Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Feb. 22) -- Junior Alisha Love (Chelan) scored 18 points, and sophomore Stacy Albrecht (Federal Way/Thomas Jefferson HS) posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Central Washington University women's basketball team was unable to overcome a sluggish shooting night in a 64-50 loss to visiting Western Oregon University at Nicholson Pavilion.

Central Washington fell to 7-17 overall and 2-15 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with its fifth consecutive loss. Western Oregon improved to 10-15 overall and 8-9 in the GNAC.

Each team struggled shooting in the first half, especially over a span of 8 1/2 minutes when the game remained at a 9-6 standstill. To that point, when CWU junior Sophie Russell (Olympia/River Ridge HS) ended the drought with a jumper at the 6:04 mark, the two teams had combined to make just 5 of 34 field goals. The Wildcats took their first lead on two free throws by senior Luv Rattler (Riverside, Calif./Kentlake HS) 30 seconds later, and spent most of the remainder of the half in the lead. However, after a basket by Love in the final minute of the first half, the Wolves tied the game on a three-pointer by Diana Topalovic to make it an 18-18 deadlock at halftime. Neither team shot better than 30 percent in the opening 20 minutes, as WOU was at 28 percent (7 of 25) and CWU made just 19.4 percent (6 of 31) including 0 of 11 from three-point range.

In the second half, Central led for most of the first three minutes but a 14-4 Western Oregon run gave the Wolves a seven-point lead. That margin eventually reached double figures with 7:22 remaining, and the Wildcats' closest deficit the rest of the way was a nine-point margin twice in the final six minutes.

Western Oregon shot 57.7 percent in the second half en route to 46 points after the intermission. The Wolves made 15 of 26 shots and added 13 free throws in 16 attempts in the final period. Central, meanwhile, hit on just 33.3 percent from the floor but still totaled 32 second-half tallies.

Love scored her 18 points on 17 field-goal attempts, making six, but was 0 of 5 from three-point range as the Wildcats shot just 13.6 percent behind the arc for the game. Albrecht had her second double-double of the year with nine of her rebounds coming on the defensive end. She was 3 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 6 at the free throw line. Russell was the only other CWU player to score more than four in the contest, totaling eight.

WOU had two starters -- Sara Zahler and Danielle Bellando -- score 10 or more, including a game-high 21 from Zahler, who added six rebounds and four steals while making three three-pointers. Bellando added 12 points and seven rebounds, while guard Lorrie Clifford finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Central Washington will conclude its 2010-11 season this Thursday night (Feb. 24) at 5:15 p.m. versus Saint Martin's University at Nicholson Pavilion.