TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball wraps up the regular season on the road this Saturday facing Missouri Southern inside the Leggett & Platt Center at 3:30 p.m. 

OPENING TIP

• The regular season comes to a close for Washburn women's basketball as they face Missouri Southern. 
• The Ichabods will face the Lions on Saturday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. inside the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. 
• Washburn is 16-12 on the year and 10-8 in the MIAA after defeating falling 85-62 to No. 10 Pittsburg State on the road Wednesday. 
• 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. They are ranked No. 6 in the latest KPI standings which are used for seeding in the MIAA Tournament.
• Missouri Southern improved to 18-12 overall and 10-8 inside the MIAA with a 78-59 home win over Centarl Missouri on Thursday evening. 

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 72.8 ppg on 44.8% shooting overall and 32.2% from behind the arc. 
• They are grabbing 37.8 rpg while giving out 13.3 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 7.5 spg and swat away 3.1 bpg. 
• Opponents average 66.5 ppg on 40.6% shooting and 30.6% from deep. 
• Washburn went 9-2 inside of Lee Arena and has gone 5-8 in road contests and 2-2 in neutral court games.  
• Washburn made four triples against Pittsburg State to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 125 games. 
• Saturday's contest against Missouri Southern will be the 91st meeting between the two teams. 

BLUE REPORT

• Payton Sterk leads the Ichabods scoring at 16.8 ppg while starting all 28 contests and playing a team-high 31.4 mpg. She is shooting 43.4% from the floor and a team-high 39.7% from deep while dishing out 2.3 apg and grabbing 3.4 rpg. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 62 3-pointers. She has 15+ points in 15 games this year. Sterk is 1st in the MIAA in FT%, 2nd in in total points and three-point percentage and 4th in total 3-pointers. She is top-50 nationally in all four categories including 17th in 3-point percentage.
• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team offensively scoring 16.5 ppg while shooting a team-high 65.5% from the field. She grabs a team-best 7.7 rpg and swats away 1.0 bpg. The junior has started all 26 games she has played in logging 28.0 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0% in all but three games and has six double-doubles. The Olathe, Kan. native has the 3rd best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking 6th in the MIAA in ppg, 5th in rpg and 9th in bpg. She has 15+ points in 15 games this year. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 ppg while shooting 39.9% from the floor. The junior has started all 28 games playing 27.7 mpg. She is adding 3.1 rpg with 2.3 apg while snagging 1.0 spg. She is second on the team with 44 made triples. Among MIAA players she is 8th in total 3-pointers and 14th in triples per game. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.2 ppg on 44.9% shooting while starting 26 of 27 games that she has appeared in, logging 26.1 mpg. She is grabbing 5.1 rpg while adding 2.0 apg. On the defensive end she comes away with a team-high 1.2 spg and 0.9 bpg. 
• Brooke Gomez has played in all 28 games making 27 starts in her freshman season logging 20.8 mpg. She averages 4.7 ppg while adding 3.1 rpg and 1.1 spg. Her 2.8 apg are a team-high. 
• Aniah Wayne is scoring 6.0 ppg in 17.9 mpg off the bench while playing in 26 games. She is shooting 35.1% from the floor while adding 2.8 rpg. Her six games with double figure scoring off the bench leads the team. 
• Amaya Davison has played in all 28 games and started two logging 15.3 mpg. She scoring 3.8 ppg on 43.4% shooting while giving out 1.2 apg and grabbing 1.5 rpg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played in 25 games while making one start averaging 15.0 mpg. She is grabbing 3.8 rpg and scoring 3.5 ppg on 46.0% shooting. 
• Rebecca Snyder has played in 17 games with two starts logging 11.1 mpg and scoring 2.1 ppg with 2.1 rpg.  
• Emajin McCallop has played in 22 games scoring 1.1 ppg across 8.4 mpg.  
• Willow Gideon has played 6.5 mpg across 15 appearances while scoring 2.7 ppg on 46.4% shooting. 
• Lauren Luebbert has logged 7.1 mpg of action in 16 appearances off the bench. 
• Cloie Jansky has played in six games scoring 2.0 ppg in 4.8 mpg. 

