Washburn University Ichabods
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After two games 2,268 miles from home, Washburn University women's basketball stays on the road Saturday, but travels just 116 miles east to Warrensburg to face Central Missouri at 1 p.m.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with 17.4 points and 7.3 rebounds a game entering Saturday's MIAA contest at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
Entering its final game of 2024, Washburn is 6-6 on the year and 0-2 in the MIAA after finishing out the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 100-43 win over Ana G Mendez on Tuesday.
Central Missouri moved to 8-5 after an 89-56 non-conference win over Lincoln. The Jennies are 0-2 in the MIAA.
Saturday's meeting with Central Missouri will be the 73rd all-time meeting between the two teams. Washburn leads the all-time series with Central Missouri 43-29. The Jennies have won each of the last four meetings in the series, including 69-56 and 84-71 victories last year.
Yibari Nwidadah is averaging team-highs of 17.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 72.2 percent shooting from the field for Washburn.
The junior has started all 10 games she has played in, has shot over 50.0 percent in every game this season and has two double-doubles. The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking third in the MIAA in scoring and eighth in rebounds.
Junior Payton Sterk is averaging 16.1 points for the Ichabods while starting all 12 contests and playing a team-high 29.2 minutes per game. She is shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and a team-high 41.8 percent from 3-point range while dishing out 2.7 assists per game.
The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 28 3-pointers and she has 15-plus points in seven games this year. Sterk is second in the MIAA in total points, third in 3-pointers and 4th in 3-point percentage.
Gabi Giovannetti averages 11.7 points while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor. The junior Bishop Miege product has started all 12 games and averages 2.4 assists and a team-best 1.6 steals.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Washburn University Ichabods return to MIAA play on Saturday, wrapping up 2024 against Central Missouri at 3 p.m. in Warrensburg.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter averages a team-high 17.3 points for 11-0 Washburn, which returns to MIAA action on Saturday at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA after going 2-0 at the River City Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Washburn topped St. Edward's 87-67 and Texas Permian Basin, 76-62.
The Mules are 6-5 and 1-1 in the MIAA after splitting two games in San Antonio, falling to Texas Permian Basin 83-60 before rebounding in their final game to top No. 9-ranked North Georgia, 53-52.
The Ichabods were ranked No. 2 in the latest NABC Top 25 coaches poll and third in the latest D2CIDA poll released on Dec. 17. The ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 ranking on Dec. 18, 2012.
The last time the Ichabods were in the top 10 for four consecutive weeks was from Nov. 27, 2012 to Jan. 8, 2013 when the Ichabods were ranked second for four straight weeks and were tabbed No. 8 in week five.
The Ichabods are off to their best start to begin a season since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular-season championship.
WU senior Andrew Orr now has 1,035 career points, moving into 21st all time. Next on the chart is Travis Robbins, who scored 1,050 points in two seasons.
Senior Michael Keegan has 866 career points in 107 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 86. Keegan has also moved into the top 10 on the all-time steal chart with 121.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter is fifth in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 3.82 and he's ranked third in total 3-pointers made with 42.
Shorter leads a balanced Ichabod offense with a 17.3 scoring average, followed by senior Jacob Hanna at 14.7 points per game, Orr at 13.5, sophomore Jack Bachelor at 12.6 and Keegan at 9.4.
Junior Brady Christiansen leads WU with a 6.5 rebounding average, followed by Hanna at 6.4 boards per game.
Bachelor leads the Ichabods with 55 assists while Keegan has a team-high 28 steals.
DeAirius Barker leads Central Missouri in scoring at 12.8 points per game while Tim Jordan Jr. is also averaging double figures at 10.0 points per gam. Four UCM players are averaging at least 8.0 points.
Saturday's meeting will be the 113th between the two teams, with Washburn leading the series 59-53. Washburn lost its last trip to Warrensburg, falling 82-71 on Jan. 10, 2024.
The Ichabods have won 17 of the last 25 meetings, including 10 of the last 12.
The Ichabods will return after the holiday break with a road contest at Emporia State on Jan. 4 before finally returning home for games against Missouri Western on Jan. 8 and Northwest Missouri on Jan. 11.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BAYAMON, P.R. -- Washburn University women's basketball hit the century mark as it wrapped up its time at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 100-43 win over Ana G Mendez on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah (middle) scored 16 points to lead five double-figure scorers in Washburn's 100-43 win on Tuesday in Puerto Rico. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods got back to .500 on the year at 6-6 as they return to conference action against Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah picked up where she left off the day before, scoring the first six points of the game for Washburn to help build a 9-1 lead at the 5:28 mark.
