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Central Washington University Athletics

Jessica VanDyke
Kari Stetson

Women's Basketball by Jonathan Gordon (Assistant Athletic Director)

Career-Highs by VanDyke, Moser Lead Wildcats to Rout of Cal Baptist

Senior Duo Combines for 55 Points in 92-66 Win over Lancers

Senior Jessica VanDyke scored a career-high 30 points in Friday's win over Cal Baptist.
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NAMPA, Idaho (Nov. 29) -- Seniors JESSICA VANDYKE (Chester, Mont./Chester-Joplin-Inverness HS) and AMBER MOSER (Willamina, Ore./Sheridan HS) both posted career-high totals, leading the Central Washington University women's basketball team to a convincing 92-66 win over California Baptist University on Friday afternoon at the NNU Thanksgiving Classic at the Johnson Sports Center.

VanDyke posted her 13th career 20-point game and broke the 30-point plateau for the first time in her career, while Moser hit the 20-point mark for the first time in four seasons with the Wildcats, totaling 25. The 30-point effort by VanDyke was the first such milestone by a CWU player since Feb. 25, 2006, when Jamie Corwin scored 33 points against Saint Martin's University.

CWU improved to 3-1 on the season with the 26-point victory, while Cal Baptist fell to 2-3 on the year.

The Wildcats trailed just once in the contest -- at 2-0 -- as they reeled off 13 straight points after that opening basket by Cal Baptist. After the Lancers trimmed the lead to five at 16-11, CWU pushed the lead back to double figures with 11:54 to go in the first half and they led by at least 10 the rest of the way.

"We got off to a great start thanks in large part to our post players -- AMBER MOSER and JASMINE PARKER," third-year CWU head coach Shawn Nelson said. "They did great finding each other and getting offensive boards, and that really got us going in the right direction."

A 24-8 run over the final 5:50 later iced the game for the Wildcats, as they turned a 10-point lead into the final 26-point cushion. A 13-0 run started that final spurt.

"It was a great all-around performance because of our great offensive start with our starting five," Nelson added. "Then late in the game, we were able to sub in fresh legs in when it was a 10-point game, and that group not only kept the defensive press on but also hit a few shots that helped is turn a close game into a large margin."

The Wildcats finished with season-highs in overall shooting percentage (49.3 percent) and three-point percentage (43.5 percent) while also pulling down 49 rebounds and committing a season-low nine turnovers.

"We have been emphasizing not turning the ball over," Nelson said. "The ability to hold onto the basketball has really paid dividends, especially in these past two games."

The Wildcats' 92 points were the most against a NCAA opponent in nearly two years, and the 55 combined points from VanDyke and Moser were the most combined points by a twosome in the same regulation game since 1992. They were two of four CWU starters to score in double figures, as sophomore JASMINE PARKER (Spokane/Mead HS) added 12 points and senior ALLY SCHMITT (Snohomish) finished with 10. The five Wildcat starters, which also included sophomore MELANIE VALDEZ (Richland/Chiawana HS), combined to shoot 60.4 percent (29 of 48) from the field.

"Jessica is finally playing closer to 100 percent (health-wise) than she has been," Nelson noted. "She's a heckuva player who's capable of big numbers and doing big things for us. She's getting to the basket better, and we're real excited for the start she's had to this season.

"Amber has really shown some nice improvement, and it was great to see her have a breakout game like she did tonight. She has really bought into what we're trying to accomplish, and it has shown with her play thus far. It feels good to have some go-to players in the post."

Cal Baptist, in its first year as a playoff-eligible member of the NCAA Division II, saw four players score in double figures as well. Chanel Cambronero led the Lancers with 17 points, followed by 11 each from Megan Brown and Ciara Guerrero, while Elise Shelton added 10.

CWU will wrap up tournament play on Saturday at noon Mountain Standard Time (11 a.m. Pacific) against Colorado Christian University.
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