ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 20) -- Four Wildcats scored in double figures as the starters tallied 58 of the team's points to snap Central's four-game losing streak to their instate rivals Western Washington University.
 
Saturday's matchup proved why the CWU-WWU matchup is such a great rivalry with 17 lead changes and seven ties throughout the game.

The Wildcats (10-8, 6-4 GNAC) were led in scoring by junior Sadie Mensing. Mensing scored a game-high 18 points, with six points coming in the fourth quarter. The Snohomish, Wash. native also dished out four assists in the game.   It is the first time the Wildcats have won at home against Western Washington since 2002.  It is also the first time the program has swept Simon Fraser and Western Washington in the same week.
 
"I'm extremely happy for our kids," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said.  "Especially our seniors.  It was great game and a lot of fun to be a part of.  Western played a great game, it was back and forth.  I'm so proud of how we kept the intensity level so high tonight.  Even when Western found success, our kids didn't get down on themselves and came back and made a play."
 
Senior forward Taylor Baird matched her season-high after pouring in 17 points for her 11th double figure game of the season. Fellow senior Jasmin Edwards completed her 14th double figure scoring game of the season with 14 points, while also dishing out a team-high six assists. Kaelie Flores knocked down four of her nine shots on her way to 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.  
 
Central Washington won the tip, but it was the Vikings who jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Back-to-back layups by Edwards put CWU on the board and evened the score at four. The remainder of the quarter featured runs by both teams, as the Wildcats and WWU ended the first period tied 16-16.
 
Baird kicked off CWU's scoring effort in the second frame after grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it in for two points. Tied 29-29, Western Washington converted a pair of layups to take a 33-29 lead. The Wildcats demonstrated their resilience once again, battling back to even the score 37-37 with :35 remaining. Edwards would find Mensing for the final score of the half, as the Wildcats claimed a 39-37 lead at the break.

Both teams shot above 50-percent in the first half, but the Wildcats held the advantage from beyond the arc. CWU made 33.3-percent (3-of-9) of their shots from three-point range, while the Vikings tallied a 20-percent clip (1-of-5).
 
Junior guard Sadie Mensing connected on her fourth basket of the night to open the third quarter. Western Washington grabbed the lead on a successful and-one play, but Alexis Pana found Flores on the baseline for a corner three to regain the edge, 50-48. The Vikings went on a 4-0 run to trail 53-52, but Edwards capitalized on a trip to the charity stripe to push CWU out to a 55-52 lead at the end of the period.
 
A basket by WWU's Emma Duff evened the score 65-65 midway through the final period. With 1:13 remaining and the game tied 73-73, Edwards drove to the basket, but spotted Verduin standing alone from behind the arc. Edwards dished it to Verduin who found the bottom of the net to give Central a three-point lead.
 
Western had the ball with a chance to even the score, but committed an offensive turnover to allow Central to regain possession. The Vikings attempted to swing the tide back in their favor, but CWU held on to come away with the 77-73 victory. 
 
The Wildcats will travel to Oregon next week to face Concordia University (Jan. 25) and Western Oregon (Jan. 27), as the schedule turns over for the second half of GNAC play.