The advantage grew to double figures with 3:17 to go at 17-6. The Trinos scored the next five points to pull within six in the final minutes before the Ichabods finished on a 6-0 run to lead 23-11 after one.
The Ichabods began the second quarter with a 13-0 run, capped by a fastbreak layup from Madelyn Amekporfor at the 7:33 mark. The lead grew to 30-points after Payton Sterk made a pair of free throws with 4:05 left in the half.
Washburn's defense tightened up after the first quarter, holding the Trinos to 1-16 shooting (6.25 percent) in the quarter and just four points to lead 52-15 at halftime.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Washburn University men trailed for the first time this season at the halftime break, but turned up the defense and controlled turnovers in the second half on the way to a 76-62 win over Texas Permian Basin in its non-conference finale.
Senior Andrew Orr led five double-figure scorers for Washburn with 16 points in Wednesday's 76-62 win over . [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved 11-0 on the season and returns to MIAA play at Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg.
Washburn trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, its largest deficit of the season, with 1:45 to go in the half before the Ichabods closed the frame on a 7-2 run to enter the locker room trailing 36-32.
The Ichabods turned the ball over eight times leading to eight points for the Falcons. Overall, there were nine lead changes in the first half.
The Ichabods outscored the Falcons 17 to 9 in the first 5:15 of the second half to take a 49-45 lead as Jack Bachelor scored eight points.
The Falcons (8-3) took their last lead of the game at 51-50 with 12:03 to play on a 3-pointer by Alex Matthews, who had a game-high 26 points, before Andrew Orr gave the Ichabods a 52-51 lead.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods opened the River City Classic with an 87-67 win over the St. Edward's Hilltoppers on Tuesday night, turning a two-point lead with under seven minutes to go into a 20-point victory.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 25 points with seven 3-pointers in Washburn's 87-67 win over St. Edward's Tuesday in San Antonio. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will wrap up non-conference play on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Texas Permian Basin in San Antonio.
After falling behind 3-0 after the Hilltoppers hit their opening shot of the game, Washburn jumped out to a 9-3 lead and eventually went up 22-13 after Brayden Shorter's fourth 3-pointer midway through the first half.
The Hilltoppers hit back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the lead to three at 22-19, but Jack Bachelor answered with a 3-pointer of his own followed by another Shorter deep shot and a fastbreak dunk by Michael Keegan as the Ichabods scored nine straight points to go up 34-21 with 4:41 to play.
Shorter then hit his sixth and seventh 3-pointers of the half to put WU in front 40-25 and Jacob Hanna and Bachelor finished the scoring in the half with two free throws each as the Ichabods took a 44-32 lead into the break.
Starting the second half, Washburn (10-0) pushed out to a 15-point lead with 17:47 to play in the game, but the Hilltoppers (8-4) would slowly chip away trimming an eight-point Ichabod lead with 10:45 to play down to two with 6:30 to play at 65-61.
A driving score by Hanna, followed by a Shorter jumper with another drive by Hanna and a bucket by Andrew Orr stretched the Ichabod lead back to eight with 4:47 left.
The Hilltoppers scored a basket after a pair of free throws by Hanna, pulling within eight, but a 3-pointer by Brady Christiansen from the corner moved the Ichabod lead back to 11 with 3:56 to go as the Ichabods closed with a 14-2 leading to post the 20-point win in the first meeting between the two schools.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 3-ranked Washburn University basketball is in San Antonio for a pair of games in the River City Classic, facing St. Edward's on Tuesday and Texas-Permian Basin on Wednesday, with both games tipping off at 7 p.m.
Washburn's men's basketball team visited the Alamo in San Antonio prior to playing games on Tuesday and Wednesday in the River City Classic. [Washburn basketball]
The Ichabods are 9-0 and were ranked No. 3 in the NABC Top 25 coaches poll and third in the latest D2CIDA poll released on Dec. 10. The ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 ranking on Dec. 18, 2012.
The St. Edward's Hilltopers are 8-3 this season and coming off a 96-58 win over Western New Mexico on Dec. 7 while the Falcons from Texas Permian Basin are 6-2 after topping Oklahoma Christian 80-77 on Dec. 12.
Prior to facing the Ichabods, the Falcons will host Central Missouri on Dec. 17 in San Antonio.
The Ichabods are off to their best to begin the season at 9-0 since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular-season championship.
Senior Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000-point club with a free throw at Fort Hays State last time out and he now has 1,009 career points.
Above Orr on the career scoring chart are Leonard Conkleton and Dave Hull with 1,011 points and Shannon Kruger with 1,014 points.
