TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball returns back home Thursday to take on Lincoln in the final match between the teams as MIAA foes. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball returns for its final full week at home beginning Thursday against Lincoln University. 
• The Ichabods play on Thursday night for the final time in the regular season taking on the Blue Tigers at 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena on Feb. 22. 
• Washburn is coming off a 82-68 loss on the road to Central Oklahoma on Saturday, its seventh straight loss. 
• WU is now 11-13 overall on the year and has gone 6-12 in the MIAA.
• They have gone 7-3 at home, 3-9 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. 
• Lincoln is 6-18 overall to start the year and are 2-16 in the MIAA after losing 84-66 at home to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Feb. 17. 
• The Ichabods were picked to finish in eighth place in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll and were slotted at 10th in the media vote. They are currently in 10th place in the conference. 

BODS AND BITS

• As a team Washburn averages 69.1 ppg on 40.5% shooting from the floor and 31.4% from deep. 
• Opponents average 65.1 ppg on 38.7% shooting and 28.7% from behind the arc. 
• WU is shooting 70.8% from the line this year going 342-483 overall while opponents are 335-447, for a 74.9% clip. 
• The Ichabods are pulling down 39.7 rpg while holding opponents to just 35.7 rpg. 
• Washburn extended its three point streak to 93 games with six triples on Saturday afternoon.
• 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 454-127 all-time in Lee Arena. 

THE BLUE CREW

• Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabod scoring attack at 16.0 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the floor. Dewey dishes out a team-high 4.6 apg and pulls down 5.4 rpg from the point guard position, second most on the team. She leads the team playing 34.8 and snags 1.8 spg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team averaging 12.5 ppg and nearly averages a double double pulling down a team-high 9.6 rpg with 3.6 on the offensive end. She also leads WU in shooting at 56.8% from the floor and is doing so in just 24.5 mpg.  She has started 21 of 22 contests she has appeared in. 
• Aniah Wayne scores 8.6 ppg this season in 25.2 mpg with 21 starts. She also pulls down 2.9 rpg and is shooting 31.9% from the field and leads the Ichabods with 42 triples. 
• Mackenzie Gamble has made 18 starts and is averaging 22.0 mpg. She is scoring 6.1 ppg, dishing 1.3 apg with 2.8 rpg and is second on the team shooting 36.3% from three. 
• Amaya Davison is averaging 6.1 ppg playing every game with three starts shooting 34.8% from the floor with 2.4 rpg in 21.9 mpg.  
• Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 6.4 ppg in 16.9 mpg in 17 games with one start. She has averages of 40.0% from the floor and is shooting a team-high 43.1% from deep.
• Lakyn Schieferecke has started eight games for Washburn playing 18.6 mpg. She is averaging 3.9 ppg on 37.8% shooting and is pulling down 3.2 rpg .
• Madelyn Amekporfor has made 13 starts averaging 17.9 mpg and is scoring 4.9 ppg on 40.4% shooting with 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. 
• Liz Boyd is averaging 5.0 ppg in just 11.7 mpg while shooting 43.6% from the field. She's also pulling down 3.2 rpg off the bench.
• Nia McKenzie has made five starts and appeared in 22 games playing 8.9 mpg and scoring 2.1 ppg with 2.1 rpg. 
• Rebecca Snyder is scoring 1.0 ppg with 1.6 rpg playing 8.5 mpg with appearances in 19 games and six starts. 

STACKING THE STATS

• Washburn is 72nd nationally in bench points per game with an average of 22.2 ppg coming from the reserves. That number is sixth in the conference. 
• Washburn is crashing the glass and is 71st nationally in rebound advantage pulling down 4.0 more boards per game than opponents, fourth in the MIAA.
• The Ichabods are 54th in the nation committing only 14.3 turnovers per game, seventh least in the conference. 
• Washburn is fourth in the conference and 76th nationally in defending the three point line holding opponents to 28.7% shooting from behind the arc. 
• WU is second in the MIAA and 47th nationally shooting 20.12 free throws per game. They are 53rd in the nation knocking down 14.25 shots from the charity stripe per contest. 
• Aubree Dewey ranks 35th in the nation in assists per game with 4.6, that number is third among MIAA players. She is 35th nationally in total assists with 110. 
• She is also first in the conference averaging 34.8 mpg and sixth in scoring at 16.0 ppg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is first in the MIAA and 30th nationally averaging 9.6 rpg. She is tied for 24th nationally and third in the conference with 10 double doubles on the year. 
• Aniah Wayne is ninth in the conference in total 3-pointers made while Mackenzie Gamble is 13th in the MIAA. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Mackenzie Gamble is 2 points away from 500 in her Ichabod career. 
• With six assists last time out Aubree Dewey has exactly 300 career assists. She is currently tied for ninth in program history. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is 53 minutes away from reaching 1,000 in her career and is 54 points away from 500. 
• Gabi Giovannetti needs one more point to reach 300 at Washburn. 

