TOPEKA, Kan. -- After forecasted weather this weekend Washburn women's basketball's game with Missouri Western was re-scheduled for this Friday, Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m. inside Lee Arena. 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn stays at home for the cold winter weekend to face Missouri Western for the second time in January in a re-scheduled contest in anticipation of winter storms. 
• The Ichabods will now face the Griffons on Friday, Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m. inside of Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan.
• Wednesday's game is the 2025-26 Alumni Night game and is sponsored by McDonald's.
• 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.   

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 40.7% from the floor, 30.6% from deep and 69.6% at the free throw line to score 64.5 ppg. 
• They grab 37.8 rpg with 13.4 apg to 17.0 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 9.3 spg with 2.6 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 56.0 ppg while shooting 36.1% from the floor and 27.0% from behind the 3-point line.  
• Washburn is 7-1 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 3-1 in neutral court games and 3-3 in road contests.  
• Washburn connected on three triples on Wednesday against Northwest Missouri, extending its streak with a made 3-pointer to 145 games. 
• Missouri Western fell to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in the MIAA after losing 80-71 to Central Missouri on the road on Wednesday. 

HOME SWEET HOME

• The 2025-26 season marks the 42nd season of play inside Lee Arena since the facility opened for the 1983-84 season. 
• Washburn is 472-131 all-time inside Lee Arena. 

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team scoring 13.2 ppg in just 23.4 mpg on the season. She has started in all 17 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 8.1 rpg while also shooting 57.3% from the floor, tops on the team as well. She has scored in double figures in 12 games with five double-doubles. She is 1st in the MIAA and 14th nationally in field goal percentage while ranking 7th in the MIAA in rpg and 14th in ppg.
• Payton Sterk is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg on 36.2% overall and 31.9% from deep. She has started every game playing 31.2 mpg, most on the team while also coming away with 1.6 spg, second most on the team. She has drilled a team-high 29 triples and has scored 14+ points in eight games this season. The senior ranks 9th in the MIAA in 3-pointers.
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 18 games for Washburn scoring 10.8 ppg on 42.1% shooting in 28.0 mpg of action. She is shooting a team-high 39.7% from deep and is second on the team with 27 3-pointers. She also brings down 4.2 rpg and is making 1.8 spg, most on the team. The Shawnee, Kan. native is 6th in the MIAA in spg and 15th in 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 ppg in just 16.1 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting 53.3% from the floor, second best on the team, while grabbing 3.6 rpg. Her five games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team and she is 13th in the MIAA in blocks. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started every game playing 23.8 mpg and scoring 6.3 ppg while shooting 40.0% from the floor. She is adding 3.2 rpg along with swiping 1.0 spg and swatting away 0.7 bpg.
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 16 starts and is logging 18.1 mpg. She scores 3.1 ppg on 38.2% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 3.0 apg along with grabbing 2.4 rpg. She ranks 8th in the MIAA in assists per game and 7th in assist to turnover ratio.
• Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game playing 20.2 mpg. She is scoring 6.3 ppg on 35.9% shooting from the floor and 33.3% from deep. The senior also chips in 2.2 rpg and 0.8 spg.
• Kellyn Hunter has played in 15 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 16.4 mpg. She is coming away with 1.2 spgwhile dishing out 1.9 apg and grabbing 2.6 rpg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played 13.7 mpg off the bench in every game. She is scoring 2.0 ppg on 34.3% shooting with 2.8 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in 15 games playing 7.1 mpg and scoring 1.3 ppg.
• Willow Gideon has played in eight games logging 4.0 mpg. She is scoring 1.0 ppg.
• Kylin Shipman has appeared in 12 games for the Ichabods of the bench logging 8.3 mpg.
• Lauren Luebbert has come off the bench in ten contests, playing 5.5 mpg and scoring 0.6 ppg.
• Cloie Jansky has appeared in eight games off the bench logging 2.9 mpg and scoring 1.3 ppg. 

STAT STACKING

• Washburn 61st in the nation at protecting the three-point line holding opponents to a 27.0% clip from beyond the arc, second best in the MIAA. 
• Holding opponents to 56.0 ppg overall the Ichabods are 28th nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• With opponents shooting 36.1% from the floor, Washburn is 3rd in the conference and 38th in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
• Forcing 18.72 turnovers per game the Ichabods are second in the conference in 94th in the nation.
• With a +4.2 rebounding margin Washburn is 6th among conference teams and 68th in the nation. 
• Outscoring opponents by 8.5 ppg, the Ichabods have the 74th best scoring margin in the nation and 6th among MIAA teams.