Senior Michael Keegan has 854 career points in 105 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 84. He also moved into the top 10 on the all-time steal chart with 119.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BAYAMON, P.R. -- Washburn University women's basketball won its 1,000th game in program history in blowout fashion on Monday afternoon as the Ichabod defeated Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras 83-28 in the first game of the Puerto Rico Clasico.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah led the way with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Washburn's 83-28 win Monday in Puerto Rico. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will finish off the Puerto Rico trip against Ana G Mendez at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
It was all Washburn (5-6) early on, with the Ichabods scoring the first 10 points of the game while holding the Gallitos (0-3) scoreless until the 5:17 mark in the quarter.
Six straight Ichabod points came from junior Yibari Nwidadah, who had 10 in the quarter, and pushed the lead back to 12-points. The hot-shooting carried throughout the team, shooting with WU 10-14 (71.4 percent) in the quarter to lead 24-12.
After a 5-0 start to the second quarter for Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, the next 17 points in the game came from Washburn, beginning with a layup by Emajin McCallop at 6:58 and ending with Nia McKenzie scoring in the final minute of the half. The Ichabods went into the half leading 43-18.
Coming out of the break Washburn scored the first 14 points, pushing the lead up to 39 after another bucket from McKenzie.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball will enjoy the warmer temperatures of Puerto Rico this week as the Ichabods compete in the Puerto Rico Clasico.
Washburn women's basketball is in Puerto Rico for games Monday and Tuesday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn, 4-6 on the season, will play a 4 p.m. (CST) game Monday against the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras before taking on thee University of Ana G Mendez at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Washburn has been off since taking an 83-53 loss against No. 7 Fort Hays State on the road on Dec. 7.
The December session of the Puerto Rico College Sports Tour will feature Emory and Henry College, Haskell Indian Reservation, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Anderson University, Ursuline Colleg, Morningside University, Spring Arbor University and the University of Rio Grande on the women's side.
Monday's WU meeting with Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras will be the secnd in team history while the contest against Ana G Mendez on Tuesday will be the first.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while shooting 70.2 percent from the field, but has missed the Ichabods' last two games while going through concussion protocol.
The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking third in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in rebounding.
Junior Payton Sterk is averaging 17 points per game and leads WU with 2.7 assists per game and 26 3-pointers.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a 5-foot-11 senior, scored 20 points and had eight assists in the Vikings' 69-67 season-opening United Kansas Conference girls basketball road win at Piper, with Becker become Seaman's all-time leader in career assists.
Maddie Gragg
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 junior, Gragg scored 21 points to lead defending Class 5A state girls basketball champion Seaman to a hard-earned 69-67 season-opening United Kansas Conference road victory at Piper on Friday night.
Dayne Johnson
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 junior multi-sport star, scored 21 points in the Eagles' 59-52 season-opening basketball win over Perry-Lecompton after being named to the All-Shawnee County football Top 22 earlier in the week.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University men's track and field team opened the 2024-25 season in the Washburn Alumni Invitational with nine school records and nine NCAA provisional marks on Saturday in the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
Tre Richardson made his track and field debut for Washburn with a school record and an NCAA provisional qualifying time. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Former Highland Park state champ Tre Richardson picked up first and second-place finishes in his first action for the Ichabods since moving inside from the football field, winning the long jump with a mark of 7.09 meters (23 feet, 03.25 inches) and then in the 60m, he ran times of 6.73 seconds in both the preliminaries and finals for an NCAA provisional mark and a school record.
Ezekiel Seamster and Richardson tied with a school record time of 6.73 as Seamster finished fourth in the finals in a time of 6.74 for an NCAA provisional mark. The previous school record was 6.80.
Seamster also picked up a school record with a second-place finish in the 200m in a time of 21.00, besting the previous school record of 21.28.
Former Hayden star Jake Muller helped Washburn set a school record and record a NCAA provisional time in Saturday's indoor season-opener. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
In the 4x400-meter relay the squad of Tyler Mooney, Seamster, Jacob Herr and former Hayden state champion Jake Muller finished second, setting the school record in the event in a time of 3:15.43 for an NCAA provisional time. Washburn smoked the previous school record of 3:20.05.
Matthew Heckman won the high jump with a school-record jump of 2.14m (7-00.25) for an NCAA provisional mark and a meet record. The previous school record was 2.13m (6-11.75).
Making his collegiate debut, Adam Woldridge recorded a school record in the pole vault with a jump of 4.91m (16-01.25) to finish second. The mark was also an NCAA provisional mark.
