Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Dec. 14) -- Junior Ally Schmitt (Snohomish) set a Central Washington University and Great Northwest Athletic Conference record with 16 assists, helping lead the Wildcat women's basketball team to a 79-57 victory over Evergreen State College on Friday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Wildcats improved to 4-4 on the season, snapping a four-game losing streak with the win. Evergreen, which competes as a member of the NAIA, counted the game as an exhibition.

Schmitt, whose assist total was four more than Heidi Robinson's previous school record of 12 (set in Nov. 1991 against Northwest), had six assists in the first half and 10 in the second half. The previous GNAC record had been 14, set by Heidi Buehler of Northwest Nazarene University in 2003. The Wildcats aided Schmitt's passing performance by shooting a season-best 48.3 percent from the floor, and three of her teammates broke double digits in the scoring column, while a fourth -- sophomore Courtney Johnson (Kent/Kentwood HS) -- scored nine.

“Players whom we have been waiting to have breakout games finally did tonight,” CWU head coach Shawn Nelson said. “It all started with Ally and her record-breaking night in the assist department. She got the rest of our offense going and got them into a good flow.”

Juniors Jessica VanDyke (Chester, Mont./Chester-Joplin-Inverness HS) and Leslie Stillar (Nine Mile Falls/Lakeside HS) were two of the keys to converting at the offensive end, thanks to an efficient night from behind the three-point arc. VanDyke scored 19 points and made 5 of 10 three-pointers, while Stillar added 16 including 4 of 6 on treys. Senior Shayla Ball (Hillsboro, Ore.) added 11 points.

The game remained close throughout the first half, as the visiting Geoducks scored the first four points and led for most of the first 15 minutes. CWU took the lead at the 4:49 mark on a three-pointer by VanDyke, then later used an 8-0 run to break the game's final tie and go in front 31-23. Evergreen made four free throws in the final 13.9 seconds to close the gap to a four-point margin at the break.

“In the first half, they hit us with a half-court trap,” Nelson explained. “We expected it, and had worked on it, but they were a lot quicker in it, and it disrupted our rhythm offensively. Defensively, we had to adjust to a zone because they were hurting us more inside than with perimeter shooting, and that was our best chance to slow them down.”

The Wildcats were able to slow Evergreen down in the second half, holding them to 35.3 percent shooting while making a sizzling 54.8 percent including 8 of 11 three-pointers. Stillar made all three of her threes in the second half, while VanDyke hit on 2 of 4 long-range shots in the period.

CWU finished the game making 13 of its 24 three-point attempts for a season-best 54.2 percent. The Wildcats also used 15 steals to help force Evergreen into 22 turnovers, and the hosts also recorded nine blocked shots led by five from freshman Jasmine Parker (Spokane/Mead HS).

The Wildcats, whose largest lead of the night was 24 points in the waning seconds of the game, overcame their largest rebounding deficit of the year -- a 42-30 margin -- against a taller Geoduck squad.

Danielle Swain, Evergreen's junior forward, scored 28 points to account for nearly half of the visitors' 57 tallies. She also had eight rebounds.

CWU remains at home next Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 17-18) for consecutive games against the University of Hawai'i at Hilo in Nicholson Pavilion. Tip-off for both contests is slated for 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.