Washburn women’s basketball team won its home-opening game against Lincoln University of Missouri Nov. 25, in Lee Arena.
Lincoln shocked the Ichabods and started the game off strong. At the end of the first quarter, Lincoln led Washburn with a score of 21-16. The Ichabods managed to make a comeback by going on a 12-2 run over the next few minutes, which helped them regain the lead with baskets by Payton Sterk and Yiibari Nwidadah.
Gabi Giovannetti, junior guard, expressed satisfaction with the team’s chemistry and her performance and acknowledged areas for improvement on both offense and defense.
“The team chemistry was good. We’ve been working on it all year, so I think it’s pretty good. So I’m happy with my game. I could do better on defense and offense,” Giovannetti said.
Yiibari Nwidadah put up points for WU and with a three-pointer from Sterk, Washburn pushed the lead to 41-30. The Ichabods scored 25 points in the third quarter with 24 coming from the trio of Nwidadah, Giovannetti and Sterk. By the end of the third, Washburn extended its lead to 17 points.
Georgia Zeller, freshman kinesiology major, shared her experiences of attending a women’s basketball game and expressed her love for the game.
“It was pretty fun. I had fun dancing and watching the game … this is our first basketball game and it’s my favorite [sport]. I just love watching the game,” Zeller said.
Despite the strong start in the game, Lincoln never got closer than 13 points in the final quarter. In the final two minutes, the Ichabods outscored Lincoln 9-2 ending the game at 80-55. This marked the third straight game where the Ichabods scored at least 80 points, dominating rebounds 47-20.
Cristina Tavares-Ornelas, sophomore communication major, attended a game and expressed positive thoughts and sentiments about the team’s chemistry and performance.
“I think the team is pretty good, they definitely seem to be enjoying themselves, especially on the court and working together. I enjoyed the game, it was pretty good,” Tavares-Ornelas said.
Yiibari Nwidadah secured 25 points. Sterk contributed 18 points, while Giovannetti had a solid game with 14 points, four assists and five boards.
Edited by Jeremy Ford and Morgan Albrecht
