ELLENSBURG, Wash (Nov. 14) – The Central Washington University women's basketball never trailed in a 51-49 win over Hawaii Pacific University, Saturday afternoon, as the team moved to 2-0 early in its 2015-16 campaign behind 21 points from senior Jasmine Parker.

Hawaii Pacific University falls to 1-1 after the recent weekend of play.

"What an exciting game!" Head coach Jeff Harada said after the nail biting victory. "Hawaii Pacific is a very good team and we feel very fortunate to get a win tonight.  I'm proud of our effort defensively and how we were able to contain such a high powered offense.  I thought a big key was us shooting the ball well early on and establishing a lead.  Our ability to hold the lead throughout the game allowed us to be patient offensively and not take quick shots.  Defensively, we found ways to get stops down the stretch and ultimately get a win and I'm so proud of our effort."

The Wildcats exploded in the first minutes of the opening period. Alexis Berrysmith opened the game with a layup from an assist by Melanie Valdez. Parker nailed a jump shot on the very next possession as the Wildcats' offense flowed easily. The Wildcats opened a 9-4 advantage when Valdez knocked down an open three-point shot. The lead inflated to 14 points in the middle of the quarter when Jasmin Edwards picked off a pass and fed a streaking Rachel Lorentson for an easy layup. The Sharks battled back in the final minute when Janessa Manzano nailed back-to-back three pointers to cut the deficit to 25-21.

Central Washington outscored Hawaii Pacific in the paint 26 to 14 over the course of the game. That trend was obvious in the second period when India Mathenson backed down her defender for another two easy points. Beverly Verduin increased the Wildcats' lead to 29-21 at the 6:42 mark with a jump shot, and Berrysmith scored again 40 second later. Berrysmith finished the game with six points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Parker took over in the third period scoring all eight points for the Wildcats in the frame. She opened the quarter with a layup through the lane that gave the home team a four point lead. After a HPU three pointer, Parker stepped out and drained an 18-foot shot to hold the lead.

"Jasmine was aggressive from the start and we saw what she is capable of offensively," Harada said. "Her versatility makes her a tough match up and she really took advantage of that tonight.  We needed someone to step up and score for us and she accepted that challenge.  I am extremely proud of her and hope she can keep this up the rest of the season."

With the scored tied at 41-41 at the 4:50 mark, Parker found two more points in the paint. Parker finished the game as the Quality Inn Player of the Game totaling 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks. The Wildcat defense stalled the Sharks as the visitors failed to score for the remainder of the period.

The fourth quarter had only 11 total points scored as both teams tightened their defenses. Parker scored two of the Wildcats six points with a post move on the block in the opening seconds. The Wildcats clung to a one point lead when Brianne Yasukochi darted through the lane for an easy layup. Freshman Mandy Steward scored the final four points for the home team as they looked to close out the game. Steward scored her first bucket with a fade away jump shot from the free throw line at the 7:32 mark and again when the clock read 5:56. Steward stole a pass from HPU and sprinted down court for a layup. The game remained 51-48 for four minutes as both teams went cold from the field. An HPU free throw cut the Wildcats' lead to 51-49 in the final moments of the game. The Sharks squandered their chance to tie the game in the final seconds as Jessi Reeves tossed an errant shot that the hit the top of the backboard and fell into the hands of Edwards as the buzzer sounded. Edwards finished the game with five points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.

The Wildcats will be back in action when they travel to Belmont, Cali for two games versus Notre Dame De Namur (Nov. 20) and Academy of Art (Nov. 21).
"At 2-0, I'm very happy and excited for our team," Harada said "We'll definitely get back to work next week and clean some things up before heading on the road for two tough games."