SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Washburn closed out the month of November with a double-digit victory in the final game of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic, knocking off Texas A&M – Kingsville 62-48. The Ichabods begin conference play next week hosting Nebraska Kearney at 5:30 p.m. inside Lee Arena on Thursday, Dec. 4.  

For a second straight game Washburn (4-2) got out to a quick start, leading 9-5 with 4:08 left in the first after Aniah Wayne came off the bench to knock down a 3-pointer. The Javelinas (0-4) went on a 10-2 run from that point to go in front and lead 15-13 after one.  

Payton Sterk put the Ichabods back in front hitting a triple to begin the second quarter. It was the start of a 15-2 run that took up much of the second quarter. The final 11 points of the run came from Gabi Giovannetti, her second connection from deep put Washburn up 28-17. Texas A&M – Kingsville scored the final five points of the quarter to go into halftime with a 28-22 score.  

The Ichabods established the paint early in the third quarter with back-to-back buckets by Yiibari Nwidadah that started an 8-0 beginning to the half. Sterk moved the offense to the outside, knocking down 3-pointers on three straight possessions to balloon the lead to 17 with 4:32 left in the quarter. A 5-0 run to end the quarter for a Washburn offense that shot 8-16 in the frame put them in front 52-31 with 10 to play.  

Midway through the fourth another 3-pointer by Sterk made it a 25-point game with the Ichabods in front 61-36. The Javelinas picked up the pace in the final five minutes but never got closer than the 14-point final score deficit with Washburn winning 62-48. 

Offensively, the Ichabods shot 40.4% from the field but were 11-20 (55.0%) from behind the arc, both season-high marks. On the defensive side, Washburn held TAMUK to 15-39 shooting overall with just a 3-13 effort from deep. It was a fourth straight game holding opponents to under 50 points in regulation.  

The Ichabods had a 33-27 advantage on the glass and led 21-10 in assists. The Javelina bench out-scored Washburn's 27-11 while the Ichabods led 13-4 in fast break scoring.  

Gabi Giovannetti was consistent throughout, scoring a game-high 20 on 7-14 shooting with four 3-pointers. Payton Sterk heated up in the second half for 18 points on 6-11 shooting and 6-9 from downtown with two steals. Yiibari Nwidadah had 11 to go along with six rebounds. Brooke Gomez tied a career-high with seven assists and added two steals.  

Justine Aguilar led Texas A&M – Kingsville with eight points while 11 Javelinas scored.