By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball and rival Emporia State will square off for the second time in as many weeks when the Ichabods hosts the Hornets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday inside Lee Arena.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and blocked shots entering Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. against Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is 8-8 on the year and 2-4 in the MIAA after losing for the first time at home this season in a 66-61 overtime loss to Northwest Missouri on Saturday while Emporia State is 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA after dropping a 79-68 decision to Nebraska-Kearney in Emporia on Saturday.
Wednesday's contest against Emporia State will be the 116th all-time meeting between the two teams.
Washburn rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Emporia State 64-61 inside of White Auditorium in the opening game of 2025.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with a 16.6 scoring average while also shooting a team-high 66.0 percent from the field and grabbing a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Nwidadah has started all 14 games she has played in while logging 26.9 mpg. She has shot at or above 50.0 perceent in all but one game and has three double-doubles.
The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking fifth in the MIAA in points per game and sixth in rebounding average. She has 15-plus points in nine games this year.
With 187 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is eighth in program history and is five boards away from moving up to No. 7. In overall rebounds she is 19th in Washburn history with 496. Last time out she passed head coach Lora Westling on the all-time chart
Nwidadah's career field goal percentage of .576 is the third best in program history. In scoring she ranks 39th with 737 career points.
Junior Payton Sterk is second on the team with a 15.3 scoring average while starting all 16 contests and playing a team-high 29.9 minutes per game. Sterk is shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and a team-high 37.3 percent from 3-point range while averaging 2.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds. The Colorado Springs native has drilled a team-high 31 3-pointers. She has 15-plus points in eight games this year and ranks fourth in the MIAA in total points and seventh in 3-pointers.
Junior Gabi Giovannetti averages 10.9 points while starting all 16 games and is second on the team with 25 made triples and has made a 3-pointer in all but two games.
Giovannetti is 17th in program history with 90 career 3-pointers. She will move up to 16th with three more triples.
Katie Horyna leads Emporia State with a 16.8 scoring average on 49.4 percent shooting and 35.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. She has started all 14 games she has appeared and also leads the team with 4.4 assists per game and is averaging 5.7 rebounds.
Gracie Gilpin averages 11.7 points for the Hornets while playing and starting all 15 games. She leads the team with 39 made 3-pointers on 34.5 percent shooting.
Silver Lake product Makenzie McDaniel is averaging 7.9 points on 49.0 percent shooting across 14 games while making nine starts. She pulls down 5.9 rebounds per game.
Emporia State leads the all-time series between the two teams, 63-51. The Ichabods have gone 23-30 all-time against the Lady Hornets in Lee Arena.
Washburn will finish out its four-game homestand against Newman on Saturday at 1 p.m.