STAT STACKING

• The Ichabods are shooting 44.8% from the floor as a team, third best in the conference and 19th in the nation. 
• Washburn is 35th nationally scoring 72.8 ppg, fifth highest mark in the conference. 
• With a scoring margin of +6.3 they have the fourth best mark in the conference and 80th in the nation.
• In overall rebound margin Washburn ranks 51st nationally and fourth in the MIAA at +5.1.
• Giving out 13.3 apg the Ichabods are fifth in the conference and 106th nationally when it comes to sharing the rock. 
• With 37.82 rpg the Ichabods are seventh in the MIAA at cleaning the glass.
• Washburn attacks the basket and gets to the line averaging 21.68 free throw attempts per game, 2nd most in the MIAA and 19th in the nation.

ADVANCED STATS

• Brooke Gomez has the highest AST% on the team as she accounts for 23.8% of all assists when on the floor. Gabi Giovannetti is second at 16.4%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah grabs 15.6% of total rebounds when on the floor, a team high. Nia McKenzie is second at 14.5%. 
• Payton Sterk's true shooting percentage is 57.1% taking into account free throws and an extra point on 3-pointers. She has the biggest jump of any player from standard field goal percentage. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage at 65.4%. 
• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 99.8 ppg and a defensive rating of 91.2 ppg which are based on per 100 possessions. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 217 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 6th in program history. She needs six more rebounds to enter the top-five. In overall rebounds she is 13th in Washburn history with 590. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .590 is the best in program history. In scoring she ranks tied for 32nd with 933 career points. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 15th in program history with 109 career 3-pointers made. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 12th in single-season three-point percentage in program history shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc. 
• In single-season 3-pointers made she is tied for 12th with 62 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 40-45 record with Washburn and is 117-123 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

Pittsburg State 85, Washburn 62  (February 26, 2025)
PITTSBURG, Kan. -- A big second quarter from No. 10 Pittsburg State downed Washburn on Wednesday evening, falling 85-62 on the road. The Ichabods will finish out the regular season on Saturday, March 1 facing Missouri Southern at 3:30 p.m.  

It was a fast paced, up and down contest early on as both teams traded baskets. A layup by Yiibari Nwidadah at the 6:19 mark of the first quarter put Washburn (16-12, 10-8 MIAA) up 8-7. The Gorillas (25-3, 17-1 MIAA) went on a 7-2 run over the next 2:11, going up by four. The lead never got higher than five points in the first as both teams shot at least 45.0%. A 3-pointer just before the buzzer by Aniah Wayne cut the deficit to one at 20-19 to end the opening 10 minutes.  

After Pittsburg State went up by five early in the second quarter an and-one layup by Nwidadah sparked an 8-0 run for Washburn to put them up 27-24 once Gabi Giovannetti connected on a 3-pointer. Another bucket from Giovannetti put them up by three with 4:44 to go. From that point on in the half it was nearly all Gorillas as they finished the quarter on a 19-2 run, shooting 58.8% in the quarter and 4-5 from deep to lead 48-34.  

The Ichabods kept pace early in the third and were able to make it a single-digit game after Nwidadah got four straight points with 3:44 left in the quarter. Washburn shot 50.0% for the quarter but a late 9-4 run by Pittsburg State put them in front 67-54 heading into the fourth quarter.  

The lead stayed at 13 with 7:00 to go on another layup from Nwidadah. After that the next 11 points all went to the home team, going up by more than 20 points. That is where the deficit would stay as the Ichabods fell 85-62.  

Washburn shot 43.9% (25-57) in the game but were just 4-15 (26.7%) from deep and 8-9 at the line. The Gorillas went 33-71 (46.5%) overall and went 9-20 from beyond the arc.  

A 14-4 turnover deficit for the Ichabods along with a 40-33 rebounding advantage for Pittsburg State gave them an advantage. Points off turnovers went 19-4 in favor of the Gorillas, as did bench scoring 23-7.  

Four from Washburn scored in double figures led by Yiibari Nwidadah with 14 and eight rebounds. Gabi Giovannetti had 13 points while Payton Sterk and Madelyn Amekporfor each added 11.  

Grace Pyle and Karenna Gerber led the way for Pittsburg State, each scoring 24 points in the victory.  

