Washburn University’s Women’s basketball team drove home a hard earned victory of 72 – 64 against the Northeastern State University RiverHawks at the Pink Out game Saturday Feb. 14.
This victory improves the team’s record to 17-7.
At the start of the game, Washburn secured the tip-off and within a minute, senior center Yiibari Nwidadah scored the first two points of the game for the Bods. Fans stayed on the edge of their seats as the score bounced back and forth.
A 3-pointer by senior guard Aniah Wayne tied the game at the end of the first quarter.
Going into the second quarter, the RiverHawks put up a strong defense, so the Bods battled for every point. Senior guard Payton Sterk and Wayne helped secure Washburn’s lead with 3-point scores. With only one minute left in the first half, the game was tied at 33. However, the RiverHawks reclaimed the lead with a late 3-pointer, allowing them to dribble out the rest of the time and head into the half-time with a three-point lead.
When the second half started, Washburn showed its resilience with key contributions from senior guard Gabi Giovannetti and junior forward Britany Kogbara. The game was intense as the Bods’ dug in and fought hard.
“Well, when it seems like a dirty, gritty game, you gotta find those dirty, gritty plays to make the difference… Collectively, as a team we are really proud of that effort,” said head coach Lora Westling.
Throughout most of the fourth quarter, the teams stayed within five points of each other.
“We all knew that we shouldn’t be fading away from anything, and we knew that we could beat them from the beginning, so [the second quarter] really came out with our energy,” Kogbara said.
With only seconds left in the third quarter, the RiverHawks led by one point when Washburn shot a 3-pointer. However, the referees didn’t count the point and had to review the play. The referees analyzed the playback footage.
After several minutes of discussion, the referees determined that the RiverHawks had fouled the Ichabods, resulting in Sterk going to the line to score 2 free throws. This secured Washburn’s lead with a score of 50-49 going into the fourth quarter.
“We really stuck together and got really into the nitty gritt,y and we locked in on defense. And once you stack defensive stops and then good possessions on offense, I mean, there’s no stopping us from there,” Giovannetti said.
In the fourth quarter, the RiverHawks pulled ahead right out of the gate with a field goal. However, the Ichabods soon found their momentum and a turnover led them down the court to score a field goal to bring the Bods back into the lead with a score of 52-51.
A 3-pointer solidified Washburn’s lead, but the RiverHawks didn’t let up. It was an all-out fight down to the wire. With only seconds left in game, and the score at 68-64, the Ichabods secured their victory with four successful free throws by Sterk and Giovannetti. The Ichabods dribbled out the clock while an enthusiastic crowd cheered them on.
The Washburn Ichabods play again Thursday, Feb. 19, at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
Edited by Anushma Dahal and Ojashwi Shrestha