ADVANCED STATS

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 90.2 and defensive rating of 78.3 based on averages per 100 possessions. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 19.9%. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team grabbing 12.7% of rebounds when on the floor, second highest on the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has the highest assist percentage on the team at 31.8% of assists while on the floor. 
• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 21.1%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 59.9% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 54.7%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 278 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is fifth with 761 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .579 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,216 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 8th in program history with 139 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 20th among all Ichabods with 55 blocked shots. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 18th in program history with 91 3-pointers made in just 49 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 35.8% is 15th in program history.
• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 85.4% is the best for any Ichabod. 
• With 56 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is tied for 18th 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 55-51 record with Washburn and is 132-129 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 45, Northwest Missouri  38 (January 21, 2026)
TOPEKA, Kan. --Washburn returned home for the first time in more than two weeks and grinded through a defensive battle to win 45-38 over Northwest Missouri State. The Ichabods will put their three-game winning streak on the line next against Missouri Western at home on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.  

Payton Sterk opened the game drilling a 3-pointer on the first possession. The next eight points came from the Bearcats (10-9, 3-6 MIAA). The Washburn (13-5, 6-3 MIAA) offense got going to keep pace. Although a pair of triples in the final minutes by the Bearcats pushed the lead to a game-high seven points at 16-9 after ten minutes.  

The first six points in the second quarter came inside from Yiibari Nwidadah to match the scoring by Northwest Missouri. After a layup for the Bearcats at the 6:27 mark they were held scoreless for the remainder of the half, shooting just 20.0% in the quarter. The Ichabods finished the half on a 9-0 run to lead 24-21 heading into the locker room.  

Just like the first meeting between the two teams points were hard to come by in the third quarter. Northwest Missouri scored five points in the first two minutes to go in front, but were held to just four points the rest of the quarter. A pair of jumpers by Sterk put Washburn in front by four before the Bearcats scored the final four to tie the game at 30 going to the fourth.  

A pair of 3-pointers from Aniah Wayne and Gabi Giovannetti opened the fourth quarter, the second putting the Ichabods in front 36-35. Northwest Missouri knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 38 with 5:51 left but once again were held scoreless for more than five minutes in a row. Sterk knocked down what would be the go-ahead bucket with 3:18 remaining to start a 7-0 finish to the game and 45-38 win.  

Washburn needed to shoot just 31.5% from the floor to win, going 3-10 from deep. On the other end the Bearcats were held to 27.5% shooting while going 5-19 from behind the arc.  

Rebounding went in favor of the Ichabods 42-33, while they also narrowly won the turnover battle 10-9. On the defensive end Washburn held the visitors to zero fast break points and just five second chance points with advantages in both.  

Yiibari Nwidadah led the effort on the boards tying a career-high 16 while scoring 13 points on 6-12 shooting for a double-double. Payton Sterk led all scorers with 16 points on 7-13 shooting while Aniah Wayne added seven points off the bench.  

Ella Moody had 13 points to lead Northwest Missouri while Bailey Birmingham had 11.  

ABOUT THE MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS

• Missouri Western fell to 6-12 on the year and 2-7 inside the MIAA after falling 80-71 to Central Missouri last time out on Jan. 21 in Warrensburg. 
• The Griffons have gone 4-3 inside of MWSU Fieldhouse, 1-6 on the road and are 1-3 in neutral court games.
• Last season Missouri Western went 20-10 overall and 14-5 inside the MIAA, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Central Region Championship Tournament.
• On the year the Griffons average 70.6 ppg with shooting splits of 42.0% from the floor, 33.6% from deep and 67.0% at the line. They also grab 37.7 rpg with 13.6 apg. Opponents are scoring 70.8 ppg on 40.2% shooting. 
• Missouri Western is 1st in the MIAA and 14th in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 8.3. They are 2nd in the conference in three-point percentage and 4th in field goal percentage. 
• Mia Morel has started every game for the Griffons leading the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg. She is adding 3.6 apg and 3.6 rpg in 32.4 mpg. She is 5th in the MIAA in apg and 8th in ppg.
• Ana Olivera Dias has played and started in 17 games scoring 31.2 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. She grabs 3.9 rpg and is leading the team with 4.3 apg and 2.4 spg. In the conference she ranks 1st in spg, 3rd in apg and 12th in ppg. 
• Starting in all 13 games Nakiya Harris is scoring 11.5 ppg on 46.3% shooting and 38.7% from deep. She leads the team grabbing 8.1 rpg and is swiping 1.7 spg as well. She ranks 8th in the MIAA in rpg.
• Lindsey Kelderman chips in 6.7 ppg on 42.9% shooting overall. Her 40.3% from deep is second on the team along with her 29 makes from deep across all 18 games. She is 12th in the MIAA in 3's per game.
• LaNicia Parker has played all 18 games with one start scoring 9.1 ppg in 19.6 mpg. She also adds 4.0 rpg along with 1.4 spg. 

