TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball puts its three-game winning streak on the line Saturday as they head to St. Joseph, Mo. for a 1:30 contest against Missouri Western. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Finishing out its week on the road Washburn women's basketball will face Missouri Western State in St. Joseph. 
• The Ichabods will take on the Griffons at with tip-off set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday inside MWSU Fieldhouse. 
• Washburn is 11-8 on the year and 5-4 in the MIAA after beginning the road swing with a 71-60 win over Northwest Missouri on Wednesday evening. 
• 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.  
• Missouri Western fell to 11-6 on the year and 6-3 in the MIAA after losing a 68-62 overtime battle to Central Missouri at home on Wednesday. 

BODS AND BITS

• Washburn returns seven letterwinners from last season's roster while adding seven total new faces with five incoming freshmen and two junior transfers rounding out the 14-player roster.  
• The five freshmen are flanked by three 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 75.3 ppg on 45.5% shooting overall and 31.7% from behind the arc. 
• They are grabbing 38.3 rpg while giving out 14.3 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 8.2 spg and swat away 2.9 bpg. 
• Opponents average 65.5 ppg on 40.2% shooting and 29.7% from deep. 
• Washburn is 5-1 inside of Lee Arena while going 4-5 in road contests and 2-2 in neutral court games.  
• Washburn hit just one triple last time out against Northwest Missouri but it was enough to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 117 games. 
• Saturday's contest against Missouri Western will be the 106th all-time meeting between the two teams. 

BLUE REPORT

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team offensively scoring 17.8 ppg while also shooting a team-high 67.0% from the field. She grabs a team-best 7.5 rpg and swats away 1.1 bpg. The junior has started all 17 games she has played in logging 27.5 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0% in all but one game and has four double-doubles. The Olathe, Kan. native has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking 2nd in the MIAA in ppg , 8th in rpg and 9th in bpg. She has 15+ points in 12 games this year. She was named the MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week on Monday for the first time in her career. 
• Payton Sterk is second on the team scoring 14.9 ppg while starting all 19 contests and playing a team-high 30.1 mpg. She is shooting 43.8% from the floor and a team-high 40.4% from deep while dishing out 2.3 apg and grabbing 3.6 rpg. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 40 3-pointers. She has 15+ points in nine games this year. Sterk is 5th in the MIAA in total points, 3rd in 3-point percentage and ranks fifth in total 3-pointers. She is top-70 nationally in all three categories.
• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team in scoring at 11.5 ppg while shooting 41.9% from the floor. The junior has started all 19 games playing 27.6 mpg. She is adding 2.6 rpg with 2.4 apg while snagging 1.3 spg. She is second on the team with 29 made triples. The junior has scored in double figures in three straight games. Among MIAA players she is 11th in total 3-pointers.
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.7 ppg on 45.9% shooting while starting 17 of 18 games that she has appeared in, logging 24.27 mpg. She is grabbing 4.5 rpg while adding 2.4 apg. On the defensive end she is tied for a team-high with 1.3 spg.
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 7.3 ppg in 18.6 mpg off the bench while playing in 17 games. She is shooting 39.8% from the floor and 32.3% from deep while adding 2.9 rpg. Her six games with double figure scoring off the bench leads the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in all 19 games making 18 starts in her freshman season logging 20.7 mpg. She averages 5.1 ppg while adding 3.1 rpg and 1.1 spg. Her 2.8 apg are a team-high. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all 19 games and started two logging 15.7 mpg. She scoring 4.3 ppg on 42.9% shooting while giving out 1.3 apg and coming away with 0.9 spg.  
• Nia McKenzie has played in all 19 games while making one start averaging 14.6 mpg. She is grabbing 4.1 rpg and scoring 3.7 ppg.
• Rebecca Snyder has played in ten games with two starts logging 12.8 mpg and scoring 3.0 ppg with 2.7 rpg.  
• Emajin McCallop has played in 1 games scoring 1.1 ppg across 7.9 mpg.  
• Willow Gideon has played 8.4 mpg across eight appearances while scoring 3.6 ppg on 50.0% shooting. 
• Lauren Luebbert has logged 7.8 mpg of action in 13 appearances off the bench. 
• Cloie Jansky has played in four games scoring 2.5 ppg with 1.0 rpg in 6.0 mpg. 

STAT STACKING

• The Ichabods are shooting 45.5% from the floor as a team, third best in the conference and 17th in the nation. 
• Washburn is 24th nationally scoring 75.4 ppg, fourth highest mark in the conference. 
• With a scoring margin of +9.8 they have the fourth best mark in the conference and 52nd in the nation.
• The Ichabods are shooting 31.7% from beyond the arc, seventh best in the conference and 92nd nationally.
• In overall rebound margin Washburn ranks 44th nationally and fourth in the MIAA at +6.2.
• Giving out 14.3 apg the Ichabods are fifth in the conference and 79th nationally when it comes to sharing the rock. 
• Washburn attacks the basket and gets to the line averaging 21.53 free throw attempts per game, 2nd most in the MIAA and 26th nationally.