ABOUT THE MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE LIONS

• Missouri Southern defeated Central Missouri 78-59 in Joplin on Thursday evening to improve to 18-12 overall and 10-8 in the MIAA. 
• Last season the Lions went 20-9 overall and 16-6 inside the MIAA. They fell in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament to Pittsburg State 73-65. 
• This season, Missouri Southern is 10-2 inside of the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center while going 3-7 on the road and 5-3 in neutral court games. 
• The Lions average 68.9 ppg on 39.6% shooting while allowing 63.8 ppg to opponents. They pull down 38.2 rpg while dishing out 12.8 apg.  
• With a +3.6 turnover margin they rank second in the MIAA. They're also second in the conference pulling down 12.2 offensive rebounds per game. 
• Ryan Franklin leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg while also pulling down a team-high 7.4 rpg. She shoots 42.9% from the floor in 25.0 mpg across 27 contests. She is 8th in the MIAA in rpg. 
• Scoring 12.5 ppg, Kaitlin Hunnicutt is second on the team while shooting 42.1% overall and 36.4% from deep. She adds 3.8 rpg and 1.3 spg across 29.3 mpg. 
• Mackenzie Hart adds 9.0 ppg in 25.0 mpg along with team-highs in assists at 3.0 and steals with 1.9 per contest. 
• Makenna Yokley chips in 6.6 ppg on a team-high 47.5% shooting. She grabs 4.1 rpg in 16.0 mpg across all 30 contests.  
• Kennady Roach is scoring 7.0 mpg on 40.8% shooting overall and a team-high 37.1% from beyond the arc. She adds 3.1 rpg in 22.3 mpg. 

HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL

• Is in his ninth season in charge of the Missouri Southern women's basketball program where he has a 147-117 record. 
• Was named the head women's basketball coach on March 16, 2017 after serving three years as an assistant and one year as an interim head coach
• Also spent time as an assistant on the men's staff at Missouri Southern. 
• A 1992 graduate of Missouri Southern, he returned to his alma mater for the 2002-03 campaign after spending ten years at Rend Lake College in Ina, Ill.

LAST TIME VERSUS MISSOURI SOUTHERN

Missouri Southern 66, Washburn 51  (February 28, 2024)
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Washburn got the first basket of the game but was unable to recapture the lead after that as they fell 66-51 to Missouri Southern on Wednesday evening. The Ichabods will finish up the regular season with senior night at home against Emporia State on Saturday at 1 p.m.  

The Lions (20-7, 16-5 MIAA) got out to a quick start leading 12-4 at the 3:49 mark of the first quarter. Aubree Dewey went on a personal 7-0 run for Washburn (12-15, 7-14 MIAA) over the next 1:06 of play to pull within one point after a 3-pointer. Over the final two minutes of play the Lions finished the quarter on a 4-0 run to lead 16-11.  

A 3-pointer by Gabi Giovannetti cut the lead to two points at the 7:46 mark in the second quarter. The next 11 points all came from the home team with Missouri Southern extending its lead up to 13 points as the quarter moved past the halfway point. The Lions shot 7-14 in the quarter and led 35-22 at halftime.  

Washburn stayed even with Missouri Southern for the entire third quarter, shooting 5-10 and getting to the line nine times in the quarter, but they were unable to cut into the lead. The score stayed between 11 and 15 points for the entire quarter with neither side scoring for the final 1:25 and MSSU led 52-38 going into the fourth quarter.  

Early in the fourth quarter the Lions pushed the lead up to 17. The Ichabods used a 7-2 run in the middle quarter, ending with a free throw from Madelyn Amekporfor to get the lead back down to 11 but that was as close as it got. Washburn didn't score in the final 4:28 of the game and Missouri Southern held on to win 66-51.  

The Ichabods shot 19-52 (36.5%) in the game and were just 3-17 from behind the arc. The Lions were 26-62 (41.9%) overall and made eight 3-pointers on 22 attempts. A 43-30 rebound advantage and eight blocks for MSSU to zero for Washburn created the most separation.  

Yiibari Nwidadah led the Ichabods in scoring with 14 points on 5-10 shooting in just 19 minutes. Aubree Dewey had 13 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds with three steals as well. Ten players cracked the scoring column for the Ichabods.  

Three from Missouri Southern finished in double figures led by Kryslyn Jones who had 19 points on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Ryan Franklin had 18 points and eigh rebounds. 

SERIES HISTORY WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN

• Washburn leads the all-time series against Missouri Southern 53-37.
• They are 21-21 against the Lions in Joplin. 
• The series began on February 2, 1970 with a 30-19 win for the Ichabods in a location unknown. 
• Missouri Southern swept the season series last year winning 69-50 in Topeka and 66-51 in Joplin. 
• The Ichabods average 65.9 ppg all-time against the Lions.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,011-506-1 (.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

• Seeding for the MIAA Tournament will be finalized on Saturday evening after all regular season contests have been decided.
• The MIAA Basketball Championship Tournament will be held in Kansas City, Mo. at the Municipal Auditorium from March 5-9.