TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn will go south for the first time in conference play this season beginning with the first ever meeting between the Ichabods and new MIAA foe Arkansas-Fort Smith at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn women's basketball returns to the road taking on Arkansas-Fort Smith for the first time. 
• The Ichabods will face the Tigers in Fort Smith, Ar. at the Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
• Washburn is 13-10 on the year and 7-6 in the MIAA after defeating Central Missouri 75-61 on Saturday. 
• 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.  
• Last time out Arkansas-Fort Smith lost its fourth straight game, 82-62 to No. 8 Fort Hays State in Hays, Kan. on Feb. 8.

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 73.6 ppg on 44.7% shooting overall and 32.3% from behind the arc. 
• They are grabbing 38.0 rpg while giving out 14.0 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 7.9 spg and swat away 3.1 bpg. 
• Opponents average 66.5 ppg on 40.4% shooting and 29.9% from deep. 
• Washburn is 7-2 inside of Lee Arena while going 4-6 in road contests and 2-2 in neutral court games.  
• Washburn connected on seven triples against Central Missouri to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 120 games. 
• Saturday's contest against Arkansas-Fort Smith will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. 

BLUE REPORT

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team offensively scoring 16.5 ppg while also shooting a team-high 65.7% from the field. She grabs a team-best 7.1 rpg and swats away 0.9 bpg. The junior has started all 21 games she has played in logging 26.9 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0% in all but three games and has four double-doubles. The Olathe, Kan. native has the second best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking 4th in the MIAA in ppg, 9th in rpg and 11th in bpg. She has 15+ points in 13 games this year. 
• Payton Sterk is second on the team scoring 16.2 ppg while starting all 23 contests and playing a team-high 30.7 mpg. She is shooting 43.8% from the floor and a team-high 39.5% from deep while dishing out 2.2 apg and grabbing 3.5 rpg. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 49 3-pointers. She has 15+ points in 12 games this year. Sterk is 3rd in the MIAA in total points, 3rd in 3-point percentage and ranks fifth in total 3-pointers. She is top-65 nationally in all three categories.
• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg while shooting 41.7% from the floor. The junior has started all 23 games playing 27.9 mpg. She is adding 2.9 rpg with 2.3 apg while snagging 1.2 spg. She is second on the team with 39 made triples. The junior has scored in double figures in seven straight games, a career-long streak. Among MIAA players she is 10th in total 3-pointers.
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.3 ppg on 45.3% shooting while starting 21 of 22 games that she has appeared in, logging 25.6 mpg. She is grabbing 5.0 rpg while adding 2.3 apg. On the defensive end she comes away with a team-high 1.3 spg. She has a block in five straight games. 
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 6.5 ppg in 17.8 mpg off the bench while playing in 21 games. She is shooting 38.7% from the floor while adding 2.8 rpg. Her six games with double figure scoring off the bench leads the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in all 23 games making 22 starts in her freshman season logging 20.4 mpg. She averages 4.7 ppg while adding 2.9 rpg and 1.1 spg. Her 2.9 apg are a team-high. She has a steal in eight straight games. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all 23 games and started two logging 16.1 mpg. She scoring 4.1 ppg on 41.9% shooting while giving out 1.3 apg and grabs 1.6 rpg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played in all 23 games while making one start averaging 15.5 mpg. She is grabbing 4.2 rpg and scoring 3.5 ppg on 44.8% shooting. 
• Rebecca Snyder has played in 13 games with two starts logging 10.8 mpg and scoring 2.4 ppg with 2.2 rpg.  
• Emajin McCallop has played in 18 games scoring 1.1 ppg across 7.9 mpg.  
• Willow Gideon has played 7.2 mpg across 10 appearances while scoring 2.8 ppg on 45.8% shooting. 
• Lauren Luebbert has logged 7.2 mpg of action in 15 appearances off the bench. 
• Cloie Jansky has played in five games scoring 2.0 ppg in 6.3 mpg. 

STAT STACKING

• The Ichabods are shooting 44.7% from the floor as a team, third best in the conference and 20th in the nation. 
• Washburn is 30th nationally scoring 73.6 ppg, fourth highest mark in the conference. 
• With a scoring margin of +7.1 they have the fourth best mark in the conference and 74th in the nation.
• In overall rebound margin Washburn ranks 45th nationally and fourth in the MIAA at +5.3.
• Giving out 14.0 apg the Ichabods are fifth in the conference and 84th nationally when it comes to sharing the rock. 
• With 38.04 rpg the Ichabods are sixth in the MIAA at cleaning the glass.
• Washburn attacks the basket and gets to the line averaging 21.87 free throw attempts per game, 2nd most in the MIAA and 21st in the nation.

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 203 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 7th in program history. She needs 14 offensive boards to move up to 6th. In overall rebounds she is 15th in Washburn history with 541. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .585 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 35th with 852 career points. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 16th in program history with 104 career 3-pointers made. She needs five triples to move into the top-15. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 14th in single-season three-point percentage in program history shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. 
• In single-season 3-pointers made she is 26th with 49 so far this season.

