LACEY, Wash. (Mar. 2) –The Central Washington University women's basketball team nabbed its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship victory with a 58-57 victory over the three-seeded Simon Fraser University.
 
"Tremendous effort from our team," CWU Head Coach Jeff Harada said. "Down double digits in the fourth.  During a timeout I told them we were going to win the game and make playoff history.  There isn't a 10-point shot, so we needed to grind back.  It's a big win for us, the program, and the school."
 
Senior Kortney Grattic sunk a pair of free throws as the Wildcats out-battled the Clan in a tight fourth quarter.  The Wildcats staged a 12-point comeback en route to their win.
 
After a 16-16 first quarter, the Clan took a 28-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.  Central's offense struggled through the middle periods of play, tallying just 19 points and a shooting percentage of 21.  Simon Fraser notched 27 points in the second and third quarters, pulling ahead 43-37 with one final quarter remaining.
 
Harada's Wildcats went to work in the fourth quarter, shooting 61.5 percent and scoring 23 points.
 
Rachel Fradgley hit the first bucket of the fourth quarter, giving the Clan a 10-point spread.  The Clan's lead hovered near double digits until Taylor Shaw knocked down a three with 5:17 remaining in regulation.
 
A missed three by Elisa Homer sent the Wildcats back down the floor with 5:01 to play.  Taylor Baird was fouled on her way to the basket and knocked down both free throws, cutting Simon Fraser's lead to just five. 
 
A pair of free throws by SFU's Ellen Kett pushed the lead back to seven, but a layup by Sadie Mensing and jumper by Jasmin Edwards made the contest a one-possession game. 
 
With 3:00 to play, Baird converted a layup, making it a one-point game at 53-52.
 
A see-saw battle ensued for the next 2:45 with both teams taking slim, one-point leads before the other took it back.  Mensing's layup with seven seconds remaining put the Wildcats up 56-55, but a pair of free throws by Kett pushed SFU up 57-56.
 
As Edwards drove the lane with just over one second to play, she was fouled hard and left with an injury.  Grattic came on as a substitution and made both free throws, giving the Wildcats a 58-57 lead.  The Clan lobbed up a final shot, but the Wildcats held on for the 58-57 win and to advance to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament.
 
"When Jas went down I thought she would pop right back up like she normally does," Grattic said.  "We needed someone to step up and coach turned to me.  I just did what we do in practice and it went our way."
 
Central Washington finished with a 39.2 shooting percentage, including a 3-for-8 mark from beyond the arc.  The Wildcats scored 28 points in the paint, 14 points off of turnovers, and the bench contributed 10 points.
 
Edwards played 38 minutes and finished with 12 points and five assists.  Taylor Baird notched 10 points, five rebounds, and four blocks.  Mensing picked up 10 points, while Sarah McGee chipped in nine points and three steals.
 
"It's our second win against a top three team in the league," Harada noted.  "But for us to get our first win in GNAC postseason it is such a rewarding feeling.  We don't have any selfish kids.  We had different players step up over our run this season and it showed tonight.  Everyone contributed."
 
The Wildcats take on two-seed Western Washington on Friday (Mar. 3) at noon.  Live stats and video will be available through wildcatsports.com.