HEAD COACH LUKE SCHEIDEKER

• Is in his first season as the head coach at Missouri Western where he has a 6-12 record. 
• Joined the Griffons from Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Illinois, where he amassed a career record of 231-22 (.913 winning percentage) from 2016-18 and again from 2020-2025.
• The 2024 WBCA Two-Year National Coach of the Year, has received numerous accolades, including six NJCAA Region 24 Coach of the Year awards and six Midwest District Coach of the Year honors at WVC.
• Before his second run at WVC, Scheidecker was on staff at Indiana State (2018-20), serving as Recruiting Coordinator
• Scheidecker also served as the Director of Men's Basketball Operations at Southeast Missouri State (2011-12), where he obtained his Bachelor's Degree. Scheidecker completed his Master's in education at Southern Illinois in 2014.

LAST TIME VERSUS MISSOURI WESTERN

Missouri Western 75, Washburn 67  (January 7, 2026)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- After a blistering start Washburn saw a four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night falling 75-67 to Missouri Western on the road. The Ichabods return to action on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. facing Northwest Missouri in Maryville, Mo. 

The game opened quickly for Washburn (10-4, 3-2 MIAA) with a 7-2 run in the first 72 seconds after Payton Sterk drilled a jumper. The Griffons (5-9, 1-4 MIAA) battled back and would go in front 9-7 before extending the lead to eight points after a 9-0 run. The Ichabods answered with a run of their own in a high-scoring first quarter. Brooke Gomez and Aniah Wayne each knocked down triples before going in front on a Gabi Giovannetti 3-pointer. Shooting 52.6% from the floor and 4-7 from deep the visitors led 28-26 after ten.  

After scores from Sterk and Yiibari Nwidadah to open the second quarter Washburn remained in front by two. The next ten points came from Missouri Western to go in front by eight. The Ichabods went into the break trailing by six at 44-38 after Nwidadah scored the final six points of the half for Washburn in a quarter that saw them shoot 2-10 from the field.  

The Griffon offense stayed hot out of halftime, pushing the lead into double figures and up to as high as 15 points at 55-40 at the 6:02 mark. Washburn worked to chip away at the lead, with Nwidadah getting it into single digits on a layup with 1:01 in the quarter. Missouri Western pushed it back out to 11 and led 63-52 going into the fourth. 

Twice early in the fourth the Ichabods shrunk the deficit back down to nine but both times were answered by buckets by the Griffons. Washburn got to the line and shot 9-10 in the frame but were held to just 3-13 shooting in the quarter and 0-4 from deep. They scored the final six points of the game before falling 75-67. 

Slow second and fourth quarters left the Ichabods shooting 37.0% for the game and 5-15 from deep, while they were efficient at the line shooting 22-24. Missouri Western's offense registered a 50.9% shooting clip overall and 8-24 from 3-point range.  

Washburn won the rebounding battle 34-3, but turned the ball over 26 times to 21 for the home squad. Eight assists for the Ichabods were doubled by 16 from Mo West.  

Yiibari Nwidadah was consistent throughout, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 7-10 shooting along with grabbing 13 rebounds for a second straight double-double. Aniah Wayne had nine off the bench while Madelyn Amekporfor and Brooke Gomez had eight.  

Five scored in double figures for the Griffons led by 16 each from Nakiya Harris and Ana Oliveira Dias.  

SERIES WITH MISSOURI WESTERN

• Washburn has a 58-49 lead in the all-time series between the two teams. 
• The Ichabods are 29-18 against Missouri Western in Topeka. 
• The series began on Jan. 17, 1976 with a 74-70 win for Washburn on the road in St. Joseph. 
• The Griffons took the first game of the season series between the two teams this season winning 75-67 against the Ichabods at home. 
• Washburn averages 64.37 ppg all-time against the Griffons.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,026-512-1 (.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 heads back out on the road for three games beginning with Fort Hays State on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Hays, Kan. 
• 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.