By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball starts the new year with another chapter against its most storied rival, with the Ichabods facing Emporia State at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Emporia's White Auditorium.
unior Yibari Nwidadah averages team-highs of 17.6 points and 7.5 rebounds for Washburn, which opens 2025 Saturday at Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is 6-7 on the year overall and 0-3 in the MIAA after falling 85-72 on the road to Central Missouri on Dec. 21 in its final game of 2024 while Emporia State moved to 7-5 on the year and 2-1 in the MIAA after defeating Central Missouri 70-66 on Thursday at home.
Saturday's meeting with Emporia State will be the 114th all-time meeting between the two teams.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with a 17.6 scoring average while shooting a team-high 71.8 percent from the field and grabbing a team-best 7.5 rebounds. Nwidadah has started all 11 games she has played and has shot over 50.0 percent in every game this season while recording two double-doubles. The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation.
With 178 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is ninth in program history and is eight boards away from moving up to No. 8. In overall rebounds she ranks 24th in Washburn history with 473.
Junior Payton Sterk is scoring 15.6 points a game while starting all 13 contests and playing a team-high 29.7 minutes per game. Sterk is shooting 44.0 percent from the floor and a team-high 39.2 percent from deep while dishing out 2.6 assists a game. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 29 3-pointers.
Former Bishop Miege star Gabi Giovannetti is averaging 11.3 points for the Ichabods, with the junior starting all 13 games and playing 26.3 minutes a game. She is second on the team with 20 made triples and has made a 3-pointer in all but two games.
Giovannetti is tied for 17th in program history with 85 career 3-pointers made. She will move up to 16th with eight more triples.
Emporia State enters Saturday on a three-game win streak after Thursday's win over Central Missouri.
Katie Horyna does a little bit of everything for Emporia State, leading the Hornets in scoring at 17.8 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. She has started all 11 games she has appeared, in playing a team-high 34.0 minutes per game. She also leads the team with 4.8 assists per game and is averaging 5.6 rebounds.
Gracie Gilpin is averaging 12.2 points while playing and starting all 12 games and logging 32.4 minutes per game. She leads the team with 31 made 3-pointers.
Freshman Silver Lake product Makenzie McDaniel is averaging 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for ESU.
Emporia State leads the all-time series between the two teams, 63-50.
Washburn will finally return back home for its first MIAA action inside Lee Arena against Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday.
