ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Nov. 10) – Randi Richardson-Thornley earned her first career collegiate win as the Central Washington University women's basketball team defeated Cal State Los Angeles, 70-55.
"It feels really good," Richardson-Thornley said of her first collegiate win. "I'm really happy for our girls most of all. We got better all week in the area's we thought we need improvement on, especially defensively."
The Wildcats finished with three players in double digit points as
Sadie Mensing (14),
Jasmin Edwards (13), and
Taylor Baird (10) led the scoring. The Wildcats are now 1-0 on the year, while Cal State LA falls to 0-1.
"It's a compliment to our team and our depth," Richardson-Thornley said of the Wildcats' offensive output. "Players pick up slack when needed and we have multiple ways to score points this year from every position. I was really pleased with our girls effort and how spread out our offense was."
Central climbed out to a 15-11 lead in the first quarter and continued their consistent approach, outscoring the Golden Eagles in every quarter.'
The Wildcats shot 42.9 percent from the floor in the first half, including a combined 6-for-9 effort from Edwards and Mensing. Defensively, they held the Golden Eagles to a 9-for-31 mark form the floor.
Central dominated the floor in the second half as well, outscoring Cal State LA 38-30.
Holding a seven-point lead at half, the Wildcats extended their lead to 10 on a layup by Baird 40 seconds into the third quarter. The Golden Eagles battled back, cutting the lead to single-digits, but never found the momentum to overtake the Wildcats.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats upped the ante extending their lead to as large as 19 points.
Edwards finished with 13 points, six assists, and two rebounds, earning her the Red Lion Player of the Game.
Alexis Pana recorded six rebounds, two points, and seven assists.
Beverly Verduin notched six points, one assist, one rebound, and one block. As a unit, the Wildcats hauled in 42 rebounds, four blocks, and one assist.
The Wildcats are back in action on Saturday (Nov. 11) as they take on Hawaii Pacific at 3:30 p.m.