• Chaney Martin finished third at the Boo Rogers combined events competition at Pittsburg State. Martin tallied 5,267 points, breaking the school record and recording an NCAA provisional mark in the process.
Drew McGilton also recorded a PR and an NCAA provisional mark with 4,850 points.
The Ichabods, who were picked seventh in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, will be back in action January 17th at the Washburn Rust Buster starting the spring semester.
The Washburn women's track and field team opened the 2024-25 season with three meet records and six NCAA provisional marks while adding seven individual champions on Saturday.
Alyssa Hutcherson won the 60m prelims and finals in times of 7.58 and 7.53, respectively. Both times are NCAA provisional times.
McKenzie Hayse won the long jump with a mark of 5.67m (18-07.25) in her collegiate debut and she also finished second in the 200m with a time of 24.61 for an NCAA provisional mark. Hayse also finished second in the 60m in a time of 7.55 for another NCAA provisional time.
Isabella Kupka won the 400m in a time of 58.28 and Katelyn Jones was third in the event.
Ashley Heavner won the 600-yard, setting a meet record of 1:28.51 and Lauren Cassaday finished fourth in a time of 1:29.92.
The 4x400m relay team of Kupka, Jones, Heavner and Kaylee James won the event in a time of 3:53.93, setting a meet record. James also finished second in the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.89.
The Ichabods went 1-2 in the high jump with Alex Hart picking up the individual title at a height of 1.75m (5-08.75) for a meet and an NCAA provisional mark and Paige Platt finished second with a mark of 1.65m (5-05.00).
Reagan Housley picked up the individual title in the pole vault, setting a PR in the event with a height of 3.95m (12-11.50) and recording an NCAA provisional mark.
The Ichabods, who were picked third in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, will be back in action January 17th at the Washburn Rust Buster starting the spring semester.
WASHBURN ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The 2024 season for Washburn University volleyball came to an end in the NCAA Central Region semifinals as the Ichabods fell 3-2 to No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma on Friday afternoon.
Washburn University volleyball ended its season 21-8 after a five-set Central Region semifinal loss to Central Oklahoma on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods end the season with a 21-8 record and the program's 18th trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Washburn took the first set from the 32-2 Bronchos 25-20 before falling in each of the next two sets 25-21 and 25-18. The Ichabods forced a fifth set with a 25-19 win in the fourth but came up short in the fifth as Central Oklahoma won 15-8.
Both teams traded points to begin the match as they split the first 16 points.
A service error for Central Oklahoma began a 4-0 Ichabod run to put them ahead 12-9.
A kill by Jalyn Stevenson made it 19-15 but the lead never grew to more than four until Taryn Pridgett ended the set with a kill at 25-20. The Ichabods hit .283 in the set with 18 kills.
The second set began the same way with both teams splitting the first 20 points of the match to leave it tied at 10.
A three-point run by the Bronchos put them ahead 16-13 and created separation.
The lead remained intact even with a 3-0 burst by Washburn beginning with a kill from Austin Broadie to leave the score 20-19. After pulling within one once again Central Oklahoma ended the set at 25-21 with three straight kills.
Kills by Stevenson and Broadie put the Ichabods in front 9-6 in the third set.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Andrew Orr hit the 1,000-point mark for his career as the No. 3-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team improved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play with a 71-57 win at Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon.
Washburn senior Andrew Orr went over the 1,000-point mark for his career in Saturday's 71-57 win at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]
Jack Bachelor scored four of the Ichabods' first five points with a pair of layups in the first few minutes of the contest. The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, but Jacob Hanna's layup gave Washburn a 15-14 lead that it would not relinquish with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half.
Hanna's basket sparked an 11-0 run for the visitors, which included two 3-pointers by Brayden Shorter. After the Tigers (4-3 overall, 1-1 MIAA) answered with a 3-pointer of their own, Shorter knocked down his third triple of the half to put the Ichabods up 27-17 with seven and half minutes to play in the half.
A minute later, Shorter took the ball away from Fort Hays State and found Michael Keegan for a dunk to give Washburn a 31-19 lead and force a Tigers timeout.
Sitting at 999 points for his career, Orr stepped to the free throw line with five minutes to play in the half.
Orr knocked down the first attempt to become the 28th Ichabod to join the 1,000-point club. The senior hit the second free throw to give the Ichabods a 15-point lead, its largest advantage of the day.
The Washburn offense cooled off at the end of the half, but the visitors still held a 37-29 lead entering the locker room. Shorter led all scorers with 16 points in the half.
The Tigers opened the second half of play with a 3-pointer, cutting the Ichabod lead to five.
