TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball will face the top seed and No. 9 nationally ranked Pittsburg State in the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament inside Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m.  

OPENING TIP 

• The tournament run continues for Washburn as they face Pittsburg State.  

• The Ichabods will face the Gorillas in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament at 6 p.m. inside of Municipal Auditorium on Saturday.  

• Washburn improved its record to 18-12 on the year after defeating Nebraska Kearney 78-65 in the quarterfinals on Friday.  

• 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 finished the season 5th in the KPI standings used for seeding in the tournament.  

• Pittsburg State moved to 27-3 on the year after defeating Missouri Southern 89-46 on Thursday in the quarterfinals.  

TOURNAMENT TIME!  

• Washburn is making its 34th appearance in the MIAA Tournament this week as the No. 5 seed.  

• All-time in the MIAA Tournament the Ichabods have gone 43-24.  

• They are 11-8 in the semifinal round and 1-1 all-time as the No. 5 seed. 

• As the lower seed they have a 7-14 record and are 4-2 overall against the Gorillas. 

• Against No. 1 seeds they are 3-4 all-time.   

• Inside of Municipial Auditorium they are 29-19 overall.  

• With a win they would advance to the championship game for the first time since the 2011-12 season when they defeated Emporia State in the championship.  

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 45.0% shooting overall and 32.2% from behind the arc.  

• They are grabbing 38.0 rpg while giving out 13.1 apg. On the defensive end they come away with 7.3 spg and swat away 3.1 bpg.  

• Opponents average 66.4 ppg on 40.6% shooting and 30.7% from deep.  

• Washburn went 9-2 inside of Lee Arena this season and has gone 6-8 in road contests and 3-2 in neutral court games.   

• Washburn made two triples against Nebraska Kearney to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 127 games.  

• Saturday's contest against Pittsburg State will be the 96th meeting between the two teams.  

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS 

• Juniors Payton Sterk and Yiibari Nwidadah each earned multiple All-MIAA honors announced Tuesday.  

• Nwidadah was a member of the All-MIAA second team while also earning a spot on the MIAA All-Defensive team.  

• Sterk was named the Co-Newcomer of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-MIAA second team.  

BLUE REPORT 

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team offensively scoring 17.0 ppg while shooting a team-high 63.6% from the field. She grabs a team-best 8.0 rpg and swats away 0.9 bpg. The junior has started all 28 games she has played in logging 28.5 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0% in all but four games and has seven double-doubles, including each of the last two games. She has scored in double figures in seven straight contests. 

• Payton Sterk is second on the team scoring at 16.0 ppg while starting all 30 contests and playing a team-high 31.1 mpg. She is shooting 42.2% from the floor and a team-high 38.8% from deep while dishing out 2.3 apg and grabbing 3.3 rpg. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 62 3-pointers. She has 15+ points in 15 games this year.  

• Gabi Giovannetti is third on the team in scoring at 11.8 ppg while shooting 41.4% from the floor. The junior has started all 30 games playing 28.0 mpg. She is adding 3.2 rpg with 2.2 apg while snagging 1.0 spg. She is second on the team with 47 made triples.  

• Madelyn Amekporfor is scoring 7.7 ppg on 46.8% shooting while starting 28 of 29 games that she has appeared in, logging 26.7 mpg. She is grabbing 5.3 rpg while adding 2.0 apg. On the defensive end she comes away with a team-high 1.2 spg and 1.0 bpg.  

• Brooke Gomez has played in all 30 games making 29 starts in her freshman season logging 20.4 mpg. She averages 4.5 ppg while adding 3.1 rpg and 1.0 spg. Her 2.7 apg are a team-high.  

• Aniah Wayne is scoring 5.9 ppg in 18.0 mpg off the bench while playing in 28 games. She is shooting 34.7% 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 30 games and started two logging 15.7 mpg. She scoring 4.0 ppg on 44.1% shooting while giving out 1.2 apg and grabbing 1.6 rpg.  

• Nia McKenzie has played in 26 games while making one start averaging 14.9 mpg. She is grabbing 3.7 rpg and scoring 3.3 ppg on 46.0% shooting.  

• Rebecca Snyder has played in 18 games with two starts logging 10.9 mpg and scoring 2.0 ppg with 1.9 rpg.   

• Emajin McCallop has played in 23 games scoring 1.1 ppg across 8.5 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.  

MILESTONE MARKERS 

• With 228 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 5th in program history. She needs five more to move up to 4th. In overall rebounds she is 13th in Washburn history with 616.  

• Her career field goal percentage of .584 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 27th with 980 career points.  

• Gabi Giovannetti is 13th in program history with 112 career 3-pointers made. With two more triples she will move into 12th. 

• Payton Sterk currently sits 18th in single-season three-point percentage in program history shooting 38.8% 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 42-45 record with Washburn and is 119-123 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 

Washburn 78, Nebraska Kearney 65 (March 7, 2025) 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn secured a trip to the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament as they knocked off the No. 4 seeded Nebraska Kearney Lopers 78-65 on Friday night in the quarterfinal round. The No. 5 seed Ichabods will face the top seed and No. 9 nationally ranked Pittsburg State at 6 p.m. on Saturday.  

