TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn women's basketball makes its return to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the central region where they will square off with the No. 4 seed Central Missouri for a fourth time this season and second straight game on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn.
 

OPENING TIP

• Washburn returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history as the No. 5 seed in the Central Region where they will face the No. 4 seed Central Missouri in a rematch of the MIAA Tournament Championship.
• The Ichabods take on the Jennies for a fourth time this season at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13 inside the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn.
• Washburn improved to 24-7 on the year, winning its 10th MIAA Tournament Championship in program history defeating the Jennies 53-44 last time out on March 8. The Ichabods went 14-5 in the MIAA regular season.
• 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. They finished 3rd in the regular season.

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 is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2012-13 season.
• As a team Washburn has shooting splits of 40.8% from the floor, 31.9% from deep and 72.2% at the free throw line to score 66.3 ppg. 
• They grab 38.1 rpg with 13.1 apg to 16.3 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 9.0 spg with 2.9 bpg.  
• On the year opponents are averaging 57.1 ppg while shooting 36.9% from the floor and 28.7% from behind the 3-point line.  
• Washburn is 12-1 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 6-1 in neutral court games and 6-5 in road contests.  
• The Ichabods knocked down three timely 3-pointers in the MIAA Championship against Central Missouri to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 158 games. 
• Central Missouri heads to the big dance with a 25-6 record overall after going 17-2 inside the MIAA. They were defeated by the Ichabods last time out 53-44 in the MIAA Championship that snapped a 13-game winning streak.

THE BIG DANCE

• Washburn makes its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, first since 2012-13.
• The Ichabods are 26-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 23-12 in the Central Region Tournament. 
• Washburn is 9-3 in the opening round game of the regional. 
• They are 17-8 in neutral court tournament games. 
• The Ichabods are 3-0 against Central Missouri in the NCAA Tournament.
• The last NCAA Tournament win came on March 9, 2012 with a 68-36 win over West Texas A&M in Topeka in the regional quarterfinals. 
• March 12, 2010 was the last time the Jennies and Ichabods met in the NCAA Tournament. Washburn claimed a 72-61 win in the regional quarterfinals in Canyon, Texas.

CENTRAL REGIONAL

• The NCAA Central Region Tournament will be held between March 13-16 inside the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn.
• The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 16.
• With a win on Friday, the Ichabods would face the winner of the game between the No. 1 seed Minnesota State and No. 8 Minnesota Duluth at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. 
• Fans are encouraged to park in lots 20 and 20A southeast of the Taylor Center.
• Tickets can be purchased online on the Minnesota State website.  

THE BLUE BUNCH

• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team scoring 11.8 ppg in just 22.1 mpg on the season. She has started in all 30 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 7.5 rpg while also shooting a team-high 57.3% from the floor. She has scored in double figures in 18 games with eight double-doubles. She is 3rd in the MIAA in offensive rebounds per game and 9th among conference players in rpg.
• Payton Sterk is leading the team scoring 12.2 ppg on 36.7% shooting overal, 34.0% from deep and a team-best 88.4% at the line. She has started every game playing 31.8 mpg, most on the team while also coming away with 1.5 spg, second most on the team. She has drilled a team-high 53 triples and has scored 14+ points in 12 games this season. The senior ranks 8th in the MIAA in total 3-pointers and 13th in points.
• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 31 games for Washburn scoring 11.4 ppg on 40.8% shooting in 28.9 mpg of action. She is shooting 34.4% from deep and is second on the team with 42 3-pointers. She also brings down 4.1 rpg and is swiping a team-high 1.6 spg.
• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.1 ppg in just 16.7 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting 53.9% from the floor, second best on the team, while grabbing 4.2 rpg. Her 11 games scoring double figures off the bench lead the team and she is 12th in the MIAA in bpg. 
• Madelyn Amekporfor played in every game while making 30 starts logging 23.8 mpg and scoring 6.2 ppg while shooting 36.1% from the floor. She is grabbing 3.1 rpg along with swiping 1.4 spg. She has eleven games with multiple steals.
• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 29 starts and is logging 18.9 mpg. She scores 4.4 ppg on 43.4% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 2.6 apg along with grabbing 2.6 rpg. She is 10th in the MIAA in total assists.
• Aniah Wayne has appeared in every game while making one start and is playing 20.0 mpg. She is scoring 6.8 ppg on 37.4% shooting from the floor and 35.7% from deep, best on the team. The senior also chips in 2.0 rpg and shoots 78.9% at the free throw line.
• Kellyn Hunter has played in 28 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 17.1 mpg. She scores 3.4 ppg while grabbing 2.8 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 3.0 rpg.
• Kennadi Jackson has come off the bench in 23 games playing 6.6 mpg and scoring 1.1 ppg.
• Willow Gideon has played in ten games logging 3.8 mpg. She is scoring 1.2 ppg.
• Kylin Shipman has appeared in 15 games for the Ichabods of the bench logging 7.2 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 57.1 ppg overall Washburn is 33rd nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense. 
• Forcing 17.74 turnovers per game the Ichabods lead the conference and are 110th nationally at creating giveaways.
• With opponents shooting 36.9% from the floor, Washburn is 3rd in the conference and 58th in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
• Outscoring opponents by 9.2 ppg, the Ichabods have the 61st best scoring margin in the nation and 3rd among MIAA teams.
• With a +5.2 rebounding margin Washburn is 2nd among conference teams and 53rd in the nation. 
• Shooting 31.9% from deep the Ichabods are 82nd in the nation in accuracy from deep.
• With a team field goal percentage of 40.8% Washburn ranks 5th in the MIAA and 106th nationally.
• The Ichabod bench is scoring 20.5 ppg, 7th most in the MIAA and 97th in the nation.