Washburn did not let the hosts get any closer, with Orr and Shorter each finding the basket to put the Ichabods up 41-32 a minute and a half into the half.
After the Tigers hit two free throws to cut the lead to seven, Washburn outscored Fort Hays State 13-5 over the next few minutes to extend the lead to 15.
Following a six-point swing in favor of the Tigers, Shorter cleaned up a missed shot with a rebound and put-back to give Washburn another double-digit lead.
After giving up a 3-pointer, the Ichabods responded with a six-point swing of their own, giving the visitors a 62-48 lead with just over six minutes to play.
The Tigers were unable to cut the Ichabod lead below 10 points for the remainder of the contest as the Ichabods closed out the 14-point victory and their ninth straight win to open the season.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 26 points as No. 3-ranked Washburn improved to 9-0 with a 71-57 win at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]
Shorter led all scorers with 26 points to lead the Ichabods, while Orr added 10 points to conclude his milestone evening. Bachelor and Keegan each scored 11 points, while Bachelor chipped in six rebounds and six assists.
Kyle Grill led the host Tigers with 16 points.
Washburn shot 27 of 57 from the field for a 47 percent mark, while Fort Hays State ended the evening shooting 20 of 50 for a 40 percent clip. The Ichabods hit 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc and 11 of 14 from the free throw line.
The Ichabods held a 34-29 advantage on the boards, while outscoring the Tigers 20-0 in fast break points.
The Ichabods will take a short break from conference play with a trip to San Antonio, Texas, facing St. Edward's University in the River City Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
No. 7 Tigers top Washburn women, 83-53
Washburn fell behind early after a quick start from No. 7 Fort Hays State and would fall 83-53 Saturday at Hays.
The Ichabods will put conference play on hold as they travel out of the country for the Puerto Rico Clasico beginning Dec. 16 as they face University of Puerto Rico Rio-Piedras.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 3-ranked Washburn University men opened MIAA play with a bang Thursday night, recording the largest margin of victory in the 50-game series with Nebraska-Kearney in an 87-52 road win.
Washburn sophomore Jack Bachelor scored 19 points to lead the way in the Ichabods' 87-52 win at Nebraska-Kearney Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods (8-0 overall, 1-0 MIAA) trailed 3-0 after the Lopers (1-6, 0-1) hit a long jumper. Then, after a 3-pointer by WU's Jack Bachelor tied the score, the Lopers took a 5-3 lead, but the Ichabods used a 17-1 run over the next 6:07 of the contest to take a 20-6 lead as Washburn was 7 of 10 during the stretch while the Ichabod defense held the Lopers to 0-7 shooting from the field.
The Lopers used an 8-0 run to cut Washburn's lead to 28-10 with 7:17 to play in the first half before Washburn used another double-digit run, outscoring the Lopers 10-0 to go up 20 before taking a 44-26 lead into the break.
Bachelor hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to push Washburn's lead to 23.
The Lopers connected on two more jumpers before the Ichabods ripped off another big run of 17-3, going up by 33 with 8:57 left.
After the final media timeout, Bachelor connected on another 3-pointer and Jake Schadegg hit two treys of his own 28 seconds apart, giving Washburn its 11th 3-pointer on the evening as the Ichabods rolled to the 35-point win.
The 35-point win topped the previous series victory margin of 31 in an 89-58 win over the Lopers on Jan. 16, 2019 in Topeka.
Washburn snapped a three-game MIAA-opener losing streak with the win over the Lopers, recording its first win in its league lid-lifter since 2020.
Bachelor's 19 points was a game high as the Washburn Rural product finished 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Washburn University volleyball will continue to dance in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off No. 5 nationally ranked Nebraska-Kearney in five sets on Thursday in a Central Region quarterfinal.
No. 6 seed Washburn volleyball celebrates its final point in Thursday's five-set NCAA tournament win over No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn's bench takes the court to celebrate Thursday's win over Nebraska-Kearney with its teammates. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will face either Central Oklahoma or Southwest Minnesota State at 4 p.m. on Friday in the Central Region semifinals.
Thursday's win was WU's first of the season over Nebraska-Kearney after two regular-season losses to the Lopers, with the Ichabods taking a 20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 decision.
"It was fun, wasn't it,'' veteran Washburn coach Chris Herron said in the post-match press conference. "I'm sure it was fun if you were sitting in the stands, but I'm up here shaking.
"We played them that way last time, too. Last time we lost in five, 15-12, so I'm very excited for my team.''
The first set went in the 30-3 Lopers' favor, 25-20, before 21-7 Washburn flipped the score in the second to even the match.
