TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball faces its first ranked opponent of the season at home on Saturday as they play host to No. 3 Fort Hays State for White Out with tip-off at 1 p.m.  
 

OPENING TIP

• A four-game homestand continues for Washburn as they play host to No. 3 Fort Hays State.  
• The Ichabods welcome the Tigers to Lee Arena at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 for White Out in Lee.  
• Washburn is coming off a 18-13 season in 2024-25, finishing 5th in the MIAA regular season with an 11-8 record in the conference play. They advanced to the MIAA Tournament Semifinals. 
• The Ichabods were picked to finish 2nd in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and were tabbed 3rd by the media.   
• Fort Hays State moved to 7-0 on the year after defeating Central Missouri 65-60 in overtime on the road last time out on Thursday.  

BODS AND BITS

• Washburn returns ten letterwinners from last season's roster while adding four total new faces in the form of three transfers and one true freshman.  
• The experienced Ichabod roster consists of four seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman.  
• As a team Washburn has shooting splits of 40.3% from the floor, 30.7% from deep and 63.3% at the free throw line to score 63.1 ppg. 
• They grab 37.4 rpg with 15.0 apg to 17.3 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 10.3 spg with 3.4 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 55.6 ppg while shooting 37.0% from the floor and 23.5% from behind the 3-point line.  
• Washburn is 3-0 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 2-1 in neutral court games and 0-1 in road contests.  
• Washburn made three triples in the second half against Nebraska Kearney to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 135 games.  

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Payton Sterk is leading the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg while starting every game and playing 29.6 mpg, most on the team. She is adding 1.9 spg and has made 16 3-pointers, both also leading the team. She has scored 14+ points in five games this season. The senior ranks 8th in the MIAA and 61st nationally in 3-pointers, 6th in the MIAA in three-point percentage and 10 in ppg. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team scoring 12.6 ppg in just 23.4 mpg on the season. She has started every game and leads the team grabbing 6.7 rpg while also shooting 55.9% from the floor. She swats away 1.1 bpg and has scored in double figures in five games. She is 1st in the MIAA and 35th nationally among qualified players in field goal percentage. She is 6th in the MIAA in bpg. 
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all seven games for Washburn scoring 11.7 ppg on 44.8% shooting in 27.0 mpg of action. She is shooting a team-high 44.5% from deep with 15 3-pointers, second most on the team. She also brings down 4.1 rpg and is making 1.7 spg on the defensive end. She is 2nd in the MIAA and 26th nationally in three-point percentage and 6th in the conference in triples per game. 
• Britany Kogbara has provided a spark off the bench as she sits fourth on the team scoring 8.4 ppg in just 14.9 mpg. She is shooting 60.0% from the floor, best on the team, while grabbing 3.6 rpg and making a 0.7 spg. Her three games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started every game playing 26.4 mpg and scoring 5.0 ppg while shooting 36.1% from the floor. She is adding 2.9 rpg along with swiping 1.4 spg and swatting away 1.0 bpg, second most on the team. She is 8th in the MIAA in bpg. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making five starts and is logging 18.9 mpg. She scores 2.6 ppg on 31.8% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 3.7 apg along with grabbing 3.0 rpg. She ranks 3rd in the MIAA in assists per game. 
• Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game playing 18.4 mpg. She is scoring 4.6 ppg on 35.1% shooting from the floor. The senior also chips in 2.0 rpg and 1.1 apg. 
• Kellyn Hunter has played in all seven games while making two starts for the Ichabods and logging 19.6 mpg. She is coming away with 1.6 spg, third most on the team, dishes 3.1 apg and grabs 2.9 rpg. She is 3rd in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio and 7th in assists per game in the conference.
• Nia McKenzie has played 11.0 mpg off the bench in every game. She is scoring 1.3 ppg on 44.0% shooting with 1.7 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in six games playing 5.3 mpg and scoring 0.7 ppg.
• Willow Gideon has played in three games logging 6.0 mpg. She is scoring 2.3 ppg.
• Lauren Luebbert has come off the bench in four games playing 6.8 mpg. She is scoring 0.8 ppg with 0.8 spg.  
• Cloie Jansky has appeared in three games off the bench logging 3.3 mpg and grabbing 1.3 rpg. 
• Kylin Shipman has appeared in four games for the Ichabods logging 3.5 mpg. 

