PORTLAND, Ore. (Feb. 16) -- A season-high point total from junior guard Sarah McGee propelled the Central Washington University women's basketball team to a 61-44 victory over Concordia University.
 
The Wildcats improve to 11-14 overall and 6-11 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.  The Cavaliers fall to 10-15 overall and 7-10 in GNAC competition.
 
McGee made seven of 12 attempts from the floor to record a game-high 14 points. She also tallied five rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block in Thursday's contest.
 
Junior Jasmin Edwards played 39 minutes for the Wildcats and dished out seven assists to go with eight points, four rebounds and two steals.
 
"Awesome win tonight,' CWU Head Coach Jeff Harada said.  "We had different players step up from our bench and Sarah [McGee] and Jasmin [Edwards] hit some big shots, especially in the first half to keep us close."
 
The score was deadlocked 30-30 going into halftime, but the stingy Wildcat defense held the Cavaliers to just 6-of-24 shooting (25%) in the second half to seal the victory.
 
"Our defense was pretty good in the first half," Harada noted.  "But their nine offensive rebounds were definitely a concern.  I felt fortunate we were tied at half time.
 
The Wildcats outscored Concordia 31 to 14 in the second half, including holding the Cavaliers to just four points in the third quarter.
 
"Our energy and defense in the second half is what won us the game," Harada acknowledged. "We just had a much better sense of urgency and it led to easier shots for us on offense."
 
The Wildcats shot 46.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc.  They outrebounded Concordia 37-34, including 13 offensive boards.
 
Freshman guard Alexis Pana scored a season-high nine points and grabbed four rebounds.  Kaelie Flores added six points and five rebounds in just only 14 minutes of play.  
 
"Alexis had her breakout game tonight and really gave us a spark on both ends," Harada said.  "Kaelie also had great minutes so it was nice to see our freshmen make those types of plays in a big game like this one. 
 
The Wildcats will travel to Monmouth, Ore. to play Western Oregon University this Saturday (Feb. 18) at 5:15 p.m.
 
"We'll enjoy this one for the next few hours then shift our focus to Western Oregon for another must win on Saturday," Harada finished.