Nebraska Kearney went back up, winning 25-21 in the third set, but the Ichabods forced a fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
After trailing 7-1 to begin the final set Washburn rallied to win 15-13 and knock off UNK.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball coach Lora Westling knows that her Ichabods face a tough challenge this weekend and beyond in the always tough MIAA.
But Westling also feels like a four-game winning streak, all by 22 or more points, has her team ready for the task ahead, beginning with Thursday's 5:30 p.m. game at Nebraska-Kearney followed by a 2 p.m. Saturday contest at Fort Hays State.
"This is a tough trip, I would argue one of the toughtest trips in the league, but I think this team is ready for it,'' Westling said. "We've got to see where we're at, so I'm excited to get them out there and get them back on the road with their heads up and see if we can do a little damage.''
Junior Gabi Giovannetti led three double-figure scorers for Washburn with 19 points last Saturday as the Ichabods posted their fourth straight victory, 98-65 over Sterling. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Veterans Yibari Nwidadah, Payton Sterk and Gabi Giovannetti have been solid over the first eight games of the season for the 4-4 Ichabods.
But Westling also feels like some of her younger players and newcomers have made big strides, particularly in last Saturday's 98-65 home win over Sterling, for a Washburn team that does not have a senior on its roster.
"I was proud of some of those freshmen that came in,'' Westling said. "Lauren Luebbert's doing a really good job of just doing what we're asking her to do. Willow (Gideon) has just got to find her confidence because she's a really good player and I thought when our point guards were going a little wild (junior transfer) Emajin (McCallop) did a good job of coming down and kind of calming us down.
"That's what a good team has, role players who are going to do their job, and I thought ours did a good job (Saturday).''
Nwidadah leads the Ichabods a with 17.3 scoring average while also shooting a team-high 70.2 percent from the field and grabbing a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. The junior has shot over 50.0 percent in every game this season and has two double-doubles. She is third in the nation and first in the MIAA in field goal percentage.
Sterk, a junior transfer from Cal State East Bay is averaging 16.4 points and is shooting 43.0 percent from the floor and a team-high 40.8 percent from 3-point range while dishing out a team-high 2.9 assists per game and hitting a team-high 20 3-pointers, 15 in the last four games.
Giovannetti is averaging 13.1 points while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 100.0 percent at the free throw line. The junior is second on the team with 16 made triples and has scored at least nine points in four straight games.
Giovannetti led the way with 19 points against Sterling on 8-12 shooting while adding three steals and a block on the defensive end while Sterk scored 18 points, shooting 4-9 from deep, and Nwidadah had 15 points on 6-8 shooting with eight rebounds. Madelyn Amekporfor and freshman Brooke Gomez each chipped in nine points.
Nebraska-Kearney has won its last two games and enters MIAA play with a 6-2 record after defeating Chadron State 86-59 on the road last Saturday.
Meg Burns leads the Lopers with a 12.4 scoring average while hitting 22 3-pointers.
Samantha Moor is averaging 6.9 rebounds while also scoring 11.4 points.
Washburn will continue MIAA play on the road on Saturday against Fort Hays State.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Despite a 31-point night from Payton Sherk and a gutsy effort, the short-handed Washburn women's basketball team came up short in its conference opener Thursday evening, falling 66-61 on the road to Nebraska-Kearney.
Washburn junior Payton Sterk scored 31 points and hit five 3-pointers in Thursday's 66-61 MIAA loss at Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods played without injured starters Yibari Nwidadah and Madelyn Amekporfor, but were still within one possession of the Lopers until the final seconds.
The Lopers (7-2 overall, 1-0 MIAA) scored the first five points of the contest as Washburn (4-5, 0-1) was held scoreless until Emporia Rebecca Snyder got free for a layup at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter.
A pair of 3-pointers, first from Aniah Wayne and then Sterk, put the Ichabods in front 10-7 with 4:03 to play in the quarter.
In the final minutes Nebraska Kearney finished on a 10-2 run to lead 17-12 after one.
The first four points of the second quarter came from Washburn to pull within one.
WU was able to tie the game up at 19 after Snyder connected on a triple.
The Ichabods briefly went up in the final minute before half as Sterk scored two of her 15 first-half points on a jumper. A late bucket from the Lopers tied the game at 31 going into the break.
After Washburn scored the first two points out of the break the next nine went to Nebraska Kearney.
The lead reached as high as nine points as the Lopers shot 8-15 (53.3 percent) in the quarter before Sterk had the final seven points of the quarter for the Ichabods as they trailed 51-43 with 10 minutes to go.