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 37-43 record with Washburn and is 114-121 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 75, Central Missouri 61  (February 8, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn outscored Central Missouri 47-22 over the middle two quarters on Saturday afternoon on its way to a 75-61 win over the Jennies. The Ichabods will hit the road next taking on Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m.  

Central Missouri (13-11, 5-8 MIAA) got out to a quick start with 3-pointers on each of the first two possessions to go in front 6-0 at the 6:14 mark. The Ichabods (13-10, 7-6 MIAA0 countered with a 9-2 run to go in front after Yiibari Nwidadah got a layup to go. The lead changed seven more times throughout the first quarter as the Jennies finished on a 5-0 run to lead 19-15.  

Both teams traded baskets to open the second quarter. A pair of free throws from Gabi Giovannetti at the 6:20 mark were the start of a 4-0 run to tie the game at 27. It was a 3-pointer by Giovannetti with 2:39 left to go before halftime that put Washburn in front 30-29. Payton Sterk followed with a triple of her own and that would be the score at halftime as UCM was held scoreless for the final 2:57.  

The opening five points of the third quarter all came from the Ichabods, pushing the lead to double figures after Madelyn Amekporfor connected on a triple. The Washburn offense continued to churn, shooting 10-15 (66.7%) in the quarter and making a trio of 3-pointers. A shot from deep by Sterk pushed the lead to 15 and it quickly grew to 20 at the 1:40 mark in the quarter on a pair of Aniah Wayne free throws. Amaya Davison ended the quarter with a running layup to beat the buzzer and give Washburn 29 points in the quarter and a 62-40 lead.  

The first 11 points of the final quarter all came from Sterk as she traded baskets with the Jennies to maintain the 20-point lead inside the final three minutes. Central Missouri closed on a 6-0 run as the Ichabods won 75-61.  

Washburn shot 26-57 (45.6%) in the game while going 7-16 (43.8%) from beyond the arc and 16-17 at the charity stripe to have an efficient game on every level. Defensively, they held the Jennies to 21-61 (34.4%) shooting and just four 3-pointers.  

Rebounding went in the Ichabods' favor, 40-34, as did assists 14-8. Washburn also had advantages in points in the paint, points off turnovers and fast break scoring.  

Payton Sterk was just two points shy of a second straight 30-point game, finishing with 28 on 10-20 shooting. Gabi Giovannetti did some of everything, scoring 18 on 6-12 shooting with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Yiibari Nwidadah and Madelyn Amekporfor each scored seven points.  

Taylor Weishaar had 15 points for Central Missouri to elad them. Reese Schaaf had 14 to go along with 12 rebounds.  

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH LIONS

• Arkansas-Fort Smith is 13-9 on the year and 7-6 inside the MIAA after losing 82-62 at Fort Hays State last time out. They have lost four straight games. 
• Last season the Lions went 11-18 overall and 9-13 inside the LSC. They fell in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament to Texas Woman's University. 
• This season, Arkansas-Fort Smith is 7-2 inside of the Gayle Kaundart Arena while going 4-6 in road contests and 2-1 in neutral court games.
• The Lions average 74.5 ppg on 40.3% shooting while allowing 73.1 ppg to opponents. They pull down 41.0 rpg while dishing out 12.8 apg.  
• They are first in the MIAA grabbing 12.7 offensive rebounds per game. The bench of UAFS scores 25.9 ppg, 2nd most in the conference. 
• Anna Trusty leads the team in scoring at 13.8 ppg on 42.9% shooting and 36.6% from deep. She also grabs a team-high 6.2 rpg across 31.0 mpg while playing in 20 games and starting 18. 
• Morgan Browning averages 13.4 ppg on 36.6% shooting across a team-high 31.9 mpg and starting all 22 games. She adds 2.8 rpg along with 2.2 apg. 
• Sinetra Jones scores 9.5 ppg in just 18.7 mpg while starting in 18 of 22 games. She grabs 6.0 rpg and shoots a team-high 56.4% from the field and 42.9% from deep. 
• Daijah Smith adds 8.2 ppg in 10 games off the bench logging 18.1 mpg. She shoots a team-high 47.8% from beyond the arc and grabs 3.2 rpg. 
• Zyniah Thomas chips in 8.7 ppg while dishing out a team-high 3.3 apg and making a team-high 1.8 spg. 

HEAD COACH RYAN MCADAMS

• Is in his 4th season as the head coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith where he has a 41-62 record. 
• Came to UAFS from New Mexico State, where he was an assistant women's basketball coach for four seasons.
• Prior to New Mexico State, McAdams served as the head women's basketball coach at Eastern Arizona College for seven seasons. There he accumulated an overall record of 137-82
• McAdams graduated from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism before also earning a Master of Science in Educational Administration and Leadership from there in 2006.

SERIES HISTORY WITH ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH

• Thursday will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,008-504-1 (.666) 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 finishes out the week on the road against Northeastern State on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
• 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.