By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball hits the road for the second straight weekend to the Quincy Classic, where the Ichabods will take on McKendree at 5 p.m. on Friday and Quincy at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Junior newcomer Payton Sterk leads Washburn with a 16-point scoring average through two games entering this weekend's Quincy Classic. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn is 0-2 on the year after falling 63-51 on the road to St. Cloud State last Saturday at the Central Region Crossover but Ichabod coach Lora Westling said she saw plenty of positives last weekend and feels like her team is ready to take steps forward.
"I really do believe in this group, I like this group,'' Westling said. "We just have a little ways to go when it comes to some of these fundamental things that kept us from winning the two games last weekend. We'll get there. What I like about them is they're hungry to get better, so we're just going to keep grinding away.''
"I feel like we've got a lot of room to grow,'' WU junior Gabi Giovannetti said. "We're just really positive this week because it is so early in the season. We're 0-2 and we need to bounce back and we will, but we can only be positive and watch film and work on what we need to work on.''
The Ichabods are coming off a 13-16 season in 2023-24, finishing 10th in the MIAA with an 8-14 record and advancing to the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
Both Washburn opponents enter the weekend undefeated, with McKendree coming in at 1-0 and Quincy 2-0.
The 2024 Quincy Classic will take place in Quincy, Ill. on the campus of Quincy University inside the Pepsi Arena.
The Ichabods are scoring 61.5 points on 41.4 percent shooting overall and 33.3 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
Washburn's matchup with McKendree will be the second in program history while the Ichabods will face Quincy for the sixth time.
Junior Payton Sterk paces Washburn in scoring at 16.0 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent overall and 37.5 percent on 3-pointers. She is averaging a team-high 35.0 minutes and also adds 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The transfer is dishing out a team-best 4.0 assists as well. She is the only WU player to score in double figures of both games this season.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging 15.0 points while shooting a team-high 61.9 percent from the floor and is pulling down a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game with 3.5 of them coming on the offensive end. Defensively, Nwidadah has come away with 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
Nwidadah scored a career-high 22 points in only 27 minutes in the season-opener against Southwest Minnesota State. The junior's field goal percentage is third highest among MIAA players.
Giovannetti is third on the team with an 11.0 scoring average on 42.9 percent shooting.
Aniyah Wayne has come off the bench in both games for the Ichabods and averages 7.5 points.
McKendree is 1-0 on the year after opening the season with an 88-55 victory over Mount Mercy University on Nov. 8.
The Bearcats were picked to finish third in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll.
A year ago the Bearcats went 20-9 overall and 16-6 in the GLVC.
Baylie Parks averages a team-high 19.0 points for McKendree while shooting 63.6 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from deep. She also leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per game.
The Ichabods claimed a 80-64 victory over the Bearcats in the Quincy Classic last season. Wayne had 16 points to lead WU.
Quincy is off to a 2-0 start on the 2024-25 season after defeating Cedarville University on the road 75-55 last time out on Nov. 9.
The Hawks were picked to finish seventh in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll.
A year ago Quincy went 10-18 overall and 9-13 in the GLVC.
Taylor Haase averages a team-high 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds on 58.8 percent shooting from the field.
Washburn is 5-0 in the all-time series including a 3-0 record in Quincy, Ill.
Last season the Ichabods won a 97-62 contest at the Quincy Classic, led by 17 points each by Nwidadah and 2024 graduate Aubree Dewey.
Washburn will continue non-conference play against William Jewell College in Liberty on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