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

Central Oklahoma 82, Washburn 68 (Feb. 17, 2024)
EDMOND, Okla. -- Washburn women's basketball could not overcome a 25-point third-quarter offensive explosion on Saturday afternoon losing 82-68 to Central Oklahoma. The Ichabods return to Topeka and take on Lincoln on Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.  

The first four points of the game belonged to Yiibari Nwidadah and came in the first 73 seconds. The Bronchos (6-18, 5-13 MIAA) responded with a 7-0 run in a high-powered first quarter for both teams. UCO led by as many as seven in the quarter before Washburn (11-13, 6-12 MIAA) scored the final four points, boosting its shooting percentage to 56.25% in the frame and cut the lead to just two.  

In the second quarter both teams went back and forth, with Central Oklahoma extending its lead up to seven points early and the Ichabods continuing to battle back. They went ahead with 1:24 left in the half after Nwidadah got another bucket to fall, but three free throws from the Bronchos gave them a 37-35 lead going into halftime after each team scored 15 points in the quarter.  

The home squad came out of halftime on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes of action. Washburn picked up its scoring, cutting the lead down to six after Gabi Giovannetti sunk a free throw at the 7:40 mark but UCO kept up its offensive attack. The Bronchos shot 8-13 in the quarter while going 3-4 from behind the arc and connecting on six free throws. Six turnovers in the quarter by the Ichabods helped push the Central Oklahoma lead to 16 at the end of the quarter.  

Early in the fourth the lead quickly grew to 20 on multiple occasions. Washburn worked to chip away at it, a 3-pointer from Giovannetti with 2:41 left was part of a 5-0 run for WU to cut the lead down to 11 but the Bronchos connected on free throws down the stretch winning 82-68.  

Washburn shot 28-61 (45.9%) in the game and made six three-pointers in 15 tries, but were just 6-14 from the free throw line. Central Oklahoma was 28-60 from the floor (46.7%) while going 8-19 from 3-point range and 18-22 from the line. Free throws and a 16 to eight turnover disadvantage were hurtful for the Ichabods in the loss.  

Gabi Giovannetti paced Washburn with a career-high 23 points on 8-13 shooting overall and 4-7 from deep. Yiibari Nwidadah pulled down a double double finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Aubree Dewey had 11 points to go with a team-high six assists.  

Four players from the Bronchos finished in double figure scoring led by Raegan Fox with 22 points on 7-10 shooting. Caley Young added 16 and three blocks.  

ABOUT THE LINCOLN BLUE TIGERS

• The Blue Tigers are 6-18 on the year and 2-16 in MIAA play after losing 84-66 to Nebraska-Kearney at home on Saturday, Feb. 17. They have lost their last nine games. 
• Lincoln went 7-21 overall in 2022-23 with an 5-17 mark in the MIAA and did not qualify for the MIAA Tournament. 
• On the year the Blue Tigers are averaging 62.7 points on 39.1% shooting overall and 26.9% from deep. 
• Opponents are averaging 73.4 points on 45.4% shooting and 36.6% from behind the arc. 
• LU is 1-10 in road contests away from Jason Gymnasium this season.
• Linoln has a deficit on the boards this season as they have been out-rebounded by 7.3 rpg. They also average 4.1 less assists per game than opponents. 
• Ashlyn Alloway leads the Blue Tigers scoring 14.6 ppg on 49.6% from the floor 33.3% from deep. She leads Linoln on the boards as well, pulling down 6.9 rpg in a team-high 32.4 mpg while also coming away with 1.4 spg and making 1.0 bpg. 
• Steph Torres is second on the squad putting in 11.4 ppg on 40.1% shooting. She is second on the team dishing out 2.3 apg while also making 1.0 spg. She leads LU with 38 made 3-pointers on the year.
• Saniya Simmons has started nine of 13 contests she has appeared in averaging 6.5 ppg while shooting a team-high 43.5% from behind the arc and passing out 2.5 apg, most on the team. 
• Imani Jones chips in 7.1 ppg on a team-high 50.0% shooting while pulling down 3.8 rpg in just 20.1 mpg. 
• Alloway is the only player to play and start all 24 games this season. 

