ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 20) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team heads on the road for four consecutive games, its longest road trip of the year.  The Wildcats will first take on Western Oregon University and Concordia University in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. 
 
"It's an important week for us as we look to finish up the first half of league play on a high note," CWU Head Coach Jeff Harada said.  "We did some good things in our last game and hopefully we can carry it over into this week."
 
The Wolves have dropped four of their last five games, the lone win coming over Concordia (Ore.) in a 53-43 decision. 
 
Jordan Mottershaw leads Western Oregon in scoring, averaging 8.6 points per game.  Sydney Azorr is averaging 7.6 points per game, second for the Wolves.  Azorr is tied for the team's lead in rebound per game (4.4) with Emily Howey and Natalie DeLong. 
 
Western Oregon is allowing 67.2 points per game, but scoring just 54.  The Wolves are averaging nearly 20 turnovers per game.  At home, WOU is 3-4 on the season.
 
The Wildcats are 22-14 against Western Oregon all-time.  On the road, Central is 8-11 against the Wolves.  The Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak over Western Oregon, including a win in Monmouth last year.  Central is just 1-3 in Monmouth, however, in its past four games.  The last three games in Monmouth have been decided by eight points or less.
 
The Cavaliers have lost six straight games and have not won in GNAC play since Dec. 3rd against Saint Martin's in a 56-44 matchup.  At home, the normally "friendly" confines have been anything but.  The Cavs are 0-5 on their home floor.  Their lone conference win came on the road at Saint Martin's. 
 
Sierra Dean leads the Cavaliers in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game.  Dean has only started a pair of games this season, being a force off the bench for Concordia.  Bailey Cartwright leads the rebounding effort for the Cavaliers, pulling in 5.3 boards per game.  Cartwright has a total 85 rebounds on the season. 
 
Concordia is averaging 57.6 points per game, but have scored under 50 in two of the last three games.
 
Against the Cavaliers, Central is 4-0 overall.  The Wildcats have yet to play Concordia in a GNAC meeting.  Central played Concordia in Ellensburg last season, coming away with an 18-point victory.  The Wildcats have not gone to Portland since the 1997-98 season with Central picking up an overtime victory. 
 
On the road, Central has posted a 5-1 record this season. 
 
"Being on the road is always tough in this conference," Harada added. We've had some success this year, so I'm excited to see if we can continue that trend and step up to the challenges that await us."
 
The Wildcats were 1-1 last week, recording a win over Alaska Fairbanks.  Against the Nanooks, Central's younger group gained significant minutes. 
 
"Our starters are really setting the tone and our bench has shown they can come in and make plays as well," Harada noted.  "It's nice to get contributions from everyone and having the luxury to bring players in off the bench who can impact the game is a big reason for our success so far."
 
The Wildcats' bench has averaged 25.6 points per game, including 24 in their win over Western Washington.  Leading the Wildcats' bench is freshman Mandy Steward.  She has played in all 16 games for Central, off the bench each time.  In 305 minutes she has scored 160 points, third on Central Washington.  Steward is shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, a team high.  She is also shooting at a 44.8 clip from the field, second only to Jasmine Parker (57.5).
 
Central is now the 12^th ranked scoring defense in Division II (55.2).  Parker is 11^th in Division II with 2.5 blocks per game.  Jasmin Edwards is 13^th with 5.8 assists per game.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on both Thursday and Saturday.