ADVANCED STATS

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 94.0 and defensive rating of 81.0 based on averages per 100 possessions. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 19.3%. On the defensive end she grabs 24.8% of rebounds. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team grabbing 14.3% of rebounds when on the floor, second highest on the team. 
• Brooke Gomez has the highest assist percentage on the team at 27.4% of assists while on the floor. 
• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 21.0%. 
• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 60.2% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers. 
• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 54.9%. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• With 311 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 3rd with 847 career boards. 
• Her career field goal percentage of .579 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring she ranks 10th among all Ichabods with 1,345 career points. 
• Nwidadah is also 9th in program history with 74 career blocked shots. 
• Gabi Giovannetti is 6th in program history with 156 career 3-pointers made. She is 14th among all Ichabods with 65 blocked shots. 
• She ranks 20th in program history with 1,052 career points. 
• Payton Sterk currently sits 13th in program history with 115 3-pointers made in just 62 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 36.1% is the 15th best in program history.
• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.1% is the best for any Ichabod. 
• With 64 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is 15th in program history at coming away with rejections. 
• Aniah Wayne has made 110 3-pointers in her Ichabod career putting her tied for 15th 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 66-53 record with Washburn and is 140-131 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 53, Central Missouri 44 (March 8, 2026)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For a second straight day Washburn came back in the second half, this time defeating Central Missouri 53-44 to capture the tenth MIAA Tournament Championship in program history and first since the 2011-12 season. The win clinches the Ichabods spot in the NCAA Tournament which will be announced Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. 

At the conclusion of the tournament Yiibari Nwidadah and Gabi Giovannetti were named to the MIAA All-Tournament Team with Nwidadah earning the title of tournament MVP.  

Early on the Jennies (25-6, 17-2 MIAA) offense led the way as they buried four 3-pointers in seven attempts in the first quarter. Early on it was tied at eight before one of the triples from Central Missouri began a 7-0 run. Washburn (24-7, 14-5) trailed by eight after the first quarter at 18-10. 

Neither team got on the board the first two minutes of the second quarter until Brooke Gomez got a driving layup to go. The next three points went to the Jennie, pushing the deficit to a game-high nine points. The Ichabods had a strong close to the quarter, finishing on a 9-2 run to trail by just two after Kellyn Hunter found Madelyn Amekporfor for a fast break layup with 28 seconds left in the half.  

Amekporfor started the scoring in the third as she tied the game briefly until Central Missouri scored the next four points. Giovannetti found the bottom of the net for the first Washburn triple at the 5:48 mark and shortly after Gomez converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Ichabods in front for the first time since the first five minutes of the game. The lead traded hands five times the rest of the quarter and ended with Central Missouri leading 36-35 going into the fourth.  

The Washburn offense started to roll in the fourth, scoring the first 10 points of the quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers for Payton Sterk as the Jennies were held scoreless until the 4:38 mark. With 1:48 to play Central Missouri had cut the deficit down to six but never got closer. Inside the final minute of the game Giovannetti went 6-6 at the free throw line to close out the game with a 53-44 championship victory.  

