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After playing seven of their previous nine games on the road, Washburn University women's basketball returns home to Lee Arena Thursday as the Ichabods host Arkansas-Fort Smith in a 5:30 p.m. MIAA contest.

 

 

Washburn is 15-7 overall and 8-5 in the MIAA after a 64-58 Saturday loss at Central Missouri State while Arkansas-Fort Smith is 4-18 overall and 3-10 in the MIAA after falling 73-68 at home to No. 8-ranked Fort Hays State.

 

"We're just happy to be home again,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "And this team certainly has our attention and our respect.

 

"They're much better than their record says. You look at their wins, they beat Drury, they beat Missouri Southern. They almost beat Hays and they beat Kearney, so they're pretty good.''

 

Ichabod senior star Yibari Nwidadah said the key for Washburn is to be prepared to get back on track Thursday after last Saturday's loss.

 

"Obviously we know we need to get better and we started on Monday preparing ourselves for another tough game,'' Nwidadah said. "Obviously, in this conference everyone can play with anyone and we know that the way we prepare in the beginning of the week will put us in the best position we can be for Thursday and Saturday.''

 

Nwidadah averages team-highs of 12.1 points 7.6 rebounds for Washburn while also shooting 55.5 percent from the floor. She has cracked double figures in 13 games with five double-doubles and ranks second in the MIAA in offensive rebounds per game and eighth among conference players in rebounds per game.

 

With 286 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah ranks third in program history and is fifth in overall rebounds with 783 career boards. Her career field goal percentage of .575 is the third best in program history and she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,247 career points.

 

Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots. 

 

With the end of her college career on the horizon, Nwidadah said she wants to make sure she ends things with a bang.

 

"Obviously, it's getting closer and closer each day, but I just want to embrace every moment because I don't want to look back and be like, 'Oh man, I wish I could have done this or could have done that,' '' she said. "I just want to make sure I enjoy the time I have left.''

 

Senior Payton Sterk averages 11.2 points for the Ichabods and has connected on a team-high 33 3-pointers and has scored 14-plus points in nine games this season. Sterk ranks 13th in the MIAA in 3-pointers.

 

Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.3 percent is the best for any Ichabod.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 10.5 points on and is second on the team with 31 3-pointers while leading the Ichabods with 1.8 steals per game. The Bishop Miege product is seventh in the MIAA in steals.

 

Giovannetti is seventh in program history with 143 career 3-pointers made.

 

Sophomore Brooke Gomez led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 11-13 shooting in Saturday's loss to Central Missouri.

Telisha Brown leads Arkansas-Fort Smith in scoring at 11.9 points per game while dishing out 2.7 assists per game and averaging 1.4 steals. 

Washburn went down to the wire in its first ever meeting with Arkansas-Fort Smith on the road last season but fell just short, losing 83-81.

Washburn stays at home for a Valentine's Day game against Northeastern State on Saturday at 1 p.m.