PORTLAND, Ore. (Jan. 25) – Jasmin Edwards scored 20 points as the Central Washington University women's basketball team opened the second of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a 63-60 win over Concordia (Ore.).
 
 The Wildcats improve to 11-8 overall and 7-5 in GNAC play, while Concordia falls to 11-8 and 5-6 in GNAC competition.
 
Edwards led the Wildcats' offense with 20 points, including the game-winning basket with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and four assists.  Edwards was just three points shy of her season high in scoring (23), which she tallied against Concordia at home.  From the field, she finished 8-for-13, while adding a 3-for-4 mark from the charity stripe.  Taylor Baird finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and adding a team high 10 rebounds.  Kassidy Malcolm finished with 10 points, a career high in conference games.  The Wildcats outshot the Cavaliers 24-for-57 to 18-for-63.  The Wildcats scored 34 points in the paint, while the bench chipped in 21.  Concordia outrebounded Central, 49-35.
 
"I'm happy with our team's defensive effort tonight," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said.  "We struggled on the boards and that's something we need to learn from moving forward, but I'm proud of our kids' toughness they showed to make plays and get stops down the stretch to pull off the win."
 
The first half was tightly contested until Central Washington found a groove midway through the second quarter.
 
Tied 23-23, Rachel Lorentson made a layup and the Wildcats capitalized on a missed shot by the Cavaliers' on the ensuing possession.  Kaelie Flores reeled in the rebound, before Edwards found Pana on the break.  Another missed shot from Concordia gave way to a layup from Flores.  The Cavaliers hampered their own offense after Flores' layup, drawing an offensive foul and giving the Wildcats the ball.  Edwards made sure to take advantage, driving the lane for a layup.   Taylor Shaw then blocked a shot from Erin Higbie, allowing Malcolm to drain a three for a 34-23 lead.  The Cavaliers finally put a stop to the Wildcats' run with a pair of free throws, but they did not make a shot for 4:34.  Keesha Sarman made the Cavaliers' first bucket since Bailey Cartwright scored with 4:37 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The Wildcats shot well from the floor in the first half, knocking down shots at a clip of 53.5 percent.  After the first two quarters of play, Edwards had 11 points and a 5-for-6 mark from the field.  Malcolm and Pana combined from the bench to shoot 5-for-7 with 12 points.
 
The Cavaliers gained the momentum edge in the opening minutes of the third quarter, erasing the Wildcats' lead and levelling the score at 38-38 three minutes into the second quarter.  The Wildcat offense went back to work, capturing a 5-0 run for a 43-38 lead.  The third stanza closed with Central leading 49-45.
 
Concordia stormed into the fourth quarter and once again erased the Wildcats' lead with eight minutes remaining.  A see-saw battle erupted with both teams jostling for control but, with just two minutes left, the score was even once more at 58-58.
 
Free throws from Cartwright gave the Cavaliers a slim advantage, 60-58.  Pana matched Cartwright's free throws, tying the game at 60 with a minute to play.
A missed three from Danielle Hartzog gave way to a Wildcat timeout with 40 seconds left in regulation.  Off the timeout, Edwards scored the go-ahead basket in the paint for a 62-60 Wildcat lead. 
 
The Cavaliers then called a timeout and drew up a final play.  Concordia came out of the timeout looking for to level the score, but Cartwright's shot didn't fall and Pana swooped in for the rebound.  She added a free throw for a 63-60 lead.
 
After another Concordia timeout, the Wildcats' defense gave Hartzog no room to maneuver for an open three and her shot missed and sealed a Wildcat victory.
 
Central is back in action on Saturday (Jan. 27) in Monmouth, Oregon for a GNAC battle with Western Oregon.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.