TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn will finish out its week on the road on Saturday as they take on Northeastern State for the first time this season at 1:30 p.m. inside the NSU Event Center. 
 

OPENING TIP

• Wrapping up the trip down south, Washburn faces Northeastern State for the first time this season. 
• The Ichabods will face the RiverHawks in Tahlequah, Okla. at the NSU Event Center on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m. 
• Washburn is 13-11 on the year and 7-7 in the MIAA after falling 83-81 to Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday. 
• 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 Northeastern State lost its third straight game, 70-59 to Central Missouri to fall to 10-13 overall and 6-8 in the MIAA. 

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 73.9 ppg on 44.8% shooting overall and 32.8% from behind the arc. 
• They are grabbing 38.1 rpg while giving out 13.9 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 7.8 spg and swat away 3.1 bpg. 
• Opponents average 67.2 ppg on 40.7% shooting and 30.2% from deep. 
• Washburn is 7-2 inside of Lee Arena while going 4-7 in road contests and 2-2 in neutral court games.  
• Washburn made 10 3-pointers against Arkansas-Fort Smith to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 121 games. 
• Saturday's contest against Northeastern State will be the 24th meeting between the two teams. 

BLUE REPORT

• Payton Sterk leads the team offensively scoring 16.9 ppg while starting all 24 contests and playing a team-high 31.0 mpg. She is shooting 43.5% from the floor and a team-high 40.6% from deep while dishing out 2.3 apg and grabbing 3.6 rpg. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 56 3-pointers. She has 15+ points in 13 games this year. Sterk is 2nd in the MIAA in total points, 2nd in 3-point percentage and ranks fourth in total 3-pointers. She is top-40 nationally in all three categories.She has scored at least 28 points in each of the last three game.s 
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team offensively scoring 16.7 ppg while also shooting a team-high 65.7% from the field. She grabs a team-best 7.4 rpg and swats away 0.9 bpg. The junior has started all 22 games she has played in logging 27.3 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0% in all but three games and has five double-doubles. The Olathe, Kan. native has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking 5th in the MIAA in ppg, 8th in rpg and 11th in bpg. She has 15+ points in 14 games this year. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg while shooting 41.2% from the floor. The junior has started all 24 games playing 27.6 mpg. She is adding 2.9 rpg with 2.3 apg while snagging 1.2 spg. She is second on the team with 41 made triples. The junior has made multiple 3-pointers in five straight games. Among MIAA players she is 8th in total 3-pointers.
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.1 ppg on 45.0% shooting while starting 22 of 23 games that she has appeared in, logging 25.9 mpg. She is grabbing 5.1 rpg while adding 2.2 apg. On the defensive end she comes away with a team-high 1.3 spg. She has a block in six straight games. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in all 24 games making 23 starts in her freshman season logging 20.6 mpg. She averages 4.6 ppg while adding 2.8 rpg and 1.1 spg. Her 3.0 apg are a team-high. She has a steal in nine straight games. 
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 6.5 ppg in 18.0 mpg off the bench while playing in 22 games. She is shooting 38.5% from the floor while adding 2.9 rpg. Her six games with double figure scoring off the bench leads the team. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all 24 games and started two logging 16.0 mpg. She scoring 4.1 ppg on 43.4% shooting while giving out 1.3 apg and grabs 1.6 rpg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played in all 24 games while making one start averaging 15.4 mpg. She is grabbing 4.0 rpg and scoring 3.4 ppg on 44.1% 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 44.8% from the floor as a team, third best in the conference and 20th in the nation. 
• Washburn is 29th nationally scoring 73.9 ppg, fourth highest mark in the conference. 
• With a scoring margin of +6.7 they have the fourth best mark in the conference and 77th in the nation.
• In overall rebound margin Washburn ranks 46th nationally and fourth in the MIAA at +5.5.
• Giving out 19.9 apg the Ichabods are fifth in the conference and 84th nationally when it comes to sharing the rock. 
• With 38.08 rpg the Ichabods are sixth in the MIAA at cleaning the glass.
• Washburn attacks the basket and gets to the line averaging 21.83 free throw attempts per game, 2nd most in the MIAA and 22nd in the nation.