STAT STACKING

• Washburn 36th in the nation at protecting the three-point line holding opponents to a 23.5% clip from beyond the arc, best in the MIAA. 
• Holding opponents to 55.6 ppg overall the Ichabods are 38th nationally and second in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• Dishing out 15.0 apg the Ichabods are 66th nationally and 3rd in the MIAA at sharing the ball. 
• Holding opponents to 37.0% shooting overall, Washburn is 85th in the nation and 7th in the MIAA. 
• Outscoring opponents by 7.6 ppg, the Ichabods are 88th in the nation and 5th in the MIAA.
• Washburn is making with 3.4 rejections per game, putting them 68th in the nation and 5th among MIAA opponents. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 245 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 4th in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 10th with 670 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .579 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 18th among all Ichabods with 1,080 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also tied for 12th in program history with 66 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 8th in program history with 127 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 19th among all Ichabods with 54 blocked shots. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits tied for 25th in program history with 78 3-pointers made in just 38 career games with Washburn. 
• With 51 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is 22nd in program history. 

HEAD COACH LORA WESTLING

• Lora Westling is in her fourth season as head coach at her alma mater entering the 2025-26 season. She has a 47-48 record with Washburn and is 124-126 mark  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 Katie Dalton and Robin Stahl along with student assistant Karly Neufeld complete out the coaching staff.
• Dalton enters her second year on the Washburn sideline in 2025-26. After moving to Topeka she reunited 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.
• Robin Stahl joins the Ichabod staff in 2025-26 after a one-year stop at Ottawa University where she was an assistant coach with the women's program. Before that she spent one season as a graduate assistant at Central Missouri. 
• Stahl is an Alliance, Ohio native who began her career at Malone University where spent four years with career averages of 13.5 ppg and 3.6 apg. She graduated from Malone in 2022. She played one season at Central Missouri before moving into a GA position. 
• Karly Neufeld is back for a second season as a student assistant in the 2025-26 season. 

LAST TIME OUT

Washburn 71, Nebraska Kearney 65  (December 4, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn opened conference play Thursday night inside Lee Arena with a fourth quarter comeback win to knock off Nebraska Kearney 71-65. The Ichabods return to action back at home on Saturday against No. 3 Fort Hays State for White Out with tip-off set for 1 p.m.  

The Ichabods (5-2, 1-0 MIAA) led off with the games first seven points, holding the Lopers (4-5, 0-1 MIAA) off the board until the 6:22 mark. A steal by Madelyn Amekporfor a score from Britany Kogbara made it 11-4 with 3:37 left in the opening quarter. Nebraska Kearney went on to finish on an 11-3 run including the final seven points to lead 15-14. 

Early in the second Amekporfor got a layup to go inside, putting Washburn back in front. The Lopers scored the next eight points as they held the Ichabods to 27.8% shooting from the floor in the quarter. They held a 33-26 lead heading to the locker rooms.  

The deficit for Washburn reached nine points midway through the third quarter. A bucket by Yiibari Nwidadah started a 7-0 run to pull within two. The Ichabods shot 9-16 in the quarter but Nebraska Kearney held off the offensive burst to lead 49-47 going into the fourth.  

Washburn finally broke through to tie the game at 53 on a Kogbara basket. Payton Sterk drove and got a layup to go and put the Ichabods in front 58-56 with 5:48 to go. The Lopers took the lead right back and went up by four. Washburn answered with six in a row, the final four from Gabi Giovannetti. An and-one layup by Nwidadah in the final minute put the Ichabods in front for good as they held on to win 71-65. 

Washburn shot 28-63 (44.4%) for the game while only going 3-14 (21.4%) from deep. The Lopers were held to 22-58 (37.9%) and hit six 3-pointers.  

The Ichabods held a 38-35 advantage on the boards and won the turnover battle 17-15. Points in the paint were dominated by the home squad 50-28.  

Four players scored in double figures led by 18 points from Gabi Giovannetti on 6-12 shooting along with four assists. Yiibari Nwidadah had 15 on 7-10 shooting with three blocks and seven rebounds. Payton Sterk added 14 and Madelyn Amekporfor chipped in 10.  

Myleigh Weers led Nebraska Kearney with 21 points, Jillian Aschoff had 11 with six assists. 

