Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Dec. 10) -- Senior Shaina Afoa (Anchorage, Alaska/A.J. Dimond HS) had nine points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots, but Central Washington shot just 33.3 percent from the floor in its 61-53 women's basketball loss to visiting Montana Tech on Thursday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The loss dropped the Wildcats' record to 1-5 on the season and was their first-ever defeat in five meetings with the NAIA Orediggers. Montana Tech, which was among "others receiving votes" in this week's NAIA Division I poll, improved to 8-2 on the season.

Central shot just 33 percent in each half and never led by more than three points -- a margin it attained on its opening basket of the game. The contest had 11 first-half lead changes, with Montana Tech holding an eight-point lead until the Wildcats scored eight of the final nine points of the period over the final 2:58 to make it a 28-27 halftime score.

The Wildcats regained the lead just under two minutes into the second half on a fastbreak jumper by senior Brooke Fernandez (Castle Rock), and the margin reached three again with 16:09 to go in the game on a layup by sophomore Sophie Russell (Olympia/River Ridge HS), but the Orediggers scored 11 straight points and kept Central off the board for six and a half minutes in taking a 43-35 lead. The Montana Tech lead never reached double figures, but the visitors held an advantage of at least four points for the final 13:49 in handing the Wildcats the eventual eight-point loss.

Central struggled from three-point range, making just 5 of 23 tries from behind the arc including just 1 of 9 in the second half. The Wildcats also attempted just six free throws, making four, but were outscored by 11 at the charity stripe as Montana Tech made 15 of 19.

Russell finished with a team-high 12 points and junior Brittany Duerr (Bellevue/Newport HS) added 10. Afoa had the most well-rounded game of any Wildcat player, finishing as the only CWU player shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Her five blocked shots were a career-high and helped the Wildcats turn away seven Oredigger shots.

Senior Jessie DePell nearly single-handedly carried Montana Tech in Thursday's contest, finishing with 31 points -- more than half of the Orediggers' 61-point total -- and no other Montana Tech player scored in double figures.

Central Washington wraps up its three-game home stand on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 12) at 2 p.m. against Cal State East Bay in the first-ever women's basketball meeting between the two schools.