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 209 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 7th in program history. She needs 8 offensive boards to move up to 6th. In overall rebounds she is 15th in Washburn history with 553. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .586 is the best in program history. In scoring she ranks 34th with 872 career points. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 16th in program history with 106 career 3-pointers made. She needs three triples to move into the top-15. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 9th in single-season three-point percentage in program history shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc. 
• In single-season 3-pointers made she is 16th with 56 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 37-44 record with Washburn and is 114-122 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

Arkansas-Fort Smith 83, Washburn 81  (February 13, 2025)
FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Washburn went down to the wire in its first ever meeting with Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday evening but fell just short, losing 83-81 in a high-scoring affair. The Ichabods will round out the road swing on Saturday against Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. 

The opening minutes of the contest went back-and-forth with Yiibari Nwidadah tying the game up at seven for Washburn (13-11, 7-7 MIAA) with a layup at the 6:27 mark. Over the next 1:36 the Lions (14-8, 8-5 MIAA) scored eight points in a row to force a timeout. The Ichabods responded with a run of their own, tying the game at 19 after Payton Sterk nailed a triple. She had eight points in the opening quarter as Arkansas-Fort Smith led 21-20 after one.  

After both teams shot over 50.0% in the first quarter the home squad kept pace, scoring the first eight points in the second to lead 29-20 at the 7:42 mark. The margin grew to double digits in the ensuing minutes. Washburn began to make up ground starting with a three-point play from Amaya Davison. The score was knotted up at 40 after a 5-0 run for the Ichabods ended with a triple from Sterk. The Lions responded with one of their own to lead by three heading into the half.  

Out of the break Arkansas-Fort Smith connected on three 3-pointers in the first four minutes as they built the lead up to 12 points. The deficit grew to as many as 13 before a 7-0 run for the Ichabods ending with a bucket inside by Nwidadah at the 3:03 mark. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way with the Lions leading 67-60 with 10 to play.  

Sterk began the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and the points kept coming for Washburn, 10 of them in a row, going from seven down to three up after a three-point play by Sterk with 7:35 to play. With the score knotted at 72, Arkansas Fort-Smith connected on a triple, adding two more shortly after to go up by five at the 2:25 mark. The Ichabods hung around and in the final minute cut the deficit to one after an offensive rebound and layup by Nwidadah with 16 seconds remaining. One free throw went down on the other end for the Lions and that was all they needed as Washburn came up empty on the next possession, falling 83-81.  

The Ichabods were efficient, shooting 27-59 (45.8%) from the field and 10-23 (43.5%) from deep. They were also 17-21 at the line. Arkansas-Fort Smith was as well, shooting at a 47.5% clip with nine made triples.  

Rebounding went in Washburn's favor 39-30, but they fell short in the turnover battle with 16 giveaways to 11 for the home team. Twenty points came off those turnovers while the Ichabods converted the Lion giveaways into 11.  

Payton Sterk led all players with a season-high 33 points on 9-22 shooting and 7-14 from deep, adding six rebounds and five assists. Yiibari Nwidadah pulled down a double-double with 20 points on 9-14 shooting and 12 boards.  

Anna Trusty led a balanced attack for Arkansas-Fort Smith with 25 points on 10-14 shooting and 5-6 from deep. Five players scored in double figures for the Lions.  

ABOUT THE NORTHEASTERN STATE RIVERHAWKS

• Northeastern State is 10-13 on the year and 6-8 inside the MIAA after losing 70-59 to Central Missouri at home on Thursday, Feb. 13. They have lost three straight games. 
• Last season the RiverHawks went 14-15 overall and 10-12 inside the MIAA. They fell in the first round of the MIAA Championship Tournament to Emporia State. 
• This season, Northeastern State is 7-4 inside of the NSU Event Center while going 2-7 in road contests and 1-2 in neutral court games.
• The RiverHawks average 66.7 ppg on 38.4% shooting while allowing 68.8 ppg to opponents. They pull down 36.8 rpg while dishing out 12.2 apg.  
• They are first in the MIAA at generating free throw attempts with 24.83 and also first with 16.78 makes per game, both top-10 in the nation. They ranked 3rd in the conference in bench scoring at 25.3 ppg. 
• Alex Hill leads the team in scoring at 14.0 ppg on 37.7% shooting. She grabs 3.6 rebounds while also making a team-high 1.6 spg. She has played in 22 games, starting every one logging 26.5 ppg. With 157 free throw attempts she is first in the MIAA and sixth in the nation.
• Courtney Lee is second on the team scoring 11.4 on 42.0% shooting. She grabs a team-high 5.7 rpg with 1.2 spg in 25.3 mpg across 23 starts. 
• Deyanna Douglas scores 10.7 ppg on 46.6% shooting overall and a team-high 45.5% from beyond the arc. She also adds 4.5 rpg. 
• Anniston Brown chips in 6.6 ppg while playing in all 23 games and making eight starts. She has a team-high 35 made triples on the year.
• Snowda Watie dishes out a team-high 2.0 apg while adding 3.1 ppg and 3.0 rpg. 