The Ichabods needed to shoot just 27.4% from the field and knock down 3-13 triples to earn the win. They shot 16-19 at the free throw line while limiting Central Missouri to 30.6% shooting overall and 4-16 from downtown.  

Washburn was +10 in rebounding margin at 45-35 while grabbing 16 offensive boards. They scored 14 second chance points while limiting UCM to just five on the other end. The Ichabods also had a 17-12 advantage in turnovers, leading to 13 points on the other end while the Jennies scored just two off takeways.  

Gabi Giovannetti led the way offensively with 17 points, eigh rebounds and two steals while going 10-10 at the free throw line. Payton Sterk scored 12 while grabbing five rebounds. Madelyn Amekporfor scored six with ten rebounds, four steals and two blocks and Brooke Gomez scored five with three steals.  

Reese Schaaf led Central Missouri scoring 16 points with 14 rebounds and swiping three steals.  

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES

• Central Missouri enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-6 record overall after falling to Washburn 53-44 in the MIAA Tournament Championship last time out on March 8. They went 17-2 in the MIAA regular season. 
• The Jennies have gone 12-2 inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center, 10-2 on the road and 3-2 in neutral court meetings. 
• Last season Central Missouri went 17-15 overall and 8-11 in conference play. They fell in the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament.  
• On the year the Jennies average 71.0 ppg with shooting splits of 43.9% from the floor, 32.8% from deep and 74.5% at the line. They also grab 40.5 rpg with 15.5 apg. Opponents are scoring 57.5 ppg on 36.6% shooting.  
• Central Missouri leads the MIAA and is 18th in the nation with a +8.8 rebounding margin. They also lead the conference and are 24th in the nation with a +13.5 point margin. They rank 2nd in the conference in apg, bpg and field goal percentage as well.
• Reese Schaaf is scoring a team-high 19.1 ppg on a team-high 52.9% from the field and 44.4% from deep with 40 3-pointers. She plays 32.6 mpg while grabbing a team-best 9.9 rpg with 2.7 apg and 1.8 spg, all leading the team or tied for the team-high. She leads the MIAA and is 10th nationally with 18 double-doubles while ranking 22nd in the nation in both ppg and rpg.
• Taylor Weishaar is second on the team scoring 15.1 ppg on 44.8% shooting. She has started all 31 games and is grabbing 8.0 rpg while swatting away a team-high 1.6 bpg. She ranks 39th in the nation in bpg, 6th in the MIAA in ppg and 7th in rpg.
• Neely Schaaf has started in all 31 games playing 27.5 mpg. She scores 8.0 ppg on 38.7% shooting overall. She chips in 3.8 rpg and 2.7 apg, tied for a team-high. She has a team-high 43 3-pointers on 37.1%. She is 9th in the MIAA in total assists.
• Hayden Heim has played in all 31 games making 25 starts and is scoring 7.8 ppg on 42.2% shooting. She is grabbing 4.7 rpg with 1.2 bpg in 27.3 mpg. She is 7th in the MIAA in bpg.
• Makenzie Farmer has made 28 starts and played in all 31 games logging 23.5 mpg. She chips in 6.9 ppg while giving out 2.3 apg. 

HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER

• Is in his 22nd season as the head coach at Central Missouri where he has a 464-200 record.  
• Is in his 37th season as a head coach with a 848-299 career record. Among active head coaches, Slifer is the second winningest active head coach in Division II and ranks in the top-five among all three divisions 
• Prior to UCM, Slifer was Missouri Western's mentor, where he posted a record of 206-69. The winningest coach in Missouri Western women's basketball history. 
• Before his stint at Missouri Western, Slifer served six seasons at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
• Slifer received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Mount Mercy in 1982, and a master's degree in business administration from Eastern Illinois in 1985.

SERIES WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 45-32. 
• The Ichabods are 5-1 against the Jennies in neutral court meetings. 
• The series began on Jan. 17, 1990 with a 75-66 win for Washburn in Topeka.  
• Central Missouri has a 2-1 edge in the season-series between the two teams this year with the Ichabods winning the last time out in the only neutral court meeting.
• Washburn averages 65.44 ppg all-time against Central Missouri. 

WASHBURN HISTORY

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,037-514-1 (.669) 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

• With a win on Friday, Washburn would take on the winner of the game between No. 1 Minnesota State and No. 8 Minnesota Duluth at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 14.