TOPEKA, Kan. -- The finale homestand of the 2025-26 season for Washburn begins on Wednesday as they host Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. inside of Lee Arena. 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn returns home for the final week of the regular season beginning by taking on Pittsburg State for the first time this season.
• The Ichabods take on the Gorillas at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25 inside Lee Arena for Studen Appreciation night presented by the Kansas Department of Insurance.
• Washburn improved to 19-7 overall and 12-5 in conference play with a 87-60 win over Rogers State on the road last time out on Feb. 21.
• 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.
• Washburn was included in the first NCAA Regional rankings released in alphabetical order released on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
• As a team Washburn has shooting splits of 41.6% from the floor, 32.7% from deep and 70.9% at the free throw line to score 66.2 ppg. 
• They grab 37.0 rpg with 13.5 apg to 16.4 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 9.1 spg with 2.7 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 57.4 ppg while shooting 37.5% from the floor and 28.7% from behind the 3-point line.  
• Washburn is 10-1 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 3-1 in neutral court games and 6-5 in road contests.  
• Washburn drilled a season-high 15 3-pointers to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 153 games. 
• Pittsburg State lost a third game in a row to fall to 18-8 overall and 11-6 in the MIAA losing 74-71 in overtime at home to No. 6 Fort Hays State on Feb. 21. 

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team scoring11.9 ppg in just 22.7 mpg on the season. She has started in all 25 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 7.5 rpg while also shooting a team-high 57.6% from the floor. She has scored in double figures in 16 games with six double-doubles. She is 3rd in the MIAA in offensive rebounding per game and 9th among conference players in rpg.
• Payton Sterk is leading the team scoring 12.2 ppg on 37.4% overall and 35.9% from deep. She has started every game playing 31.3 mpg, most on the team while also coming away with 1.5 spg, second most on the team. She has drilled a team-high 46 triples and has scored 14+ points in eleven games this season. The senior ranks 9th in the MIAA in 3-pointers made per game.
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 26 games for Washburn scoring 10.9 ppg on 43.0% shooting in 28.3 mpg of action. She is shooting a team-high 36.9% from deep and is second on the team with 38 3-pointers. She also brings down 3.8 rpg and is swiping a team-high 1.7 spg. The Shawnee, Kan. native is 7th in the MIAA in steals.
• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.5 ppg in just 16.6 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting 55.5% from the floor, second best on the team, while grabbing 4.1 rpg. Her nine games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team and she is 11th in the MIAA in bpg. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor has started every game playing 23.2 mpg and scoring 5.9 ppg while shooting 36.1% from the floor. She is grabbing 2.8 rpg along with swiping 1.3 spg.She has eight games with multiple steals.
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 24 starts and is logging 18.7 mpg. She scores 4.4 ppg on 44.8% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 2.7 apg along with grabbing 2.7 rpg. She is 11th in the MIAA in total assists.
• Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game playing 20.3 mpg. She is scoring 6.8 ppg on 37.1% shooting from the floor and 34.4% from deep. The senior also chips in 2.2 rpg and 0.7 spg.
• Kellyn Hunter has played in 23 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 17.2 mpg. She scores 3.4 ppg while grabbing 2.9 rpg and making 1.0 spg. 
• Nia McKenzie has played 13.4 mpg off the bench in every game. She is scoring 1.8 ppg along with grabbing 2.8 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in 20 games playing 7.0 mpg and scoring 1.2 ppg.
• Willow Gideon has played in ten games logging 3.8 mpg. She is scoring 1.2 ppg.
• Kylin Shipman has appeared in 14 games for the Ichabods of the bench logging 7.6 mpg.
• Lauren Luebbert has come off the bench in 12 contests, playing 4.8 mpg and scoring 0.5 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 57.4 ppg overall Washburn is 38th nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• Forcing 18.08 turnovers per game the Ichabods lead the conference and are 103rd nationally at creating giveaways.
• With opponents shooting 37.5% from the floor, Washburn is 5th in the conference and 76th in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
• Outscoring opponents by 8.7 ppg, the Ichabods have the 65th best scoring margin in the nation and 3rd among MIAA teams.
• With a +4.4 rebounding margin Washburn is 5th among conference teams and 61st in the nation. 
• The Ichabods are 2nd in the conference and 98th in the nation holding opponents to 28.7% shooting from beyond the arc.

