ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 2) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team fell to Saint Martin's University on Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game, 65-61.  The Wildcats are now 8-4 on the season with a 1-3 mark in GNAC play.
 
"I'm disappointed at our execution and effort tonight," CWU Head Coach Jeff Harada said afterward. "Too many turnovers at critical times and undisciplined defense cost us another conference game. St. Martin's set the tone early and they were the hungrier and tougher team and they deserved to win."
 
After a 17-17 first quarter the Wildcats pulled to a 38-32 lead heading into the locker room at the half.
 
"We saw in the first half how ball movement and getting it inside to the post opened things up on the perimeter enabling us to shoot a high percentage," Harada added.  "In the second half we took too many jumpers instead of getting the ball inside first."
 
Central entered the second half with a shooting percentage of 58.33 percent, but hit just 25 percent of their shots in the second half.  From beyond the three-point line, the Wildcats managed just a 1-12 mark in the final twenty minutes of regulation.
 
"We need to understand how valuable possessions are, not just in the 4^th quarter, but in the 1^st quarter as well," Harada noted.  "It's frustrating because as poorly as we played, we still had opportunities to win the game. If we don't toughen up mentally it's going to be a long season."
 
A trey by Mandy Steward, followed by a layup from India Matheson, leveled the score at 58-58 with 2:53 remaining in regulation.  The Saints responded with a five-point run to go up 63-58. 
 
Jasmine Parker made a jumper with five seconds to play in regulation and was fouled on the play.  She converted the lone free throw, cutting the deficit to two.  It was not enough, as the Saints held on 65-61.
 
"I'm confident we will have a great week of practice and play better basketball on both ends next weekend," Harada said.
 
Parker finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one block, and three steals.  Steward added 13 points.  Jasmin Edwards finished with 10 points, five assists, and one steal.
 
The Wildcats will be back in action on Thursday (Jan. 7) at Simon Fraser, before travelling to Bellingham to take on Western Washington on Saturday (Jan. 9).  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on both nights.