HEAD COACH KEITH FERGUSON

• Is in his second season at the helm of the Northeastern State women's basketball program. 
• Came to Tahlequah from Bethany College in Kansas where he spent the previous seven seasons. 
• Before returning to Bethany, Ferguson spent four seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant women's basketball coach splitting his time between Fresno State University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. 
• Ferguson graduated from Bethany College with a bachelor's in business management in 2011.

LAST TIME VERSUS NORTHEASTERN STATE

Northeastern State 66, Washburn 62  (February 3, 2024)
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Washburn led for the first three quarters but were tripped up in the fourth quarter by Northeastern State, losing 66-62 on Saturday afternoon. The Ichabods return to Topeka and host Missouri Western on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m.  

A steal from Aubree Dewey set up Madelyn Amekporfor for a fast-break and-one layup putting Washburn up 7-1 at the 6:07 mark in the first quarter. Dewey scored herself late in the quarter, sinking a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to end the first 10 minutes up 17-10.  

The first seven points of the second quarter all went to Washburn with Liz Boyd finishing off the run with a layup at the 8:48 mark of the second quarter. The RiverHawks (11-10, 7-8 MIAA) responded with seven straight points of their own. Gavi Giovannetti knocked down back-to-back triples to go back up by 13. Over the final 36 seconds Northeastern State was able to go on a 5-0 run to make it 34-27 at halftime.  

The Ichabods pushed the lead back into double figures after halftime on a Boyd bucket down low at the 6:21 mark of the third. Amekporfor got a layup to go with 3:12 to go that make the lead a game-high 14 but once again the RiverHawks had a strong finish to the quarter with a jumper in the final seconds to make it 49-43 going to the fourth.  

Northeastern State cut the lead all the way down to just one point in the first 75 seconds of the fourth quarter. Amaya Davison put an end to the run with a 3-pointer which kept Washburn in front until the RiverHawks knocked down a jumper to go up 56-55 with 4 minutes remaining.  

Washburn took a one-point lead on a three-pointer from Mackenzie Gamble with 2:04 left but the next four points came from the home team to go up by three. Dewey knocked down a jumper with 20 seconds left to cut the lead to just one, and following one missed free throw Dewey converted a layup with eight seconds left to tie the game at 62.  

Northeastern State knocked down a jumper with four seconds left to go ahead and the ensuing offensive possession for the Ichabods came up empty. NESU knocked down two more free throws to win 66-62.  

Washburn shot 23-65 (35.4%) for the game and were 7-22 from beyond the arc. Northeastern State was 22-55 (40.0%) from the field and went 17-25 at the line, attempting 13 more free throws than the Ichabods. The RiverHawks won the turnover battle 14 to 7 leading to 12 points.  

The rebounding battle went Washburn's way 45-34, led by Aubree Dewey securing a career-high 10 boards along with 11 points for a double double. Nia McKenzie and Liz Boyd each led in scoring with career-high's of 12. The pair of freshmen also pulled down eight rebounds each.  

Tor'e Alford led the RiverHawks in scoring with 17 points, Grace Abercrombie added 15 off the bench on 7-12 shooting.  

SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE

• Washburn leads the all-time series against Northeastern State 15-8. 
• They are 6-5 against the RiverHawks in Tahlequah. 
• The series began on March 13, 2010 with a 56-51 win for Northeastern State in Canyon, Texas in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. 
• Both teams split the season series a year ago, with each team winning at home. 
• The Ichabods average 63.04 ppg all-time against the RiverHawks. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,008-505-1 (.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 returns to Topeka for its finale homestand beginning Thursday, Feb. 20 against Central Oklahoma at 5:30 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.