ADVANCED STATS

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 93.7 and defensive rating of 81.3 based on averages per 100 possessions. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 19.2%. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team grabbing 14.5% of rebounds when on the floor, second highest on the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has the highest assist percentage on the team at 28.1% of assists while on the floor. 
• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 21.4%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 60.1% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 56.5%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 294 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 4th with 810 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .580 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,290 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also tied for 10th in program history with 71 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 6th in program history with 150 career 3-pointers made. She is 17th among all Ichabods with 60 blocked shots. 
• She ranks 28th in program history with 975 career points. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits tied for 16th in program history with 108 3-pointers made in just 57 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 37.1% is tied for 9th in program history.
• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.6% is the best for any Ichabod. 
• With 59 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is tied for 18th in program history at coming away with rejections. 
• Aniah Wayne has made 101 3-pointers in her Ichabod career putting her 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 61-53 record with Washburn and is 138-131 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

Washburn 87, Rogers State 60 (February 21, 2026)
CLAREMORE, Okla. -- Washburn poured in a season-high scoring night on the offensive end to win 87-60 over Rogers State on Saturday afternoon for a fourth straight victory and surpassing last season's win total. The Ichabods return home for the final week of the regular season beginning by facing Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25. 

It was a perimeter-focused attack to begin for Washburn (19-7, 12-5 MIAA) as the first 12 points came from 3-pointers to lead 12-8 midway through the first. Offense for both sides came easy in the first quarter as the Ichabods were able to remain out-pacing the Hillcats (9-17, 6-11 MIAA) and lead 18-16 after one.  

The game opened up in the second quarter as it started with an 11-0 Washburn run capped off by an putback layup for Yiibari Nwidadah to lead 29-16 at the 6:46 mark. The Rogers State offense was put in the mud by the Ichabod defense, holding them to 3-15 shooting in the quarter. Just beating the halftime buzzer Payton Sterk sank her third 3-pointer of the quarter to make it 41-23 going into the locker room. 

To begin the third quarter the Hillcats were able to cut the deficit down to 13 points at the 7:29 mark. Sterk steadied the offense with another triple but Rogers State continued to fire away, shooting 7-9 in the quarter and 3-3 from deep. Still, heading into the fourth Washburn held onto a 60-46 advantage.  

Gabi Giovannetti found the bottom of the net for a 3-pointer with 8:38 left in the game that was the start of 16-0 run capped off by yet another Sterk shot from downtown, extending the lead to 30 points with 5:34 left. From that point on the Ichabods got the whole team involved, with every active player appearing in what would be a 87-60 road win. 

Washburn shot 48.5% overall for the game while drilling a season-high 15 3-pointers on 29 attempts, tying for the fourth made in a single game in program history. Rogers State shot 40.4% overall and was 7-23 from three-point range.  

A 43-26 rebounding advantage aided the Ichabods leading a 17-4 advantage in second chance points and 30-22 in paint scoring. The turnover battle was also won 15-12. 

Payton Sterk led the way with 31 points on 10-15 shooting and 7-10 from deep, the most points by any Ichabod this season. She also added four steals. Yiibari Nwidadah had an 11 point and 15 rebound double-double. Gabi Giovannetti poured in 16 points on 6-9 shooting with a steal.  

Bailey Layman led Rogers State with 17 points, three Hillcats scored in double figures.  

ABOUT THE PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS

• Pittsburg State moved to 18-8 and 11-6 inside the MIAA after losing a third straight game falling 74-71 in overtime at home to No. 6 Fort Hays State last time out.
• The Gorillas are 8-5 playing at home in John Lance Arena, 7-3 on the road and 3-0 in neutral court games.
• They are receiving votes in the latest WBCA poll.
• Last season Pittsburg State went 33-4 overall and 18-1 in the MIAA. They won the MIAA regular season and tournament championships while advancing to the NCAA Final Four.
• On the year the Gorillas average 71.8 ppg with shooting splits of 41.3% from the floor, 31.3% from deep and 74.6% at the line. They also grab 41.7 rpg with 10.8 apg. Opponents are scoring 65.2 ppg on 38.0% shooting. 
• Pittsburg State is 1st in the MIAA and 30th in the nation in rpg. They rank 2nd in the conference shooting 74.6% at the free throw line and are 3rd in the conference in rebounding margin and free throws made per game.
• Ja'Miya Brown is leading the team scoring 13.0 ppg while playing in 24 games and starting in 23 logging 26.1 mpg. She is shooting 43.0% from the field and a team-high 38.0% from deep with 41 triples, also a team-high. She ranks 11th in the MIAA in 3's per game.
• Marin Adams has started all 26 games playing 29.6 mpg while scoring 12.3 ppg, second most on the team. She also grabs 3.7 rpg and gives out a team-high 2.4 apg. She is 2nd in the MIAA with a 87.5 ft%. 
• Harper Schriner has also started all 26 games for the Gorillas playing a team-high 32.7 mpg. She scores 11.6 ppg while grabbing 7.0 rpg from the guard spot and is swiping a team-best 1.4 spg. She is 11th in the MIAA in rpg. 
• Kaycee McCumber has appeared in all 26 games logging 24.3 mpg. She is scoring 9.0 ppg on a team-high 51.3% shooting. She grabs 10.1 rpg with 2.7 coming on the offensive end. She is 2nd in the MIAA with eight double-doubles and leads the conference while ranking 18th nationally in rpg.
• Clara Swearingen chips in 8.5 ppg while playing 30.3 mpg across all 26 contests. She also ads 2.7 rpg and 1.1 spg. 

