Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Mar. 4) -- Central Washington University senior Sara Bergner (Bellingham) scored 21 points and added seven rebounds and four assists, but the Wildcat women's basketball team was unable to overcome two 20-point scorers for visiting Saint Martin's University in the Wildcats' 76-64 loss to the Saints on Thursday evening at Nicholson Pavilion.

The loss was the eighth straight for Central, dropping the Wildcats to 6-19 overall and 3-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Saint Martin's improved to 11-15 overall and 5-10 in the GNAC.

Bergner shot 50 percent or better in all three shooting categories, making 7 of 13 overall field goals including 3 of 6 from three-point range, and scored 12 of her points in the first half as Central trailed by just three to the Saints at halftime.

The game went back and forth in the first half, and the Wildcats led by two with 2:52 remaining before the intermission, but a 7-2 Saint Martin's run to close the half put Central behind at the break. CWU regained the lead on three separate occasions in the second half, and led by four with 11:03 to go, but a scoring drought of more than three minutes allowed the Saints to take the lead. A three-pointer by senior Brooke Fernandez (Castle Rock) gave Central a 49-48 advantage, but that was the final time the Wildcats led as Saint Martin's scored 16 of the next 21 points to earn the game's first double-digit lead at 64-54 with 3:27 left.

The Wildcats shot just 35.7 percent from the floor in the second half and watched as two Saint Martin's players -- Dara Zack and Jamey Gelhar -- scored 17 points apiece in the final stanza. That duo combined to make 9 of 10 from the floor and 13 of 17 at the free throw line in the second half, en route to 23 and 25 points, respectively. Zack added a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.

Bergner was joined in double figures by sophomore Sophie Russell (Olympia/River Ridge HS) and senior Shaina Afoa (Anchorage, Alaska/A.J. Dimond HS). Russell scored 12 and led the Wildcats with eight rebounds, while Afoa had 10 points and six boards as Central outrebounded Saint Martin's by a 41-33 count.

Roni Jo Mielke (11 points) and Krissy Bassett (10 points) also scored in double figures for Saint Martin's.

Central Washington will wrap up its 2009-10 season on Saturday evening (Mar. 6) at 5:15 p.m. against Montana State Billings. The Wildcats will have Senior Night festivities for their four departing seniors prior to the contest.