. They rank in the top-25 nationally in each category.  
• Olivia Hollenbeck leads the offensive attack with 17.1 ppg on 67.1% shooting in just 23.1 mgp. She has started all eight games and is grabbing 6.4 rpg while making 3.1 spg and 1.5 bpg. She is second in the MIAA and third in the nation in field goal percentage and ranks 14th nationally in steals per game, leading the conference.  
• Katie DeGarmo is second on the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg on 45.2% shooting. She grabs a team-high 7.1 rpg while dishing out 2.8 apg and making 1.5 spg. She has started all eight games and plays 27.5 mpg. 
• Talexa Weeter is scoring 13.5 ppg while playing just 18.9 mpg off the bench. She is shooting 52.0% overall and 47.4% from deep while also grabbing 5.9 rpg.  
• Brooke Loewe leads the passing attack for the Tigers with 6.3 apg. She also chips in 7.4 ppg while playing and starting all eight games and logging a team-high 29.4 mpg.  
• Kate Dilsaver adds 8.0 ppg on 41.5% shooting and 40.0% from deep. She has started all eight games playing 27.1 mpg and makes 1.6 spg.  

HEAD COACH TALIA KAHRS 

• Is in her second season as the Fort Hays State head coach where she has a 33-8 record.  
• She served as the team's primary assistant for the previous 11 seasons.  
• Was a three-year member of the Tigers as a student-athlete after beginning her career at Hastings College.  
• Earned a bachelor's degree in Health and Human Performance with an emphasis in Teaching and Coaching from Fort Hays State University in 2012 before completing a master of science degree in Health and Human Performance at FHSU in 2015.  

LAST TIME VERSUS FORT HAYS STATE

Fort Hays State 70, Washburn 45 (January 25, 2024)
HAYS, Kan. -- Washburn trailed by just two at halftime but could not keep up offensively in the second half against No. 19 Fort Hays State falling 70-45. The Ichabods take on Nebraska-Kearney at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 in Kearney.   

The Tigers (15-3, 9-3 MIAA) jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 2:30 of the game before Yiibari Nwidadah got Washburn (11-7, 6-6 MIAA) on the board with 6:45 to play in the first half. Fort Hays State forced the Ichabods into five turnovers in the quarter leading to seven points in the quarter and a 20-5 lead at the 2:06 mark in the quarter. Washburn was able to finish the half on a 7-0 run to pull within single digits.   

Both offenses got off to slow starts in the second quarter with the Ichabods outscoring the Tigers 6-2 in the first five minutes. The run continued with Aubree Dewey scoring seven straight points for Washburn to tie the game with 17 seconds left in the quarter. Fort Hays State was able to score in the final seconds to take a 30-28 lead into halftime.   

Dewey got to the rim for a layup at the 8:03 mark in the third quarter after FHSU came out of halftime on a 7-0 run but it would be the last field goal of the quarter for the Ichabods. Fort Hays shot 8-17 in the quarter and turned Washburn over six times to lead 52-31 going into the fourth.   

Neither team scored for the first two minutes of the fourth quarter with Washburn getting its first basket from Amaya Davison with 5:30 left. The Tigers shot 7-12 in the quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 28 points before winning 70-45.   

For the game the Ichabods shot 17-51 while going just 2-18 from behind the arc while Fort Hays State shot 25-63 (39.7%) and were 14-16 from the free throw line. Washburn turned the ball over 20 times leading to 19 points for FHSU while the Ichabods scored just seven off 11 giveaways by the Tigers.   

Aubree Dewey led all players with 20 points on 8-20 shooting along with three steals. Aniah Wayne and Amaya Davison each scored seven points.   

Fort Hays State had three double digit scorers led by Katie Wagner with a 16 point and 11 rebound double-double. Emma Ruddle had 13 and Olivia Hollenbeck added 12.   

• SERIES WITH FORT HAYS STATE
• Washburn leads the all-time series with Fort Hays State 47-40.  
• They are 22-21 against the Tigers in Hays.  
• The series began on Feb. 20, 1969 with a 34-21 win for FHSU in an unknown location.  
• Fort Hays State has won the last eight meetings in the series including a 70-45 win last season in the only meeting.  

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 999-499-1 (.667) 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

• Washburn will be off for over a week and head to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico where they face the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 16. to start the week. 
• The home finale for the Ichabods will come on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1p.m. against Rogers State.  
• The MIAA Basketball Championship Tournament will be held in Kansas City, Mo. at the Municipal Auditorium from March 5-9.