Box Score

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 17) -- Three different Central Washington University players scored in double figures, including career-highs from junior Alisha Love (Chelan) and senior Aleyse Evans (Sacramento, Calif./Mesa Verde HS), as the Wildcat women's basketball team defeated Saint Joseph's College, 82-73, at the Great Western Shootout on Friday in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Wildcats jumped back above the .500 mark for the season at 4-3, and finished the tournament with a 1-1 record. The Pumas, from Rensselaer, Ind., and the Great Lakes Valley Conference, fell to 3-6.

Central, which matched a season-high with 44 first-half points, started the game at a feverish pace by making 15 of its first 20 field goal attempts and leading by 21 points (34-13) with 8:11 to go before halftime. And while the Wildcats' efficient offense cooled off -- they scored just 10 points over the final eight minutes of the period -- they still took a 14-point lead into halftime, capped by Love's buzzer-beating put-back at the end of the half.

In the second half, Saint Joseph's chipped away at the CWU lead. The Wildcats matched their largest advantage of the game with just under 18 minutes left, and were ahead by 14 with four minutes remaining, but saw the Pumas score eight straight points over the next 2:05 to cut the lead to six. Central made 11 of 14 free throws over the final minute and 55 seconds to seal the victory.

Love scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the first half, converting on 7 of 11 field-goal attempts for the game. She also finished with six rebounds. Evans, a transfer from Loyola Marymount University, had a breakout game in just her second appearance as a Wildcat. The senior center scored 16 points on 5 of 6 shooting, made 6 of 8 free throws, and was also credited with seven rebounds and three blocked shots in the game.

Senior point guard Luv Rattler (Riverside, Calif./Kentlake HS), who returned to the starting lineup for the first time in nearly a month, helped key the Wildcats' first-half run with 10 points before the break and 14 for the game. She also matched her season-high with eight assists and was one of three CWU players to make two three-pointers in the game as the Wildcats converted on 8 of 15 treys for a season-high 53.3 percent.

A total of 11 players appeared in the game for Central Washington, 10 of which scored. In addition to their three double-digit scorers, sophomore Stacy Albrecht (Federal Way/Thomas Jefferson HS) nearly posted a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while junior Sophie Russell (Olympia/River Ridge HS) and freshman Deaira Gordon (Ellensburg) scored eight points apiece. Gordon added a career-high six rebounds to help the Wildcats dominate on the glass with a 51-32 advantage.

Saint Joseph's was led by the scoring efforts of Britney Cruse and Tatiana Ortiz, who totaled 25 and 24 points, respectively. That duo combined for 17 of the Pumas' 26 made field-goal attempts and seven of their team's nine three-pointers.

Central Washington has two non-conference games remaining on its schedule before returning to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Jan. 3, 2011, against Western Washington in Nicholson Pavilion. The Wildcats will compete in the Falcons Invitational in Seattle on Dec. 29-30 against Saint Edward's University (Texas) and Notre Dame de Namur University (Calif.) before facing the nationally-ranked Vikings to ring in the new year.