ABOUT THE FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS

• Fort Hays State enters the meeting 7-0 on the year and 1-0 inside the MIAA after defeating Central Missouri 65-60 in overtime on the road Thursday night. 
• The Tigers are 2-0 this season in road games, 5-0 in neutral court meetings and have yet to play a home game. 
• Last season Fort Hays State went 28-5 overall and 16-3 in the MIAA. They fell in the MIAA Tournament Championship and in the semifinal round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. 
• They are ranked No. 3 in the latest WBCA National Poll. 
• So far on the year the Tigers average 78.7 ppg with shooting splits of 47.8% from the floor, 36.7% from deep and 74.6% at the line. They also grab 40.7 rpg with 19.7 apg. Opponents are scoring 67.3 ppg on 37.4% shooting. 
• Fort Hays State ranks 4th in the nation and 1st in the MIAA in assists per game, they are 8th nationally in FG% and 19th in scoring offense. They are also top-2 in the MIAA in FG%, assist to turnover ratio and 3-point percentage. 
• Talexa Weeter leads the Tigers scoring 28.1 ppg on 49.3% shooting while playing 35.9 mpg and starting in every game. She also grabs a team-high 8.7 rpg and makes 1.4 apg. She leads the nation in ppg, is 8th in free throw attempts and is 47th in rpg. 
• Brooke Loewe is scoring 9.4 ppg on 48.1% shooting while starting all seven games. She leads the team and the nation with 9.9 apg while also grabbing 5.9 rpg and making 2.3 spg defensively. She is 3rd in the MIAA in spg and 2nd in assist to turnover ratio.
• Olivia Mortensen has started every game playing 29.7 mpg. She averages 11.7 ppg on 48.6% shooting. She comes down with 5.3 rpg and gives out 2.6 apg along with 1.7 spg. 
• Ellie Stearns is scoring 9.9 ppg on 34.9% shooting while starting all seven games. She is shooting 36.7% from deep with 18 made 3-pointers, a team-high. She also grabs 4.7 rpg and is making 1.4 spg. She is 1st in the MIAA in 3-pointers per game and 41st nationally.
• Avery Lowe rounds out the starting five chipping in 6.1 ppg on a team-high 55.9% shooting from the floore. She grabs 4.4 rpg in her 19.3 mpg. 

HEAD COACH TALIA KAHRS

• Is in her 3rd season at the helm of the Fort Hays State program where she has a 60-13 record. 
• She served as an assistant coach on the Tiger staff for 11 seasons before being promoted to the head spot. 
• Before being an assistant she was a three-year member of the Fort Hays State team as a player. She joined the Tigers from Hastings College. 
• She earned her bachelor's degree in Health and Human Performance with an emphasis in Teaching and Coaching from Fort Hays State in 2012 before completing a master of science degree at FHSU in 2015. 

LAST TIME VERSUS FORT HAYS STATE

Fort Hays State 85, Washburn 47 (January 30, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn could not overcome a slow offensive start Thursday evening as they fell 85-47 to No. 8 Fort Hays State in Lee Arena. The Ichabods are back in action next on Saturday hosting Nebraska Kearney at 1:10 p.m. in the MIAA Game of the Week on 38 the Spot in Kansas City.  

The Ichabods (11-10, 5-6 MIAA) got the first bucket of the game from Yiibari Nwidadah 28 seconds in. The next 10 points all went to the Tigers (17-2, 8-2 MIAA) as they held Washburn to 3-12 shooting in the first quarter. All seven points for the Ichabods in the first frame came from Nwidadah as they trailed 18-7 after 10 minutes.  

In the second quarter Washburn cut the lead back down to single digits, scoring the first three points of the quarter, making it 18-10 after Payton Sterk got a layup to go at the 8:25 mark. Fort Hays State scored the next four points to push it back into double digits as the visitors offense began to heat up shooting 8-14 (57.1%) in the quarter. The Ichabod offense wasn't able to keep pace in the final five minutes as the visitors went into the half leading 41-17.  

Once again Washburn got the first points of the quarter in the third as Gabi Giovannetti got a layup to go. The hot shooting for Fort Hays State continued with 10 field goals in the quarter pushing the lead up to 30 points at the 5:37 mark. The Ichabods trailed 64-30 heading into the fourth.  

The Ichabods traded baskets to begin the fourth quarter, getting the lead down to 30 after Nwidadah got a layup to go. The deficit was unable to be cut below that mark as both teams emptied the benches late with the Tigers winning 85-47.  

Washburn closed out the game shooting 32.7% and were just 2-9 from three-point range, with both makes coming in the fourth quarter. Fort Hays State shot 50.8% (33-65) and knocked down 8-19 triples.  

On the boards the Ichabods were outrebounded 40-29 while FHSU also won the turnover battle 19-9.  

Yiibari Nwidadah shot 5-9 to lead Washburn with 13 points and eight rebounds. Gabi Giovannetti and Payton Sterk each scored in double figures with 12 and 10 respectively.  

Four from the Tigers reached double figures led by Talexa Weeter with 19 points and six rebounds.  

SERIES WITH fort hays state

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 47-42 but Fort Hays State has won the last ten meetings. 
• The Ichabods are 22-18 all-time against the Tigers in Lee Arena. 
• The series began on Feb. 20, 1969 with a 34-21 win for FHSU in locations unknown. 
• Last season Fort Hays State won both meetings.
• Washburn averages 62.8 ppg all-time against the Tigers. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,018-509-1 (.667) all-time and are in the 57th 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 stays at home to host Central Missouri on Saturday, Dec. 13 with tip-off set for 1 p.m. 
• Senior night for the Ichabods will be in the regular season finale on Feb. 28 against Missouri Southern at 3 p.m.
• The MIAA Basketball Championship Tournament will be held in Kansas City, Mo. at the Municipal Auditorium from March 3-8.