TOPEKA, Kan. -- A three-game road swing for the Ichabods continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. as they face Nebraska Kearney inside the Health & Sports Center for the MIAA Game of the Week on 38 The Spot.

OPENING TIP

• Washburn heads to the Cornhusker state for the first time this season to take on Nebraska Kearney. 
• The Ichabods take on the Lopers at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 inside of the Health & Sports Center in Kearney, Neb. for the MIAA Game of the Week on 38 The Spot. 
• 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 40.0% from the floor, 30.4% from deep and 70.1% at the free throw line to score 64.0 ppg. 
• They grab 37.7 rpg with 13.2 apg to 16.6 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 9.3 spg with 2.5 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 56.1 ppg while shooting 36.6% from the floor and 26.8% from behind the 3-point line.  
• Washburn is 8-1 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 3-1 in neutral court games and 3-4 in road contests.  
• Washburn knocked down a pair of triples on Thursday against Fort Hays State, extending its streak with a made 3-pointer to 147 games. 
• Nebraska Kearney fell to 11-11 overall and 4-7 inside the MIAA after losing 78-68 at home to Central Missouri on Thursday.

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team scoring 12.7 ppg in just 23.3 mpg on the season. She has started in all 19 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 7.9 rpg while also shooting 56.5% from the floor, tops on the team as well. She has scored in double figures in 13 games with five double-doubles. She is 1st in the MIAA and 15th nationally in field goal percentage while ranking 8th in the MIAA in rpg.
• Payton Sterk is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg on 35.5% overall and 32.4% from deep. She has started every game playing 31.7 mpg, most on the team while also coming away with 1.6 spg, second most on the team. She has drilled a team-high 33 triples and has scored 14+ points in nine games this season. The senior ranks 10th in the MIAA in 3-pointers.
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 20 games for Washburn scoring 10.7 ppg on 42.2% shooting in 27.9 mpg of action. She is shooting a team-high 39.5% from deep and is second on the team with 30 3-pointers. She also brings down 4.1 rpg and is making 1.8 spg, most on the team. The Shawnee, Kan. native is 5th in the MIAA in steals and 13th in 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.5 ppg in just 16.4 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting 55.9% from the floor, second best on the team, while grabbing 3.8 rpg. Her six games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team and she is 15th in the MIAA in blocks. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started every game playing 23.0 mpg and scoring 6.0 ppg while shooting 38.1% from the floor. She is grabbing 3.0 rpg along with swiping 1.1 spg and swatting away 0.7 bpg.
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 18 starts and is logging 18.0 mpg. She scores 3.0 ppg on 33.3% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 2.9 apg along with grabbing 2.5 rpg. She ranks 10th in the MIAA in assists per game.
• Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game playing 20.4 mpg. She is scoring 6.3 ppg on 35.1% shooting from the floor and 31.7% from deep. The senior also chips in 2.4 rpg and 0.8 spg.
• Kellyn Hunter has played in 17 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 17.1 mpg. She scores 2.9 ppg while grabbing 2.6 rpg and making 1.2 spg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played 13.8 mpg off the bench in every game. She is scoring 2.0 ppg along with grabbing 2.9 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in 16 games playing 6.9 mpg and scoring 1.2 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 53rd in the nation at protecting the three-point line holding opponents to a 26.8% clip from beyond the arc, 2nd best in the MIAA. 
• Holding opponents to 56.1 ppg overall the Ichabods are 30th nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• With opponents shooting 36.6% from the floor, Washburn is 4th in the conference and 53rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
• Forcing 18.70 turnovers per game the Ichabods lead the conference and are 91st nationally at creating giveaways. 
• With a +3.9 rebounding margin Washburn is 6th among conference teams and 68th in the nation. 
• Outscoring opponents by 7.9 ppg, the Ichabods have the 77th best scoring margin in the nation and 6th among MIAA teams.

ADVANCED STATS

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 89.8 and defensive rating of 78.7 based on averages per 100 possessions. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 19.5%. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team grabbing 13.0% of rebounds when on the floor, second highest on the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has the highest assist percentage on the team at 30.4% of assists while on the floor. 
• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 21.8%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 59.7% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 56.4%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 284 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 5th with 774 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .577 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,234 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is tied for 7th in program history with 142 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 19th  among all Ichabods with 56 blocked shots. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 17th in program history with 95 3-pointers made in just 51 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 35.8% is 15th in program history.
• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 85.8% is the best for any Ichabod. 
• With 57 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is 18th in program history at coming away with rejections. 