The first four points of the game came from Washburn (18-12) on buckets from Yiibari Nwidadah and Gabi Giovannetti. The Lopers (19-9) were held off the board until the 7:32 mark in the first quarter and did not make a field goal until the game was nearly five minutes old. After a basket by Giovannetti put the Ichabods up 8-3 Nebraska Kearney scored the next eight points to go ahead by three. The lead changed hands twice more in the opening quarter with the Lopers in front 16-14.  

A 5-0 run early in the second quarter tied the game up for Washburn after a layup by Madelyn Amekporfor. After two more lead changes the Ichabods took a lead they would never relinquish with a 3-pointer by Aniah Wayne at the 5:00 minute mark. The run continued with the final nine points of the quarter, finished by a buzzer beating layup by Amaya Davison to go into the break leading 33-24. Washburn outscored Nebraska Kearney 19-8 in the quarter, shooting 8-12 from the field.  

The run continued into the second half with Nwidadah and Giovannetti each with buckets, forcing a Loper timeout. A fast break layup by Amekporfor pushed the lead to a game-high 16 points with 7:42 left in the quarter. Nebraska Kearney responded, heating up from deep with three made triples in the quarter cutting the lead to as little as six. A 3-pointer from the Lopers on the final possession made it 52-44 going into the fourth.  

Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. A pair of free throws from Giovannetti with 6:51 remaining pushed the lead back up to 12, capping off a 4-0 mini run. Nebraska Kearney cut the deficit to seven with 4:04 left but the Ichabods continued to answer on the other end, getting to the line and converting. Washburn shot 12-12 from the line in the final quarter, extending the lead to 11 with 2:55 to go after a pair. Nwidadah scored the next four points, putting the game away with just over two to play as the Ichabods secured the 78-65 win.  

Washburn shot 30.78% in the first quarter but finished the game at 52.0% (26-50) and were 24-29 at the line. They held Nebraska Kearney to 34.3% (24-70) shooting while the Lopers went just 9-16 at the line they did make nine 3-pointers.  

A 45-32 rebounding advantage led to a 44-32 margin in paint scoring for the Ichabods. Second chance scoring also went to Washburn, 17-10.  

Yiibari Nwidadah led the way with 28 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double. She shot 9-13 overall and 10-12 from the free throw line. Gabi Giovannetti scored a season-high 21 points on 8-11 shooting and Madelyn Amekporfor had a double-double of her own, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds while also adding three blocks. Off the bench Amaya Davison added nine points.  

Three players scored in double figures for the Lopers led by Jillian Aschoff who had 15 along with six assists. 

ABOUT THE PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS 

• Pittsburg State advanced to the semifinal round with a 89-46 win over Missouri Southern in the quarterfinals on Thursday.  

• They are ranked No. 9 in the latest WBCA poll.  

• Last season the Gorillas went 24-8 overall and 15-7 inside the MIAA, they won the MIAA Championship Tournament and fell in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament.  

• This season, Pittsburg State is 12-0 inside of John Lance Arena while going 10-2 in road contests and 5-1 in neutral court games.  

• The Gorillas average 80.3 ppg on 48.3% shooting while allowing 62.7 ppg to opponents. They pull down 41.4 rpg while dishing out 16.9 apg.   

• Karenna Gerber is second on the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg while playing just 23.3 mpg. She is shooting a team-high 58.0% from the floor and also grabs 8.2 rpg while making 1.3 bpg.  

• Grace Pyle is scoring 15.7 ppg, tops on the team, on 46.4% shooting and 38.3% from deep. She also adds 4.0 rpg and 3.2 apg. She has made a team-high 77 3-pointers.  

• Macie Mays scores 14.0 ppg on 50.6% shooting across 28.3 mpg. She also grabs 4.1 rpg and shoots 33.3% from deep.  

• Harper Schreiner adds 7.8 ppg while shooting 48.8% overall and a team-high 44.0% from deep. She also leads the team with 4.5 apg and grabs 5.0 rpg. 

• Sydney Holmes scores 6.1 ppg on 42.3% shooting overall and 38.5% from deep. She also adds 3.7 rpg and 2.2 apg. 

HEAD COACH AMANDA DAVIED 

• Is in her seventh season leading the Pittsburg State women's basketball program. She has a 142-61 record with her alma mater.  

• Davied, who served the previous 14 seasons as the assistant coach for her alma mater, replaced her former mentor, Lane Lord, who accepted the head coach position at NCAA Division I member University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. 

• During her tenure on the Pitt State staff (2004-present), the Gorillas have compiled a 398-218 overall record (.646), capturing an MIAA regular season title in 2017, MIAA tournament title in 2024 and making eight trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament 

• Davied earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Pittsburg State in December 2003. She completed her master's degree in physical education in December 2008. 

LAST TIME VERSUS PITTSBURG STATE 

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.   

SERIES WITH PITTSBURG STATE 

• Washburn leads the all-time series against Pittsburg State 56-39.  

• They are 4-2 against the Gorillas in the MIAA Tournament.  

• The series began on January 18, 1975 with a 101-36 win for the Ichabods in Topeka.  

• Washburn fell 85-62 in the only meeting between the two teams this season on Feb. 26 in Pittsburg.  

• The Ichabods average 67.59 ppg all-time against the Gorillas. 

WASHBURN HISTORY 

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,013-506-1 (.667) 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 

• With a win Washburn would face the winner of the other semifinal game between Fort Hays State and Missouri Western. The championship game would be set for Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m.