Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Dec. 5) -- Junior Jenn Jacobs (Bremerton) made 6 of 7 three-point attempts and scored 26 points off the bench, helping lead the Central Washington women's basketball team to a convincing 87-55 victory over Academy of Art University on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The win was the first of the season for the Wildcats, who are now 1-4. They also posted their highest point total in a regulation game in more than two years with their 87-point outburst. The Urban Knights fell to 3-3 on the season with the road loss.

Central trailed just once in Saturday's contest, falling behind 5-3 just over a minute into the game. That deficit sparked a 14-1 scoring run that gave the Wildcats a double-digit lead, and after Academy of Art got to within four at 19-15 with 10:45 to go in the period, Central reeled off 10 straight points on their way to an 18-point halftime lead.

In the second half, Central was again dominant at both ends of the floor. The Wildcats used a 9-0 scoring run midway through the final period to extend their advantage to 26, and an 18-4 spurt over a span of 3:14 took the lead to 32. Overall, the Wildcats finished the game on a 22-8 run in the final 6:58 in posting their largest margin of victory since a 46-point home win over Hawaii Pacific two years ago.

Individually, the Wildcats were sparked by the scoring of Jacobs, especially in the second half. Jacobs had 21 of her game-high 26 in the final period, making all five three-point attempts (and 6 of 7 overall) after halftime. Senior Sara Bergner (Bellingham) added a career-high 15 points by making 7 of 10 attempts while dishing out four assists, and freshman Stacy Albrecht (Federal Way/Thomas Jefferson HS) totaled career-highs of 10 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes of reserve action.

The Wildcats finished the game with 24 assists and just 14 turnovers. Junior Colleen Betteridge (Seattle/Chief Sealth HS) had eight of those assists and added nine points, while Bergner and fellow senior Brooke Fernandez (Castle Rock) had four assists each.

Defensively, Central forced the Urban Knights into 29 turnovers by creating 14 steals, including five by sophomore Sophie Russell (Olympia/River Ridge HS). They also held AAU to just 18.8 percent from three-point range, where the Urban Knights made just 3 of 16 tries.

Academy of Art was led by Sondra Stilwell with 15 points and four assists, while Lorraine Etchell scored 13.

Central Washington will continue its three-game home stand with a pair of contests next week. The Wildcats face NAIA member Montana Tech on Thursday night (Dec. 10) at 7 p.m. before facing NCAA Division II newcomer Cal State East Bay on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 12) at 2 p.m.