By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, Washburn women's basketball will be looking to get back on track in Thursday's 5:30 p.m. MIAA road game against Emporia State in White Auditorium.
Washburn senior Yibari Nwidadah (middle) will be looking for her fourth straight double-double in Thursday's road game at Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will be facing the Hornets in the second edition of the Turnpike Tussle after taking a 86-59 home win over Emporia State on Jan. 3 in Lee Arena.
Washburn is 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA after a 65-61 double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri last Saturday while Emporia State improved to 8-7 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA after defeating Nebraska Kearney 82-78 last time out.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah averages team-highs of 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 58.7 percent shooting from the floor for the Ichabods while registering double-doubles in three straight games, including 13 points and 14 rebounds at Northwest.
With 271 career offensive rebounds, Nwidadah ranks third in program history and she is eighth with 732 total boards. Her career field goal percentage of .582 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th with 1,179 career points. Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots.
Senior Payton Sterk is second for Washburn with a 12.2 scoring average on while hitting a team-high 28 3-pointers.
Sterk scored a game-high 21 points for Washburn in the earlier meeting with Emporia State with five 3-pointers while Nwidadah had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti is averaging 12.1 points with 26 3-pointers while shooting a team-high 41.3 percent from deep. Giovannetti leads the Ichabods with 1.9 steals per game.
Giovannetti is eighth in program history with 138 career 3-pointers made and scored a game-high 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting with four steals and five rebounds at Northwest Missouri.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 19 points in last Saturday's 65-61 Washburn double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
The Lady Hornets have gone 7-1 inside of White Auditorium, are 1-4 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court games.
Kaitlyn Sanders leads Emporia State with a 16.8 scoring average on 44.3 percent shooting while also dishing out a team-high 3.4 assists per game.
Former Emporia High standout Gracie Gilpin is averaging 12.5 points and has hit a team-high 34 3-pointers.
Gilpin had 13 points to pace Emporia State in the earlier meeting with Washburn, while Sanders had 12 points.
Sophomore Makenzie McDaniel, a former Silver Lake state champion, has come off the bench in all 15 games, averaging 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.
The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series with Washburn, 63-53.
The Ichabods are 23-31 on the road against Emporia State.
Washburn has won the last four meetings in the series.
The Ichabods will wrap up their four-game road trip at Newman in Wichita on Saturday, with tipoff at 1:30 p.m.
