Box Score
ELLENSBURG (Jan. 12) -- The Central Washington University women's basketball team overcame a four-point halftime deficit and held Western Oregon University to 17.9 percent shooting in the second half in earning a 60-49 victory over the Wolves on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.
The win was the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory of the season for CWU, which improved to 6-7 overall and 1-4 in the GNAC. Western Oregon fell to 6-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
CWU trailed for a good portion of the first half, as Western Oregon held a seven-point lead twice in the final 6:50 of the period. The Wildcats closed the gap to four (31-27) at halftime after redshirt freshman
Hannah Shine (Lynden) hit a three-pointer with 1:09 left.
WOU shot 44.4 percent in the first half, connecting on 12 of 27 attempts, and the Wolves made three of their six three-point tries in the period. CWU made just 37.0 percent before halftime, but was just 3 of 9 from long range and just 4 of 9 at the free throw line.
The second half was a different story for both teams. CWU corralled 29 total rebounds after halftime while allowing just 15 and the Wildcats held Western Oregon to just 5 of 28 from the floor (17.9 percent). The defensive effort, combined with an 11-6 scoring edge at the free throw line, helped CWU outscore the Wolves 33-18 in the final period.
“Our defense in the second half was much better,” CWU head coach Shawn Nelson said, “as we forced a lot more contested shots. We cut down on the number of wide-open looks and also did a great job of holding (WOU) to one shot each time down the floor). It was one of the better jobs of defensive rebounding that we have done all year.”
In the rebounding department, CWU finished with a convincing 47-35 advantage including 16 offensive boards. It marked the Wildcats' second-highest single-game rebounding total this season, while the 31 defensive rebounds were tied for the second-most in 2012-13.
Aiding the Wildcats' efforts on the glass were freshman
Jasmine Parker (Spokane/Mead HS) and sophomore
Tayler Fettig (Olympia). Parker had a game-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points, three assists, and three blocked shots, while Fettig sparked CWU off the bench with nine rebounds in 17 minutes.
“
HANNAH SHINE had a great game,” Nelson added. “Every time we needed a basket, she came up with one. Jasmine (Parker) and Tayler (Fettig) did a great job on the boards, and it was one of those team wins where we had to 'gut it out' and find a way to win. I felt good about that.”
Shine finished as the team's leading scorer with 14 points, making 5 of 10 including 4 of 7 from three-point range. She also finished with six rebounds. Junior
Jessica VanDyke (Chester, Mont./Chester-Joplin-Inverness HS) and sophomore
Courtney Johnson (Kent/Kentwood HS) also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Parker and junior
Leslie Stillar (Nine Mile Falls/Lakeside HS) added seven points apiece.
Lorrie Clifford scored a game-high 15 points for Western Oregon, while Dana Goularte had eight points and seven rebounds.
CWU returns to the road next week for its annual trip to Alaska, visiting the Alaska Nanooks in Fairbanks on Thursday (Jan. 17) and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (Jan. 19). The Wildcats' next home game is Jan. 24 versus rival Western Washington University.
