ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 21) -- The Central Washington University women's basketball team lost its fourth straight contest Saturday night, falling to Northwest Nazarene 76-71 on senior night.
 
The Wildcats, who came into the game in the fifth spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, fall to 11-13, 6-10 in the GNAC.  Northwest Nazarene improved to 7-18, 5-11 in GNAC.
 
The story of the game came down to field goal percentage as the Crusaders outshot the Wildcats 51-percent (25 of 49) to 41.2-percent (21 of 51).
 
Five four different Wildcats scored in double figures led by senior Courtney Johnson who scored 19 points in her final home game.  Jasmine Parker and India Matheson both scored 14 points and Jasmin Edwards added 13.
 
Parker broke into the CWU record books during the contest becoming the Wildcats all-time leader in block shots with 154 total blocks after recording five rejections during the contest.
 
The Crusaders jumped out to a 11-5 lead to start the second half making 4 of their first five shots.  The Wildcat rallied on numerous occasions, but the Crusaders always had an answer grabbing a 13-point lead with 3:57 left in the half.  That was the same advantage NNU took into halftime building a 46-33 lead.
 
Northwest Nazarene shot 64.3 percent from the field (18 of 28), while the Wildcats shot just 37-percent and was 3 for 13 from behind the arc.  Matheson led the Wildcat with 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
 
The Wildcats opened up the second half on a 5-0 run with a three pointer by Erika Locker and a layin by Parker to cut the NNU lead to 46-38.  The lead got cut to just five points after Edwards hit two free throws near the 15 minute mark in the half.
 
Edwards found Parker down low for an easy basket and a made free throw by Matheson cut the Crusaders lead to just 50-48 with 12:19 left in regulation.
 
The Wildcats were still within arms reach at the 7:39 mark when Edwards converted a free throw to put the Wildcats down just 58-61.
 
The Wildcats got to within two points of the Crusaders more than a few times before NNU would go ahead by six points, 69-63, with just over three minutes left.   The Wildcats had a hard time making baskets down the stretch and found themselves down by eight with 50 seconds to go.
 
With 36.2 seconds left Johnson drained a trey to make it a one-possession game at 74-71.  On the following NNU possession Parker added to her career blocks with her fifth of the contest and CWU regained the ball but turned it over seconds later allowing the Crusaders to walk away with the 76-71 win.

Next up the Wildcats go on the road for their final two games of the regular season against Saint Martin's and Western Oregon next Thursday and Saturday.