Washburn was scoreless for the first two minutes of the first quarter but quickly went on a 10-2 run and tied the game at 53 after Sterk knocked down a triple with 5:48 to play.
Brooke Gomez connected on a pair of free throws to tie things back up under the five-minute mark but the next five points went to the Lopers.
Defense created opportunities, as UNK shot just 3-13 in the quarter, and Sterk drained two more 3-pointers in the final three minutes to pull within two each time.
Nebraska-Kearney was able to respond each time, as the Lopers held onto the lead, shooting 8-12 at the line in the quarter to take the five-point victory.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will begin its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Central Region, facing No. 3 seed and MIAA rival Nebraska-Kearney at 11 a.m. Thursday in St. Cloud, Minn. in a tournament quarterfinal.
Washburn volleyball will take a 20-7 record into its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance on Thursday in St. Cloud, Minn. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods begin the national tournament with a 20-7 record while Nebraska-Kearney is 30-2.
Thursday's match will be the third of the season between WU and UNK, with the Lopers taking a 3-0 win at home and a 3-2 win over the Ichabods in Lee Arena.
Washburn was knocked out of the MIAA Championship Tournament with a 3-1 quarterfinal round loss to Northwest Missouri on Nov. 21 while the Lopers went 15-1 in the MIAA regular season and came up short in the MIAA Championship Tournament final, falling to Central Oklahoma 3-1 on Nov. 23.
Washburn, which had made all 18 of its NCAA tournament appearances under coach Chris Herron, is 20-17 all-time in the national tournament and 8-9 in the opening round.
With a win in the first round the Ichabods would take on the quarterfinal winner between No. 2 seed Central Oklahoma and No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State at 4 p.m. on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Andrew Orr first stepped on the basketball court for Washburn University in 2021, his career goals were pretty simple.
"I wanted to play, I wanted to be a contributor,'' Orr said. "It was really about having a good college experience when I first came here and basketball was a bonus.''
Washburn senior Andrew Orr scored 14 points in Saturday's 82-56 win over Peru State and is on the verge of becoming the 28th member of the Ichabods' 1,000-point club. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Fast forward to his senior season for the Ichabods and the 6-foot-8 frontliner is just nine points away from becoming 28th member of the Ichabods' coveted 1,000 point club entering Thursday's 7:30 p.m. MAA opener at Nebraska-Kearney.
"I was just happy I was getting to come here, so to be even close to something like that is more than a dream, it's awesome,'' Orr said.
Obviously, Orr's main focus is on doing whatever he can to help the 7-0 and No. 3-ranked Ichabods continue their success and the former Blue Valley North Class 6A state champ said the 1,000-point club is probably something he'll appreciate down the road after his playing days are done.
"One of my friends was talking to me about this the other day and it's like you don't realize how good something is until it's already happened,'' Orr said. "So I'm going to try to appreciate it when it happens, hopefully the next game or two, but I think I'll definitely appreciate it more when I come back here when I'm older and I'm watching Washburn play and I can undertand that I was part of that culture and part of that legacy.''
Washburn coach Brett Ballard said that reaching the 1,000-point milestone will be a great accomplishment for Orr.
"You score 1,000 points in college in four years and that says you've been very good, and he didn't really play much his freshman year,'' Ballard said. "I knew what his family was about, I knew he was well-coached in high school, I knew he was a great kid with a great motor and those young men usually figure it out. Not always, but usually, so I thought he could be very solid for us.
"You always hope they take that jump and he's continued to work and his body has really filled out so physically he's gotten better and he's just an every day guy with a great attitude.''
Washburn senior Andrew Orr (24) enters Thursday's game at Nebraska-Kearney with 991 career points after scoring 14 points in the Ichabods' 82-56 win over Peru State Saturday [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods are coming off an 82-56 non-conference win over Peru State last Saturday and continue to be ranked No. 3 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 poll and fourth in the latest D2CIDA poll.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the second straight game No. 3-ranked Washburn University men's basketball allowed an opponent to remain within striking distance in the first half Saturday against Peru State in Lee Arena.
And, for the second straight contest, the Ichabods came out smoking after the break, opening the second half with a 12-0 run and a 31-7 start over the first 10 minutes en route to an 82-56 non-conference win over the Bobcats in WU's final home game of 2024.
Washburn senior Andrew Orr (24) paced five Ichabods in double figures with 14 points in the Ichabods' 82-56 win over Peru State Saturday in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Like it had a week earlier against William Jewell, Washburn never trailed against NAIA school Peru State, but the Bobcats were still within four points well into the first half and trailed by just eight (42-34) at halftime.
