ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 27) – Five members of the Central Washington University women's basketball team scored in double digits as the Wildcats won their fourth straight game, 79-67 over Western Oregon.
 
The Wildcats are now 12-8 overall and 8-4 in GNAC play, while the Wolves fall to 8-10 and 4-8 in GNAC competition.
 
Taylor Shaw (14), Jasmin Edwards (13), Sadie Mensing (12), Kaelie Flores (12), and Alexis Pana (12) all scored double digit points.  Edwards finished with eight assists, just two shy of a double-double. She also picked up five steals.  Flores nearly missed a double-double as well, reeling in a team high nine rebounds.  Pana recorded three blocks, while Taylor Baird swatted a pair of shots. 
 
"Great effort on both ends of the floor," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said afterward.  "I thought our bench played great.  To have five kids in double digits and 41 bench points really shows this group's depth.  Defensively, I was happy with our kids' ability to make adjustments throughout the entire game."
 
The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field, including 15 threes. They totaled six blocks and eight steals.  They outrebounded Western Oregon 37-29.  The Wildcats scored 34 points in the paint, 11 off of turnovers, 18 second chance points, and the bench scored 41 points.  Every player who appeared in the game for Central ended the game with at least one point.
 
Shaw finished 6-for-9 from the field, while Pana finished 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.  At the charity tripe, Pana finished a perfect 4-for-4, while Mensing and Edwards knocked down four of five.
 
After a minute and a half of play, the score stood even at 2-2.  That was the final time, however, the score line read even.
 
Rachel Lorentson drained a three, putting Central up 5-2, and the Wildcats never looked back.  They extended their lead to 10, just five and a half minutes into play.  Central went on a 10-0 run, extending their lead to 12-2.  They held the Wolves scoreless for over four minutes in the first half during their run.
 
A three by Kassidy Malcolm two minutes later gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the first quarter, 19-6.  Western Oregon cut the lead down to just seven, 22-15, to end the opening stanza.
 
The second quarter was much more even, but even still, the Wildcats had the advantage.  They outscored Western Oregon 25-18 in the second quarter. 
 
The Wildcats' lead hovered near six for the first five minutes of the second.  A layup from Sadie Mensing gave the Wildcats an eight-point lead, 32-24, before a three from Pana put the Wildcats on top by 11, 35-24.
 
Buckets by Flores and Edwards with three minutes left in the quarter gave the Wildcats a 12-point advantage, 39-27.
 
The Wolves were able to cut the deficit to single digits, however the Wildcats did not relent.
 
A buck by Flores put Central back on top by double digits, 45-33. Baird worked both ends of the court following Flores' bucket.  First, she blocked a jumper from Savannah Heugly, which led to Baird picking up a layup in the paint for a 45-33 advantage.  After an unsuccessful possession from Western Oregon, Baird once again picked up points in the paint, giving the Wildcats their largest lead of the game 47-33.
 
The Wolves found their stride in the third quarter, cutting the Wildcats' lead down to just three with 3:50 left in the quarter.  The Wildcats redoubled their efforts and ended the third with a nine-point lead 58-49.
 
The Wildcats went to work on offense once again in the fourth quarter.  Flores knocked down the first basket of the period and a steal from Edwards on the ensuing Wolves' possession led to a bucket from Shaw, giving the Wildcats a 62-49 lead.
 
Western Oregon and Central seemingly traded baskets for the majority of the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats closed with a 79-67 victory.
 
Central is back in action on Thursday (Feb. 1) as they take on Seattle Pacific at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.