TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn returns back home to Lee Arena as they play host to Arkansas-Fort Smith for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 12 beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn is back at home after weeks away to play host to Arkansas-Fort Smith.
• The Ichabods take on the Lions inside Lee Arena at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 in Topeka, Kan.
• 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 40.6% from the floor, 29.8% from deep and 70.9% at the free throw line to score 64.2 ppg. 
• They grab 37.1 rpg with 12.9 apg to 16.5 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 9.1 spg with 2.5 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 56.9 ppg while shooting 37.0% from the floor and 28.1% 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 4-5 in road contests.  
• Washburn hit one 3-pointer last time out against Central Missouir, coming from Brooke Gomez to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 149 games. 
• Arkansas-Fort Smith fell to 4-18 overall and 3-10 inside the MIAA after falling 73-68 at home to No. 8 Fort Hays State last time out on Feb. 7.

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team scoring 12.1 ppg in just 23.4 mpg on the season. She has started in all 21 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 7.6 rpg while also shooting 55.5% from the floor, second best on the team. She has scored in double figures in 13 games with five double-doubles. She is 2nd in the MIAA in offensive rebounding per game and 8th among conference players in rpg.
• Payton Sterk is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg on 35.2% overall and 31.1% from deep. She has started every game playing 31.2 mpg, most on the team while also coming away with 1.5 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 13th in the MIAA in 3-pointers.
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 22 games for Washburn scoring 10.5 ppg on 42.2% shooting in 28.5 mpg of action. She is shooting a team-high 37.3% from deep and is second on the team with 31 3-pointers. She also brings down 4.0 rpg and is making 1.8 spg, most on the team. The Shawnee, Kan. native is 7th in the MIAA in steals.
• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.4 ppg in just 16.2 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting a team-high 57.3% from the floor while grabbing 3.7 rpg. Her seven games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team and she is 13th in the MIAA in bpg. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started every game playing 23.8 mpg and scoring 6.4 ppg while shooting 38.0% from the floor. She is grabbing 3.0 rpg along with swiping 1.1 spg.
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 20 starts and is logging 18.4 mpg. She scores 4.2 ppg on 44.0% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 2.7 apg along with grabbing 2.5 rpg. She ranks 11th in the MIAA in assists per game.
• Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game playing 20.3 mpg. She is scoring 6.4 ppg on 36.2% shooting from the floor and 30.4% from deep. The senior also chips in 2.2 rpg and 0.8 spg.
• Kellyn Hunter has played in 19 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 17.1 mpg. She scores 3.2 ppg while grabbing 2.8 rpg and making 1.1 spg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played 13.2 mpg off the bench in every game. She is scoring 1.8 ppg along with grabbing 2.9 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in 17 games playing 5.5 mpg and scoring 1.1 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

• Holding opponents to 56.9 ppg overall Washburn is 33rd nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• The Ichabods are 88th in the nation at protecting the three-point line holding opponents to a 28.1% clip from beyond the arc, 3rd best in the MIAA. 
• With opponents shooting 37.0% from the floor, Washburn is 3rd in the conference and 55th in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
• Forcing 18.27 turnovers per game the Ichabods lead the conference and are 101st nationally  and first in the MIAA at creating giveaways. 
• With a +3.6 rebounding margin Washburn is 6th among conference teams and 70th in the nation. 
• Outscoring opponents by 7.4 ppg, the Ichabods have the 78th best scoring margin in the nation and 6th among MIAA teams.

ADVANCED STATS

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 90.7 and defensive rating of 80.3 based on averages per 100 possessions. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 18.7%. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team grabbing 13.1% of rebounds when on the floor, second highest on the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has the highest assist percentage on the team at 30.0% of assists while on the floor. 
• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 20.8%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 58.7% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 58.3%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 286 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 5th with 783 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .575 is the 3rd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,247 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 7th in program history with 143 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 19th among all Ichabods with 57 blocked shots. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 17th in program history with 95 3-pointers made in just 53 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 35.3% is 19th in program history.
• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.3% is the best for any Ichabod. 
• With 58 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is 17th 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 57-53 record with Washburn and is 134-131 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

Central Missouri 64, Washburn 58 (February 7, 2026)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Washburn fought to come back late but could not complete the come-from-behind victory, falling 64-58 to Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The Ichabods are back in action on Thursday, Feb. 12 at home against Arkansas-Fort Smith beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

The Jennies (17-5, 11-2 MIAA) jumped in front early leading 11-6 at the first media timeout. Washburn (15-7, 8-5 MIAA) battled to tie the game up at 14 after a 6-0 run and bucket by Madelyn Amekporfor at the 1:04 mark. Central Missouri scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 18-14 after one.  