But after being reminded by WU coach Brett Ballard that they needed to step it up, the Ichabods did just that, turning in a dominating 40-22 scoring edge over the final 20 minutes.
"Stern is a good word to use,'' senior Andrew Orr, who led five Ichabod double-figure scorers with 14 points, said about Ballard's halftime chat. "He wasn't as turned up as he sometimes is because he knew that we would come out second half and take care of business and that's what we did.''
"I wasn't too animated,'' Ballard said. "These guys are mature and they understood we just didn't play really worth a flip in that first half, so a lot of things we needed to clean up and I was much more pleased with our defensive effort in the second half.
"I was glad they responded. They came out the second half and I thought the first 10 minutes we were very good.''
During the second-half run, eight different Ichabods scored and the Washburn defense held the Bobcats (7-3) to 1 of 13 shooting as the Ichabods turned the game into a rout.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Things are about to get tougher for the red-hot Washburn women's basketball team, beginning with next Thursday's MIAA opener at Nebraska-Kearney.
Junior Gabi Giovannetti led three double-figure scorers for Washburn with 19 points Saturday as the Ichabods posted their fourth straight victory, 98-65 over Sterling. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Lora Westling's Ichabods tuned up for what will be a six-game road trip covering more than a month in the best possible way, posting a fourth straight win in Saturday's 98-65 romp past Sterling in Lee Arena.
"That's a good team,'' Westling said of the Warriors. "I know they're an NAIA team, but they were 7-1 and obviously No. 12 (Korynn Classon) can really play and we knew they were going to be able to do some things, so a great win and exactly where we want our head going into conference.''
All four of WU's wins during its current streak have been by at least 22 points, with Saturday's 38-point victory the Ichabods' biggest margin of the season.
Washburn, now 4-4, outscored the Warriors in all four quarters while all 12 Ichabods that saw action cracked the scoring column, including seven with at least seven points.
Junior Gabi Giovannetti paced three double-figure scorers for Washburn with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting overall and 3 of 7 from 3-point range while also adding a game-high three steals.
Junior Payton Sterk scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers in Saturday's 98-65 Washburn win over Sterling in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Payton Sterk was right behind Giovannetti with 18 points, hitting 4 of 9 3-pointers, while junior Yibari Nwidadah added 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Washburn built a 24-19 first-quarter lead over the Warriors and used a 26-15 second quarter to take a 50-34 halftime advantage.
The Ichabods followed that up with 32-17 third quarter to open up a commanding 82-51 advantage and finished off the rout with a 16-14 fourth quarter.
Washburn shot 53.6 percent from the field for the game while out-rebounding Sterling 37-25 and committing eight fewer turnovers than the Warriors (22-14).
Clason led Sterling with a game-high 25 points whle Alissa Heskamp and Kayla Morris added 10 points apiece.
WASHBURN WOMEN 98, STERLING 65
Sterling 19 15 17 14 -- 65
Washburn 24 26 32 16 -- 98
STERLING (7-2)
Young 2-7 2-4 6, Briar 1-6 0-0 2, Clason 11-17 3-3 25, Heskamp 4-7 2-2 10, Bearup 3-3 0-0 6, Gill 0-1 0-0 0, Morris 4-6 2-2 10, Terverbaugh 2-4 0-0 4, Jacobs 0-2 2-2 2, McCormick 0-1 0-0 0, Galliher 0-0 0-0 0, Spencer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 11-13 65.
WASHBURN (4-4)
Amekporfor 4-10 0-0 9, Nwidadah 6-8 3-4 15, Gomez 4-5 1-1 9, Giovannetti 8-12 0-0 19, Sterk 6-15 2-2 18, Snyder 0-1 1-2 1, Davison 2-4 3-4 8, McCallop 1-3 0-0 2, McKenzie 2-3 1-2 5, Gideon 2-3 2-2 7, Boyd 2-5 0-0 4, Luebbert 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 37-69 14-19 98.
3-point goals -- Sterling 0-6 (Briar 0-4, Heskamp 0-1, McCormick 0-1), Washburn 10-27 (Sterk 4-9, Giovannetti 3-7, Amekporfor 1-5, Gideon 1-2, Davison 1-1, Gomez 0-1, McCallop 0-1, Snyder 0-1). Rebounds -- Sterling 25 (Young 9), Washburn 37 (Nwidadah 8). Assists -- Sterling 12 (Briar 3, Clason 3), Washburn 23 (Amekporfor 7, Gomez 7). Turnovers -- Sterling 22, Washburn 14. Total fouls -- Sterling 17, Washburn 16. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
