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WU women's basketball improves to 8-3 with 59-43 win over Western Colorado
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball delivered a full 40-minute effort on Friday night in Day 1 of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Holiday Classic in Lawton, Okla., knocking off Western Colorado, 59-43.
Senior Payton Sterk led a balanced Washburn attack with 15 points in Friday's 59-43 tournament win over Western Colorado. [File photo/TSN]
Ichabod senior Payton Sterk opened the scoring in the game's first 15 seconds with a 3-pointer as 8-3 Washburn scored the first five points of the game.
The Mountaineers (5-4) responded with an 8-3 run to pull within three. Defensively the Ichabods were able to hold Western Colorado in check after that in the opening quarter as it shot just 25.0 percent overall, helping Washburn lead 15-9.
Both sides slowed down to begin the second quarter with just nine total points in the first five minutes of action. With the lead at just two points the Ichabods got four in a row from senior Gabi Giovannetti in the final minutes of the quarter to lead 26-20 heading into the break.
After trading baskets to open the third quarter Washburn pushed the lead to double figures, with Sterk drilling another 3-pointer to make it 35-25 at the 5:18 mark. An old-fashioned three-point play late in the quarter by Nia McKenzie made it a 15-point game as the Ichabod defense held the Mountaineers to under 30.0 percent shooting in the quarter once again.
Western Colorado turned around its offensive attack in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to six points at the 5:08 mark. Ichabod junior Britany Kogbara put a stop to the run with an and-one conversion that started a 12-0 run for Washburn that lasted into the final minute of action as they went on to win, 59-43.
The Ichabod offense shot 42.6 percent from the floor while going 5 of 11 from deep and 14-17 at the free throw line line in an all-around efficient effort. The defense was equally as stifling, holding the Mountaineers to just 31.9 percent shooting and 5-18 from three-point range.
Washburn won the turnover battle 22-14 leading to a 14-9 advantage in points off giveaways. They also had a 26-14 edge in paint scoring.
Sterk led the Ichabods with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting to go along with four steals.
Sophomore Brooke Gomez had a season-high 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting and three steals while Giovannetti had 10 points. Six players finished with five or more points while all 14 Ichabods logged minutes.
Alyssa Eckroth had a team-high 10 points for Western Colorado.
The Ichabods will finish off the tournament on Saturday, facing the host Cameron at 4 p.m.
Topeka High girls pick up first win in 65-35 romp over USD 501 rival Hi Park
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Off to a rough start with four straight losses to open the 2025-2026 season, Topeka High girls basketball ended its pre-holiday slate with its first victory of the season Thursday night, rolling to a 65-35 home non-league decision over USD 501 rival Highland Park.
Sophomore Hailey Caryl, battling for a loose ball, scored 13 points Thursday in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We were 0-4 and I would not have predicted the 0-4, but we did play four decent teams,'' Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said. "I thought we could have, should have, would have won two of them, but we didn't play well.
"We had too many outside distractions and we just didn't have a good three weeks of preseason practices, but the last three or four have been very good. They brought it to the gym and that's what it's supposed to be. I was more than happy with the effort tonight. Our passing was better and our defense got us a lot of baskets.''
The Trojans, who played without junior standout Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, took control early, scoring the first seven points of the game and building 15-2 and 19-4 leads before taking a 21-6 advantage into the second quarter.
Highland Park, coming off a 42-40 win over Shawnee Mission West Tuesday night, came to life with 12 points in the second stanza but Topeka High still led by 18 points at the break, doubling up the Scots 36-18.
Senior Keimara Marshall scored 19 points in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High boosted its lead to 53-25 with a 17-7 third quarter and the Trojans forced a running clock with 5:08 remaining after a hoop from senior Keimara Marshall.
Junior Sasha Gotru scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sasha Gotru, a 5-foot-11 junior, had a career night for the Trojans, scoring a game-high 22 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field while recording a double-double with 12 rebounds.
Marshall added 19 points, including a 5 of 5 performance at the free throw line, while sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 13 points with High's only 3-pointer in her first game of the season after missing the Trojans' first four games of the year with an injury.
Senior Koralee Jones (13) scored a team-high 15 points in Thursday's 65-35 loss to Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Koralee Jones led Highland Park (1-2) with 15 points while junior Zayah Kincaid added eight, including a pair of 3-pointers.
WU women's basketball in Oklahoma for pair of tournament tilts this weekend
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball heads to Lawton, Okla. this weekend for its final two non-conference games of the regular season, taking on Western Colorado at 5 p.m. Friday and Cameron at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Fairfield Inn and Suites Holiday Classic.
Washburn, 7-3 on the season, will be in Oklahoma this weekend for its final two non-conference games of the regular season. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn is 7-3 on the season while Western Colorado enters Friday's game with a 5-3 record and Cameron enters its tournament 0-9.
Washburn coach Lora Westling wasn't pleased with the Ichabods' play, particularly in the first half, in Tuesday's non-conference game against Truman State, but the WU coach acknowledged that the fact that the Ichabods were still able to post a 16-point win without being at their best was a sign of continuing progress for the program.
"The win's huge and we've got to have that,'' Westling said. "I've been on the other side of effort like that and it's like a smack in the face twice, so I am proud that we did enough to find a way to win a region game.
"I know we've had a little adversity this week, but we'll be better. I know these kids, I know they want to do well, but we are also going to take this (the performance against Truman) very seriously and understand it's not acceptable.''
Senior Yibari Nwidadah, who missed the Truman State game with an injury, averages a team-high 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for Washburn while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor. Nwidadah is expected to play this weekend.
Senior Payton Sterk averages 12.6 points and a team-high 1.8 steals while hitting 17 3-pointers and senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 12.5 points with a team-high 20 3-pointers.
Juniors Britany Kogbara and Madelyn Amekporfor average 8.7 and 6.4 points for the Ichabods.
Four players cracked double figures for the Ichabods in Tuesday's win over Truman State, led by 18 points on 9 of 12 shooting by Kogbara, who added five rebounds and two blocks. Amekporfor had 13 points on 6-9 shooting, Giovannetti 12 points and Sterk 10.
Senior Aniah Wayne scored seven points while adding a career-high 10 rebounds and swiping four steals.