HEAD COACH AMANDA DAVIED

• Is in her 8th season at the helm of the Pittsburg State women's basketball program where she has a 166-70 record.
• Served the previous 14 seasons as the assistant coach for her alma mater, replaced her former mentor, Lane Lord.
• During her tenure on the Pitt State staff (2004-present), the Gorillas have compiled a 431-222 overall record (.660), capturing two MIAA regular season titles in 2017 and 2025, two MIAA tournament title in 2024 and 2025.
• The Farlington, Kan., native scored 1,299 points in 109 career games, finishing her career as the school's ninth-leading all-time scorer. She also set Pitt State records for career assists (553) and career free throw percentage (.844, 313-for-371).

LAST TIME VERSUS PITTSBURG state

Pittsburg State 71, Washburn 57 (March 8, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn closed out its time in Lee Arena for the 2024-25 season with a 64-52 win over Rogers State on Saturday afternoon, marking its third straight victory. The Ichabods will head on the road for the final week of the regular season beginning with Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26.  

The Hillcats (7-19, 1-16 MIAA) jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead but the next nine points were all scored by Washburn (16-11, 10-7 MIAA), going in front 11-5 at the 6:07 mark after Gabi Giovannetti got a jumper to fall. The Ichabod offense worked efficiently in the first, shooting 8-15 to lead 20-13 after one.  

Washburn pushed the lead into double digits after a free throw by Giovannetti early in the second. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way as the Ichabod offense cooled off from the first quarter. Rogers State cut the lead down to just five points at the 3:22 mark and once again with just over a minute left in the half. Brooke Gomez ended the frame with a driving layup to make it 31-24 after 20 minutes.  

Two straight baskets by Payton Sterk, the second a steal and score, began a 6-0 run that put the Ichabods in front by 14 at the 5:24 mark in the third. Washburn got to the line, shooting eight free throws in the quarter and making six to keep the lead in double digits into the final two minutes. The Hillcats went on a 4-0 run in the final 35 seconds of the half to pull within eight at 48-40 going into the fourth.  

After Rogers State got the first basket in the final frame the Ichabods responded with a 6-0 run beginning with a layup by Sterk. Washburn was held scoreless for the next 3:43 as the Hillcats pulled within six points. It took only 78 seconds for the Ichabods to get the six points back with Sterk and Nwidadah each accounting for three to lead by 12 with 2:25 to play. That is what the deficit would be at the final buzzer with Sterk and Emajin McCollum sinking free throws down the stretch, securing the 64-52 win.  

Washburn shot 43.1% (22-51) for the game and was 15-24 at the free throw line, generating 13 more attempts than the visitors. Rogers State shot 22-55 (40.0%) overall, but was just 2-17 from beyond the arc, with both makes coming in the first half.  

Rebounding went in favor of the Ichabods 37-29, while both teams were able to turn the other over as Washburn had 20 giveaways and the Hillcats 18. Both teams were even in paint scoring, with 32 each, while the Ichabods had 11 second chance points and allowed just five.  

Payton Sterk led the way with her second straight 20-point game, scoring 24 on 8-16 shooting with three steals. Brooke Gomez scored eight points and grabbed a career and game-high 11 rebounds while also giving out five assists. Yiibari Nwidadah scored 11 points and grabbed six boards.  

Alyza Aikins scored 13 to lead Rogers State while Jaiana Wiggins added 11 with three blocks.  

SERIES WITH PITTSBURG STATE

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 56-40.
• The Ichabods are 31-15 against Pittsburg State playing at home in Topeka. 
• The series began on Jan. 18, 1975 with a 101-36 win for Washburn at home.
• The last meeting came in the season finale for the Ichabods last season with a 71-57 win for the Gorillas in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals on March 8.
• Washburn averages 67.48 ppg all-time against Pittsburg State.

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,032-514-1 (.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

• 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.