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 194 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 7th in program history. She needs 23 offensive boards to move up to 6th. In overall rebounds she is 15th in Washburn history with 519. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .585 is the best in program history. In scoring she ranks 38th with 807 career points. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 16th in program history with 94 career 3-pointers made. She needs 15 triples to move into the top-15. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 9th in single-season three-point percentage in program history shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc. 

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 35-41 record with Washburn and is 112-119 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 71, Northwest Missouri 60  (January 22, 2025)
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Washburn shot 84.6% and scored 25 points in the first quarter and held serve the rest of the way for a 71-60 road win over Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday night. The Ichabods continue their road swing on Saturday against Missouri Western at 1:30 p.m.  

After the first two points of the game went to the Bearcats (9-10, 2-7 MIAA) the Ichabod (11-8, 5-4 MIAA) offense began to churn, pushing the lead to double digits after a Yiibari Nwidadah that made it 17-6. They continued on what would end as a 10-0 run after Gabi Giovannetti got a layup to go to make the score 21-6 at the 2:36 mark in the quarter. Amaya Davison ended the opening frame with a driving basket to give Washburn a 25-10 advantage.  

Northwest Missouri was able to chip away at the lead through the free throw line to start the second quarter. They shot 6-7 from the line in the 10-minute period and brought the deficit back to single digits after a make at the line. The Ichabods continued shooting efficiently, going 6-13 in the quarter. On the other end the Bearcats were able to hang around because of extra opportunities, grabbing seven offensive boards in the first half. The lead got as low as six before Nia McKenzie made it 41-33 heading to the break with a last second basket.  

Both sides traded baskets to begin the third quarter. Washburn was able to boost its lead up to 13 at the 3:25 mark after layups from Nwidadah and Madelyn Amekporfor. The Ichabods again shot 50.0% in the quarter and after a 5-2 push by the Bearcats in the final two minutes led by 10 going into the fourth.  

It wasn't until the 7:24 mark in the third quarter that Washburn got its first 3-pointer of the game. It came off the hands of Brooke Gomez and pushed the lead back up to 10 after Northwest Missouri had chipped away. The Bearcats fought back once again, bringing the lead back down to six. In the fourth quarter it was the Ichabod defense that had the response, holding the home team scoreless over the final 2:49 of the game for a 71-60 double-digit road victory.  

Washburn shot 27-48 (56.3%) in the game, a high mark in any game under Lora Westling. They were just 1-7 from beyond the arc, a season low in makes and attempts but it didn't affect the final score. Northwest Missouri finished 22-57 (38.6%) and was 5-17 from three-point range.  

Rebounding went in the Ichabods favor by a small margin, 31-29, but points in the paint favored the visiting team 52-30. The Washburn bench added 14 points while the Bearcat reserves did not score a single point.  

Yiibari Nwidadah stayed consistent, scoring a game-high 25 points on 10-14 shooting and added a block. Gabi Giovannetti scored 14 on 3-4 shooting and went 8-9 from the line. Nia McKenzie chipped in four points and grabbed a team-high seven boards off the bench.  

Caely Kesten led Northwest Missouri with 23 points on 8-16 shooting. Emree Zars and Molly Hartnett each scored in double figures.  

ABOUT THE MISSOURI WESTERN STATE GRIFFONS

• Missouri Western is 11-6 on the year and 6-3 in the MIAA after falling in overtime, 68-62 to Central Missouri at home on Wednesday. 
• Last season the Griffons went 25-6 overall and won the MIAA Regular Season Championship going 19-3 in the conference. They advanced to the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament, losing 78-58 to No. 7 Minnesota State Mankato. 
• This season, Missouri Western is 4-1 inside of MWSU Fieldhouse, 5-4 in road games and 2-1 in neutral court contests. 
• The Griffons average 72.4 ppg on 42.0% shooting while allowing 67.6 ppg to opponents. They pull down 34.8 rpg while dishing out 15.8 apg.  
• They are third in nation and lead the MIAA in 3-point attempts and rank second nationally in makes. In 3-point percentage they rank second in the conference and 31st nationally at 34.4%.
• Alyssa Bonilla leads the team scoring 17.5 ppg on 40.1% shooting from the field. She has started all 17 games logging 32.0 mpg while also leading the team with 5.7 apg and 3.1 spg. She is 14th nationally and 3rd in the MIAA in apg, in steals per game she is 1st in the conference and 17th in the nation. 
• Marie Sepp is scoring 12.6 ppg on a team-high 53.1% shooting. She also gives out 3.3 apg with 3.8 rpg and makes 1.7 spg while playing and starting in all 17 games logging 30.2 mpg. She has the seventh best FG% in the MIAA. 
• Matilda Soderlund scores 9.8 ppg while playing in all 17 games and making five starts. She shoots 47.9% from the floor and a team-high 45.4% from deep with 44 made triples. She ranks second in the MIAA and 8th nationally in 3-point percentage and is 4th in the conference in triples made. 
• Kassandra Carson chips in 7.8 ppg while grabbing 4.9 rpg. She has come off the bench in all but three games games logging 19.6 mpg. 
• Laura Toffali scores 7.8 ppg while grabbing 3.2 rpg and making 1.8 spg. 