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 56-52 record with Washburn and is 133-130 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

Fort Hays State 59, Washburn 47 (January 29, 2026)
HAYS, Kan. -- Washburn stayed close most of the way but weren't able to overcome a late run by No. 5 Fort Hays State, falling 59-47 on the road Thursday evening. Next up the Ichabods travel to face Nebraska Kearney in the MIAA Game of the Week on 38 The Spot at 2 p.m. on Saturday.  

Yiibari Nwidadah opened the scoring of what would be a low-scoring first quarter with a layup at the 8:56 mark. After a pair of ties, the Tigers (19-1, 10-1 MIAA) stayed in front the rest of the way as both teams shot a combined 8-31 in the quarter. After ten minutes Washburn (14-6, 7-4 MIAA) trailed 9-8.  

The Ichabods continued to play catch-up to begin the second. They were finally able to string together back-to-back buckets and lead 18-17 after Britany Kogbara got a basket to go with 4:23 left in the half. Fort Hays State went back in front and led by a pair with 2:16 left. The home squad was held scoreless from that point on in the quarter as Aniah Wayne tied the game at 24 heading into the half with a basket.  

 In the opening minutes of the third quarter the Tigers pushed the lead to four points at the 7:24 mark. They were held scoreless for the next four plus minutes as Washburn was able to go in front on a Gabi Giovannetti triple at the 3:36 mark, the first 3-pointer of the game for the Ichabods. Fort Hays State scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 36-33. 

After three tries cutting the lead down to two points, Washburn was able to tie the game up on an offensive rebound and putback by Nwidadah with 4:21 left in regulation. The Tiger offense picked up after that, scoring the next nine points in the game in just over two and a half minutes. The lead was pushed into double figures as Fort Hays State pulled away to win 59-47. 

The Ichabods were held to just 29.2% shooting in the game (21-72) and were 2-18 from beyond the arc. Even in the low scoring game the Tigers shot an efficient 49.9% (25-51) while shooting 3-12 from deep.  

Eighteen offensive rebounds kept Washburn in the game, along with winning the turnover battle 17-11. The shot making of the Tiger starting five was the difference as the Ichabod bench outscored the home reserves 18-0.  

Yiibari Nwidadah led the way with 12 points on 6-9 shooting and was one rebound shy from a double-double. Gabi Giovannetti had 11 points while Britany Kogbara added eight with seven boards. 

Talexa Weeter scored 25 on 11-19 shooting to lead Fort Hays State while Brooke Loewe had 15 with eight assists. 

ABOUT THE NEBRASKA KEARNEY LOPERS

• Nebraska Kearney lost a second straight game to fall to 11-11 overall and 4-7 on the year after falling 78-68 to Central Missouri at home on Thursday.
• The Lopers have gone 8-4 inside the Health & Sports Center, 1-6 on the road and 2-1 in neutral court games. 
• Last season Nebraska Kearney went 20-9 on the year and 13-6 inside the MIAA. They lost in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament to the Ichabods. 
• So far on the year the Lopers average 72.0 ppg with shooting splits of 42.3% from the floor, 32.1% from deep and 71.7% at the line. They also grab 37.4 rpg with 14.0 apg. Opponents are scoring 66.3 ppg on 42.5% shooting. 
• Nebraska Kearney is leading the MIAA with 9.9 spg.They rank 2nd in the conference forcing 18.62 turnovers per game and are 3rd in both turnover margin and field goal percentage. 
• Myleigh Weers is leading the Loper offense scoring 15.3 ppg on 39.1% shooting from the floor as a freshman. She has started all 21 games playing 30.6 mpg while also making 1.8 spg and grabbing 3.1 rpg. She is 5th in the MIAA in ppg and steals.
• Jillian Aschoff is scoring 14.5 ppg for UNK on 42.6% shooting. She has played and started in 21 games logging a team-high 33.9 mpg. She is grabbing 7.0 rpg and dishing out a team-high 6.8 apg along with 1.7 spg. She is 2nd in the nation in both assists and assist per games. She leads the nation with two triple doubles. 
• Jordan Sears has played and started in all 22 games logging 28.7 mpg. She is scoring 11.7 ppg on 46.8% shooting and 37.3% from deep. She grabs 4.6 rpg and is making 1.2 spg. 
• Tara Biocanin has played in all 22 games logging 19.0 mpg. She is scoring 7.6 ppg on a team-high 57.1% shooting. She also grabs 4.6 rpg.
• Saniya Simmons has played in 19 games making two starts and leads the team with 2.2 spg. She also chips in 6.1 ppg with 1.9 apg.She is 2nd in the MIAA in spg.

