ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Nov. 13) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team opened its season with a 59-39 victory over San Francisco State University.
 
The Wildcats opened with a 7-2 lead and ended the first quarter with a 13-11 lead. 
 
Alexis Berrysmith shot 4-for-7 from the floor in the first half, tallying eight points, and added five rebounds and a block.
 
Berrysmith finished the afternoon with nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and one steal.
 
San Francisco's Tiana Henry opened the second quarter's scoring with a three, giving the Gator's a 14-13 lead.  The one point advantage was the last time the Gators were ahead on the scoreboard. 
 
Central outscored SFSU 18-6 in the remainder of the second quarter.  After tying the score 15-15, the Wildcats scored 10 unanswered points.  McKenzie Day recorded four points during the stretch, all on fast breaks.
 
The second half was all Central Washington.  The Wildcats outscored the Gators 12-7 in the third quarter and 16-12 in the fourth.
 
Jasmine Parker recorded six boards, five defensive, during the final 20 minutes and picked up four points.  She finished with 13 rebounds and six points, as well as four blocks.
 
Jasmin Edwards recorded a steal, three rebounds, four points, and three assists in the second half.  For the game, Edwards had five rebounds, eight points, eight assists, and three steals.
 
Head Coach Jeff Harada preaches a strong defensive mindset and the Wildcats excelled all game.
 
In the first half, Central held San Francisco state to a 12.1 shooting percentage.  The Gators shot just 4-for-33, including a 2-for-15 mark from beyond the arc. 
 
The Wildcats grabbed four steals and two blocks in the opening two quarters, while out-rebounding the Gators 29-20.  Twenty-two of the rebounds came after a missed shot by San Francisco State. 
 
Central's defense only got stronger in the second half.  The Wildcats swatted away five shots and added four more steals.  They once again out-rebounded the Gators, this time by a 25-20 margin.  Central nabbed 16 defensive boards and nine offensive.
 
Overall, the Wildcats came down with 54 rebounds, seven blocks, and eight steals.  The rebounding total exceeds last season's single-game high of 52 boards against Alaska at the end of January.  The rebounding effort is the ninth highest single-game total in Central Washington history.
 
It is the third time under Harada the Wildcats have given up less than 40 points.
 
Central will be back in Nicholson Pavilion tomorrow at 3 p.m. when the Wildcats host Hawaii Pacific.