A 5-0 run from the home team pushed the lead to double figures with 5:12 to play in the first half. The Jennies offense knocked down four 3-pointers in the quarter while shooting 50.0% overall as the deficit grew to 37-25 at the half for the Ichabods.  

Washburn chipped away at the lead in the third quarter, cutting it down to six points at the 5:32 mark after Brooke Gomez knocked down a 3-pointer, the first and only of the game for the Ichabods. The lead was boosted back up to double figures at 49-39 after a triple from Central Missouri with 69 seconds left in the quarter.  

The offense of Washburn got off to a fast start in the fourth quarter, scoring the first six points with the final four from Gomez to pull within four. The deficit was cut down to four once more with 6:07 left but the Jennies fired back with five straight points. Gabi Giovannetti got an old-fashioned three-point play with 33 seconds left, once again making it a four-point game. The next two offensive possessions came up empty for the Ichabods with the Jennies putting the game away at the free throw line to win 64-58. 

Washburn narrowly out-shot Central Missouri from the floor shooting at a 44.6% clip to UCM's 44.2%. The Ichabods were 1-14 from deep while the home squad went 7-18.  

The Jennies led on the boards 32-30, while Washburn had a 48-28 advantage in paint scoring. They also led in points off turnovers 19-13 with a 15-16 edge in giveaways.  

Brooke Gomez led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 11-13 shooting. Gabi Giovannetti each scored eight and had a pair of steals.  

Reese Schaaf had 18 points to go along with nine rebounds to lead Central Missouri.

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH LIONS

• Arkansas-Fort Smith enters the game with a 4-18 record overall and 3-10 inside the MIAA. They fell 73-68 to No. 8 Fort Hays State last time out on Feb. 7 in Fort Smith, Ar. 
• The Lions have gone 3-9 inside of the Gayle Kaundart Arena this year, 1-8 on the road and 0-1 in neutral court games. 
• Last season Arkansas-Fort Smith went 18-11 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA, falling in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. 
• So far on the year the Lions average 61.6 ppg with shooting splits of 37.9% from the floor, 27.0% from deep and 65.7% at the line. They also grab 37.1 rpg with 9.4 apg. Opponents are scoring 68.0 ppg on 39.4% shooting. 
• Arkansas-Fort Smith is 6th in the MIAA in bench scoring at 21.8 ppg and 7th in bpg at 3.1. 
• Telisha Brown leads the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg while playing in 16 games and making 10 starts. She is shooting 39.4% from the floor while dishing out 2.7 apg and making 1.4 spg, both team-highs. 
• Haleigh Jackson is scoring 9.2 ppg in 27.6 mpg while starting in 21 games and playing in all 22. She is grabbing 4.9 rpg and adds 1.2 apg. 
• Marie Rose Priscilla Wemba is scoring 8.8 ppg on a team-high 47.8% shooting from the field. She is also grabbing 6.6 rpg, a team-high. She is 14th in the MIAA in rpg. 
• Keytonna Ross scores 8.5 ppg while playing in 21 games and making 14 starts. She also chips in 4.0 rpg and 2.0 apg. 
• Jah'Mareah Linville chips in 6.0 ppg along with grabbing 4.2 rpg in 19.1 mpg.

HEAD COACH RYAN MCADAMS

• Is in his 5th season leading the Arkansas-Fort Smith women's basketball program where he has a 50-83 record. 
• Came to UAFS from New Mexico State, where he was an assistant women's basketball coach for four seasons.
• Prior to New Mexico State, McAdams served as the head women's basketball coach at Eastern Arizona College for seven seasons. There he accumulated an overall record of 137-82
• McAdams has also spent time as an assistant on the men's side, serving as the assistant men's basketball coach at Eastern Arizona College before accepting the women's head coaching position
• McAdams graduated from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism before also earning a Master of Science in Educational Administration and Leadership from there in 2006.

LAST TIME VERSUS ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH

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.  

SERIES WITH ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH

• Arkansas-Fort SMith leads the brief history between the two teams 1-0. 
• The Ichabods have never faced the Lions in Topeka. 
• The series began last season on Feb. 13, 2025 with a 83-81 win for Washburn in Fort Smith, Ar. 
• Washburn averages 81.00 ppg all-time against Arkansas-Fort Smith. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,028-514-1 (.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 stays at home for a Valentine's Day game against Northeastern State on Saturday, Feb. 14 with tip-off at 1 p.m. for what will also be the 2025-26 pink-out game. 
• 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.