HEAD COACH DREW JOHNSON

• Drew Johnson is in his third season leading the Nebraska Kearney program where he has a 50-31 record. 
• Spent the previous two seasons as the head coach at Newman, leading the Jets to the MIAA Tournament for the first time in program history in the 2022-23 season. 
• Got his start as a head coach at Bethel College from 2017-21. 
• he was a nine-year high school coach in Kansas (Valley Center, Derby and Clay Center) and co-founded Ohlde Elite, an AAU program
• Played football and got his bachelor's degree in education from Friends University in 2011. 

LAST TIME VERSUS NEBRASKA KEARNEY

Washburn 71, Nebraska Kearney 65 (December 4, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn opened conference play Thursday night inside Lee Arena with a fourth quarter comeback win to knock off Nebraska Kearney 71-65. The Ichabods return to action back at home on Saturday against No. 3 Fort Hays State for White Out with tip-off set for 1 p.m.  

The Ichabods (5-2, 1-0 MIAA) led off with the games first seven points, holding the Lopers (4-5, 0-1 MIAA) off the board until the 6:22 mark. A steal by Madelyn Amekporfor a score from Britany Kogbara made it 11-4 with 3:37 left in the opening quarter. Nebraska Kearney went on to finish on an 11-3 run including the final seven points to lead 15-14. 

Early in the second Amekporfor got a layup to go inside, putting Washburn back in front. The Lopers scored the next eight points as they held the Ichabods to 27.8% shooting from the floor in the quarter. They held a 33-26 lead heading to the locker rooms.  

The deficit for Washburn reached nine points midway through the third quarter. A bucket by Yiibari Nwidadah started a 7-0 run to pull within two. The Ichabods shot 9-16 in the quarter but Nebraska Kearney held off the offensive burst to lead 49-47 going into the fourth.  

Washburn finally broke through to tie the game at 53 on a Kogbara basket. Payton Sterk drove and got a layup to go and put the Ichabods in front 58-56 with 5:48 to go. The Lopers took the lead right back and went up by four. Washburn answered with six in a row, the final four from Gabi Giovannetti. An and-one layup by Nwidadah in the final minute put the Ichabods in front for good as they held on to win 71-65. 

Washburn shot 28-63 (44.4%) for the game while only going 3-14 (21.4%) from deep. The Lopers were held to 22-58 (37.9%) and hit six 3-pointers.  

The Ichabods held a 38-35 advantage on the boards and won the turnover battle 17-15. Points in the paint were dominated by the home squad 50-28.  

Four players scored in double figures led by 18 points from Gabi Giovannetti on 6-12 shooting along with four assists. Yiibari Nwidadah had 15 on 7-10 shooting with three blocks and seven rebounds. Payton Sterk added 14 and Madelyn Amekporfor chipped in 10.  

Myleigh Weers led Nebraska Kearney with 21 points, Jillian Aschoff had 11 with six assists.  

SERIES WITH NEBRASKA KEARNEY

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 31-21.
• The Ichabods are 14-11 against the Lopers in Kearney.
• The series began on Jan. 14, 1977 with a 64-57 win for Washburn in Topeka. 
• The Ichabods have won the last three meetings between the two teams including a 71-65 win over Nebraska Kearney at home this season on Dec. 4.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,027-513-1 (.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 has a week off before taking on Central Missouri next Saturday, Feb. 7 in Warrensburg, Mo. at 1 p.m.
• 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.