TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 3 seeded Washburn women's basketball will play for an MIAA Championship on Sunday as they face the top seed Central Missouri at 1 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. 

OPENING TIP 

• Washburn continues its 35th appearance in the MIAA Tournament heading to the MIAA Championship for the first time since 2011-12 where they will take on the No. 1 seed Central Missouri. 

• The Ichabods take on the Jennies at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 7 inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. 

• Washburn moved to 23-7 on the year with a 67-63 win over the No. 7 seed Missouri Western in the semifinals on Saturday for an eighth straight victory. 

• Twenty-three victories are the most in a season for the program since the 2013-14 season which saw the Ichabods go 26-11. 

• 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 was ranked No. 6 in the final NCAA Central Region rankings released on Wednesday, March 4. Eight teams from the region will advance into the NCAA Tournament announced on Sunday, March 8. 

• The Ichabods are looking to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2012-13 season. 

• As a team Washburn has shooting splits of 41.3% from the floor, 32.1% from deep and 71.8% at the free throw line to score 66.7 ppg.  

• They grab 37.9 rpg with 13.3 apg to 16.4 turnovers per contest. Defensively they average 8.9 spg with 2.8 bpg.   

• On the year opponents are averaging 57.5 ppg while shooting 37.0% from the floor and 28.8% from behind the 3-point line.   

• Washburn is 12-1 on the year inside the new Lee Arena, 5-1 in neutral court games and 6-5 in road contests.   

• Washburn knocked down six 3-pointers in the semifinal win over Missouri Western to extend its streak with a made 3-pointer to 157 games.  

• Central Missouri enters the championship game on a 13-game winning streak and with a 25-5 record overall while going 17-2 in MIAA play. They defeated the No. 4 seed Missouri Southern 60-45 in the semifinal round. 

TOURNAMENT TIME 

• The MIAA Championship Tournament will take place in Kansas City, Mo. at Municipal Auditorium from March 4-8. 

• Tickets can be purchased at the Municipal box office or via ticketmaster.  

• Games will be broadcasted on the MIAA Network and can be purchased with a $15 single-game pass or $40 for the entire tournament. 

• The championship game will also be broadcast on 38 The Spot. 

• Washburn is 45-25 overall in the MIAA Tournament and are 31-20 inside of Municipal Auditorium. 

• They will be playing for the 10th MIAA Tournament Championship in program history as they have a 9-2 record in the final round. 

• The Ichabods are 5-3 as the No. 3 seed in the tournament and 3-5 against the No. 1 seed. They are 7-15 all-time as the lower seed. 

• Washburn is 5-3 against the Jennies in the tournament. 

• They will play for the championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season when they defeated Emporia State 68-59 to win. 

ALL-MIAA HONORS 

• Washburn landed three players on the 2025-26 All-MIAA squads headlined by Yiibari Nwidadah earning All-MIAA First Team honors as well as All-Defensive team recognition. 

• She is the first First Team selection since Laura Kinderknecht in 2012-13 and the first to earn First Team honors as well as be named to the All-Defensive team since Crystal Walker in 2002-03. 

• Payton Sterk landed on the All-MIAA Second Team for the second time in her two seasons with Washburn. 

• Gabi Giovannetti earned her first career All-MIAA selection as she was named an Honorable Mention All-Conference member. 

THE BLUE BUNCH 

• Yiibari Nwidadah is second on the team scoring 12.0 ppg in just 22.4 mpg on the season. She has started in all 29 games she has played in and leads the team grabbing 7.6 rpg while also shooting a team-high 58.6% from the floor. She has scored in double figures in 18 games with eight double-doubles.  

• Payton Sterk is leading the team scoring 12.2 ppg on 37.0% shooting overall, 34.0% from deep and a team-best 88.1% at the line. 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 51 triples and has scored 14+ points in 12 games this season.  

