Box Score ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Despite leading their rival by seven points early in the game, the Central Washington University women's basketball team fell to Western Washington 82-61 Saturday at Nicholson Pavilion.

The loss drops CWU to 1-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play and 6-15 overall. WWU improves to 9-4 in the GNAC and 13-8 overall.

The Wildcats didn't waste any time putting points on the board when ALLY SCHMITT (Snohomish HS) scored on the first possession of the game with JASMINE PARKER (Mead HS) following with another two points in the paint.

Western Washington turned the tides by scoring the next 12 straight points, but CWU then answered with a seven-point burst. Down 12-4, COURTNEY JOHNSON (Kentwood HS) and ERIKA LOCKER (Ferndale HS) combined to score four points from the free throw line before Johnson ended the 7-0 run with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one, 12-11 with 13:50 to play in the half.

The Wildcats and Vikings traded leads and for much of the remainder of the first half. Down 16-14, DAISY BURKE (Lewis and Clark HS) got hot from the perimeter. The senior guard hit from long range to reclaim the lead and then at the halfway mark of the first period hit another 3-pointer for the 20-18 cushion. MELANIE VALDEZ (Chiawana HS) pushed the lead to five, 23-18 with another long range shot.

After WWU tied it at 23 apiece, CWU would drain the next seven points, highlighted by four points from AMBER MOSER, giving Central its largest lead of the night.

The Vikings would claw back into contention, eventually taking over the lead and going into halftime up by just four, 45-41.

The 'Cats would score the first basket of the second half with JESSICA VANDYKE's layup, but Western Washington quickly pushed the advantage to double digits before four minutes ticked off the second half clock. Down by 17, 69-52, with 7:56 to play in the game, the Wildcats cut the disadvantage to 10, 71-61, with 4:23 to play, but it was the closest CWU would get for the remainder of the contest.

The Wildcats had difficulty finding the hoop in the second half, but shot an impressive 50 percent in the first stanza, including 5-of-10 from the 3-point line and 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Moser led the 'Cats with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. She and Locker shared a team-high seven rebounds apiece. Burke had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the 3-point arc.

Tia Briggs came off the bench to lead the Vikings with 19 points.

Central Washington has three straight road games during the next two weeks, heading to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Montana State-Billings on Saturday, followed by a trip to Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 22.