HEAD COACH ASHTON FELDHAUS

• Is in her first season leading the Griffon women's basketball program. 
• Spent  the past five seasons as the top assistant and associate head coach for Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 30 Under 30 Class.
• A native of Richmond, Kentucky, Feldhaus brings a strong playing resume at the NCAA Division I level at both Butler (Ind.) University and the University of Tennessee at Martin.

LAST TIME VERSUS MISSOURI WESTERN

Washburn 88, Missouri Western 73  (January 8, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn opened up the 2025 calendar year inside Lee Arena with a double-digit win over Missouri Western, snapping the Griffons' seven-game winning streak with an 88-73 victory. The Ichabods will remain at home as they take on Northwest Missouri at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  

Missouri Western (9-4, 4-1 MIAA) opened the game with a pair of triples that put them up 6-2 at the 7:50 mark of the first quarter. The Washburn (8-7, 2-3 MIAA) offense got going, with five straight points from Madelyn Amekporfor that put the Ichabods in front 11-8. It was a balanced offensive effort for Washburn as it built a nine-point lead with 1:23 left in the quarter after Aniah Wayne connected from deep off the bench. Amaya Davison got a layup to go just before the buzzer to make it 28-22 after one.  

After shooting 61.1% in the first quarter the Ichabods maintained their pace in the second, shooting 6-11 (54.6%). With a 5-0 run in the middle of the quarter Washburn pushed the lead to double figures at 42-32 after Yiibari Nwidadah got a jump hook to fall. For a second straight quarter Davison ended it at the buzzer, this time draining a 3-pointer to make it 47-34 heading into the locker rooms.  

The Ichabods held Missouri Western from scoring for the first 2:07 of the quarter. Once the Griffons got the lead back down to 12 a triple by Madelyn Amekporfor began a 6-0 burst to make the deficit a game-high 18-points. Once again, Washburn added to the lead just before the end of the quarter, this time with Payton Sterk working her way into the paint for a layup to make the score 64-49.  

The beginning of the fourth quarter started strong for the Ichabods again, with back-to-back layups for Nwidadah followed by a free throw by Davison to make it a 20-point game at the 7:40 mark. Missouri Western began fouling early and often in the quarter to attempt a comeback. Washburn did what it needed to do at the charity stripe, shooting 11-14 in the quarter to never allow the lead to get below 11 in the final quarter, holding on for a 88-73 victory.  

With the victory, the Ichabods move to over .500 for the first time all season as they shot 50.9% (28-55) from the field. They were efficient from all areas going 9-20 (45.0%) from deep and 23-28 (82.1%) at the line. On the other end the Griffons shot 44.1% (26-59) and drained 14 triples but attempted just 10 free throws, making seven.  

Rebounding went big in Washburn's favor, 40-22, leading to a 34-24 advantage in paint scoring. The Ichabods kept Missouri Western off the offensive glass with just three offensive rebounds but were held scoreless on second chance opportunities.  

Yiibari Nwidadah finished strong, scoring 17 of her 21 points in the second half while shooting 7-11 overall and grabbing a game-high 11 boards for a double-double. Payton Sterk scored 18 points with eight rebounds and Madelyn Amekporfor had 16 on 4-5 shooting overall and went 4-4 from three-point land. Amaya Davison and Aniah Wayne each had 10 points off the bench.  

Marie Sepp led Missouri Western with 21 points on 9-13 shooting while Alyssa Bonilla had 16 points to go along with nine rebounds.  

SERIES HISTORY WITH MISSOURI WESTERN

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 58-47. 
• The Ichabods have gone 24-29 against the Griffons in St. Joseph. 
• The series began on Jan. 17, 1976 with a 74-70 overtime win for Washburn in St. Joseph. 
• The Ichabods snapped a six-game losing skid to Missouri Western with an 88-73 win at home on Jan. 8 this year. Five players scored in double figures in the game led by Yiibari Nwidadah with 21 points and Payton Sterk with 18. 
• The Ichabods average 64.43 ppg against the Griffons all-time. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,006-502-1 (.667) all-time and are in the 56th year of the program's history. They became the 11th team to reach 1,000 wins on Dec. 16 after defeating Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras.  
• 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 comes back home to Lee Arena for a Thursday night contest against Fort Hays State at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 for FSL Night. 
• 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.