• Gabi Giovannetti has started all 30 games for Washburn scoring 11.2 ppg on 41.4% shooting in 28.6 mpg of action. She is shooting 35.0% from deep and is second on the team with 41 3-pointers. She also brings down 4.0 rpg and is swiping a team-high 1.6 spg. 

• Britany Kogbara sits fourth on the team in scoring at 7.4 ppg in just 16.4 mpg of action playing in every game with one start. She is shooting 55.4% 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. 

• Madelyn Amekporfor played in every game while making 29 starts logging 23.7 mpg and scoring 6.2 ppg while shooting 35.8% from the floor. She is grabbing 2.9 rpg along with swiping 1.3 spg. She has ten games with multiple steals. 

• Brooke Gomez has played in every game while making 28 starts and is logging 18.9 mpg. She scores 4.4 ppg on 43.2% shooting and is dishing out a team-high 2.6 apg along with grabbing 2.7 rpg.  

• Aniah Wayne has appeared in every game while making one start and is playing 20.3 mpg. She is scoring 7.1 ppg on 37.6% shooting from the floor and 36.0% from deep, best on the team. The senior also chips in 2.1 rpg and shoots 78.9% at the free throw line. 

• Kellyn Hunter has played in 27 games while making two starts for the Ichabods and is logging 17.0 mpg. She scores 3.4 ppg while grabbing 2.7 rpg and making 1.0 spg.  

• Nia McKenzie has played 13.3 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.  

ADVANCED STATS 

• Washburn has a team offensive rating of 94.5 and defensive rating of 81.5 based on averages per 100 possessions.  

• Yiibari Nwidadah leads the team among qualified players in rebounding percentage at 19.5%. On the defensive end she grabs 25.1% of rebounds.  

• 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 27.3% of assists while on the floor.  

• Kellyn Hunter has the second highest mark at 20.5%.  

• Yiibari Nwidadah has the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 61.3% when adding in free throw percentage and 3-pointers.  

• Britany Kogbara is second on the team at 56.3%.  

MILESTONE MARKERS 

• With 309 career offensive rebounds Yiibari Nwidadah is 3rd in program history at creating extra opportunities. In overall rebounding she is 3rd with 844 career boards.  

• Her career field goal percentage of .582 is the 2nd best in program history. In scoring, she ranks 11th among all Ichabods with 1,339 career points.  

• Nwidadah is also 9th in program history with 73 career blocked shots.  

• Gabi Giovannetti is 6th in program history with 155 career 3-pointers made. She is 14th among all Ichabods with 64 blocked shots.  

• She ranks 21st in program history with 1,035 career points.  

• Payton Sterk currently sits 14th in program history with 113 3-pointers made in just 61 career games with Washburn. Her career percentage from deep of 36.1% is tied for 13th best in program history. 

• Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.0% is the best for any Ichabod.  

• With 62 career blocked shots Madelyn Amekporfor is tied for 16th 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 65-53 record with Washburn and is 142-131 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 67, Missouri Western 63 (March 7, 2026) 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The No. 3 seed Washburn came back from 16-points down in the second half to defeat No. 7 seeded Missouri Western 67-63 in the semifinal round and advance to the MIAA Championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Ichabods will take on the No. 1 seed Central Missouri at 1 p.m. on Sunday.   

The Griffons (15-15, 9-10 MIAA) got off to a fast start leading 11-4 at the 4:43 mark after a 5-0 run. Payton Sterk knocked down a triple late in the quarter that cut the lead down to four. The offense for Washburn (23-7, 14-5 MIAA) was cold, shooting just 22% in the opening quarter as they trailed 15-9.   

Seven quick points in the second quarter for Kellyn Hunter cut the deficit down to two points at 7:28 after she connected on a 3-pointer. Missouri Western answered back, scoring nine of the next ten points to lead by ten at 29-19. The Ichabods were held to under 30% shooting in the quarter as they went into the locker room trailing 33-25.   