HEAD COACH ANDREA MIZE 

• is in her 4th season as head coach of the Lincoln women's team 
• spent the previous two years as the head coach at Central Florida College, where she led the Patriots to 31 victories and a berth in the FCSAA State/NJCAA District tournament
• Prior to taking over at Central Florida College, Mize was an assistant coach at Martin Methodist College for three seasons, helping the RedHawks reach the NAIA national tournament each season
• Mize coached the Indiana Flight AAU team for four years and had her own basketball training company for three years
• Mize played three seasons at Indiana University and graduated in 2015 

SERIES WITH LINCOLN

• Thursday will be the 37th meeting all-time between the Washburn and Lincoln with the Ichabods leading the series 35-1.
• The series began Dec. 12, 1980 with a 68-62 win for Washburn in Fremont, Neb.  
• The Ichabods are 17-0 against Lincoln inside Lee Arena
• Earlier this season Lincoln won its first ever game over Washburn with a 77-64 win in Jefferson City on Jan. 13. 
• Aubree Dewey led all scorers with 28 points in the game for WU. 
• Prior to that contest the last seven victories had all been by double digits

LAST TIME VS LINCOLN

Lincoln 77, Washburn 64 (January 13, 2024)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Washburn scored the first two points of the game but did not lead the rest of the way, falling on the road to Lincoln, 77-64 The Ichabods head back to Topeka and take on Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17.  

After scoring the first basket of the game Washburn (10-5, 5-4 MIAA) fell behind 4-2. Scoring slowed down for both teams with Amaya Davison tying the game on pair of free throws with 5:18 left in the quarter. The Blue Tigers (6-8, 2-6 MIAA)scored the next six points as the Ichabods shot just 3-14 in the first quarter and trailed 14-10 after 10 minutes.  

With six straight points Lincoln was able to make the lead double digits after a made triple at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter. Washburn was able to score nine in a row in the final five minutes of the half, capped off by two free throws from Lakyn Schieferecke to make it 26-25. Three turnovers in the final two minutes by the Ichabods propelled the Blue Tigers to end the half on an 8-0 run.  

Washburn was able to bring the lead back down to six at the 8:06 mark of the third quarter after Madelyn Amekporfor connected on a corner 3-pointer. Lincoln shot 8-18 for 44.4% shooting in the quarter, keeping the Ichabods from getting closer than five. The Blue Tigers had another strong end to the quarter, scoring the final five points and pushing the lead back to 10.  

Lincoln scored the first six points in the fourth quarter but both offenses had no trouble scoring in the final 10 minutes. For Washburn, Aubree Dewey scored 21 of the Ichabods' 23 points in the final quarter on 7-8 shooting. Still, the lead did not get below 12 points in the final eight minutes with the Blue Tigers winning the turnover battle 4-0 in the quarter to get the 77-64 win.  

Washburn shot 38.6% from the floor and 15-19 from the line while Lincoln shot 47.1% overall and went only 7-10 from the charity stripe. The Ichabods had a 42-36 advantage on the boards but lost the turnover battle 21-12 leading to 31 points on the other end for the Blue Tigers.  

Dewey tied her career high of 28 points set the game before on 10-14 shooting along with seven rebounds. Yiibari Nwidadah had eight points and 12 rebounds while Aniah Wayne had eight points.  

Only two players scored in double figures for Lincoln with Imani Jones scoring 23 and grabbing 10 rebounds. Saniya Simmons added 13 points.  

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 993-491-1 (.669) 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 continue their final full week at home taking on Central Missouri at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. 
• 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.