A 4-0 ran to begin the second quarter for the Griffons pushed the lead back to double figures. The deficit would grow to 16-points at the 5:14 mark. A layup for Nia McKenzie was followed by five points for Gabi Giovannetti to make a 7-0 run and cut the deficit back down to eight with 2:29 remaining in the quarter. That is where the deficit sat heading to the fourth.  

After a bucket to start the quarter for Missouri Western the next eight points were Washburn's. A layup inside from Yiibari Nwidadah made it a two-point game with 6:58 remaining. Just inside five minutes a triple for McKenzie was followed by a layup inside from Aniah Wayne that gave Washburn the lead at 58-57. Sterk and Wayne each knocked down triples on the next two trips down that grew the lead to five points.   

The Griffons cut the lead down to one point inside the final minute. Sterk knocked down one free throw, and after an offensive rebound by Nwidadah she hit two more, putting the game away at 67-63, moving into the championship game.   

Washburn ended the game shooting just 38.3% from the floor, but knocked down six triples and got to the free throw line 22 times, making 15.   

A 42-35 rebounding advantage, including 20 offensive, aided the Ichabods. Both teams turned the ball over 18 times, Washburn turned it into 21 points while the Griffons scored just eight off the giveaways. The Ichabod bench also outscored the Missouri Western reserves 24-5.   

Yiibari Nwidadah led the way with her second straight double-double, scoring 17 points with 13 rebounds while shooting 5-8 from the floor. Gabi Giovannetti had 13 points while Payton Sterk had 11 with three steals and four assists. Kellyn Hunter had nine off the bench.   

Mia Morel led the Griffons with 21 points, Nakiya Harris added 11.   

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES 

• Central Missouri enters the championship with a 25-5 record overall and riding a 13-game winning streak after defeating Missouri Southern 60-45 in the semifinals on Saturday. 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 3-1 in neutral court meetings. 

• They are receiving votes in the latest WBCA poll. 

• 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 71.9 ppg with shooting splits of 44.3% from the floor, 33.0% from deep and 74.7% at the line. They also grab 40.6 rpg with 14.9 apg. Opponents are scoring 57.6 ppg on 37.0% shooting.  

• Reese Schaaf is scoring a team-high 19.2 ppg on a team-high 53.1% from the field and 44.9% from deep with 40 3-pointers. She plays 32.6 mpg while grabbing a team-best 9.7 rpg with 2.8 apg and 1.8 spg, both also team-highs. She earned All-MIAA first team honors. 

• Taylor Weishaar is second on the team scoring 15.3 ppg on 45.6% shooting. She has started all 30 games and is grabbing 8.1 rpg while swatting away a team-high 1.6 bpg. She was also named an All-MIAA first team selection. 

• Neely Schaaf has started in all 30 games playing 27.6 mpg. She scores 8.1 ppg on 38.9% shooting overall. She chips in 3.9 rpg and 2.8 apg.  

• Hayden Heim has played in all 30 games making 24 starts and is scoring 7.9 ppg on 42.3% shooting. She is grabbing 4.7 rpg with 1.2 bpg in 27.3 mpg. 

• Makenzie Farmer has made 27 starts and played in all 30 games logging 23.3 mpg. She chips in 7.0 ppg while giving out 2.4 apg. 

HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER 

• Is in his 22nd season as the head coach at Central Missouri where he has a 464-199 record.  

• Is in his 37th season as a head coach with a 848-298 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. 

LAST TIME VERSUS CENTRAL MISSOURI 

Central Missouri 64, Washburn 58 (February , 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.   

SERIES WITH CENTRAL MISSOURI 

• Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 44-32. 

• The Ichabods are 4-1 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 won both meetings between the two teams this season, last time out winning 64-58 in Warrensburg on Feb. 7. 

• Washburn averages 65.61 ppg all-time against Central Missouri. 

WASHBURN HISTORY 

• Washburn women's basketball is 1,036-514-1 (.668) 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 

• The NCAA selection show will take place at 10:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 8 and will be streamed online.