ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 31) – The Central Washington University women's basketball is riding a four-game winning streak as they take on Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's University this week.
 
GAME INFO
Thursday at 5:15 p.m. | Seattle Pacific | ESPN3 | Live Stats
Saturday at 5:15 p.m. | Saint Martin's | Watch | Live Stats
 
 
SCOUTING SEATTLE PACIFIC
A 16-3 overall record, and a 10-2 mark in GNAC play, places the Falcons second in both the GNAC and in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.
 
The Falcons have won seven straight games, including a 66-48 win over the GNAC leading Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage.  The only two conference losses for Seattle Pacific came against Concordia (Ore.) and Northwest Nazarene.  At the time of the Falcons loss to Concordia (Ore.) the Cavaliers were in the top seven in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.  Likewise, the Falcons loss the Northwest Nazarene came in a game where both schools were ranked inside the top 10 of the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.
 
Inside the Falcons' seven-game winning streak, opponents have reached 75 points just once.  In the remaining six games, opponents have failed to score 65, including a pair of games where the Falcons' opposition failed to reach 50 points.
 
The last time Seattle Pacific and Central Washington squared off, the Falcons claimed a 62-13 win over the Wildcats in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Jordan McPhee led the Falcons' scoring effort, netting 14 points.  Rachel Shim, Courtney Hollander, and Hailee Bennett each scored nine. 
 
Neither side had a particularly good day on offense.  The Falcons finished with a shooting percentage of just 35.4 percent, well below their season productivity from the field.  Central, meanwhile, shot just 24.2 percent from the field.
 
The Falcons have not lost on the road in six games; their last road loss coming to Concordia (Ore.) on November 30.
 
McPhee leads the Falcons in scoring, average 14.5 points per game.  Hollander follows behind at 11.8 points per game.  Julia Haining leads in rebounding, hauling in 7.8 rebounds per outing.  Hollander once again sits in second with 7.1 rebounds a game.


SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S
The Saints have struggled this season, compiling a record of just 6-14. Inside GNAC play, Saint Martin's is 2-10 with wins over Alaska Fairbanks and Concordia (Ore.)
 
The Saints fell to Central Washington in the first meeting this season, 49-46.  The Saints shot just 33.3 percent from the field, while Makenna Schultz was the only player to reach double digit points for Saint Martin's.  Schultz, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, scored 13 points.  She also recorded five turnovers, also a team high.
 
The Wildcats also struggled from the floor in that meeting, shooting just 32.7 percent.  The difference came at the charity stripe.  Central finished a perfect 10-for-10 at the line, while Saint Martin's converted just 11 of 18.
 
Elin Johansson leads the Saints in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game.  Johansson was nearly a non-factor in the last meeting between Central and Saint Martin's.  The Saints' post got into foul trouble early, accumulating three fouls before half time.  She finished with seven points over 15 minutes of play, with most of her minutes coming in the fourth quarter. 
 
Behind Johansson in scoring, Saniah Simpson-Patu is averaging 14.5 points per game.  Schultz rounds out the double-digit scorers, putting up 12.6 points per game.
 
OLD FRIENDS, NEW FOES
Central Washington Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley is no stranger to Seattle Pacific University and the Falcons' bench boss, Julie Heisey.  Now in her 13th year at the helm for the Falcons', Heisey came into 2017-18 with a 248-97 record.

Heisey will face-off against her former assistant, Richardson-Thornley, and former player, Stacey Lukasiewicz.
 
Richardson-Thornley spent two seasons on the bench with Heisey, during which the Falcons compiled a 40-16 record.  They made two GNAC tournament appearances, going one and done each time, and a West Region appearance.
 
Lukasiewicz joined Seattle Pacific in 2013-14, playing in 112 games over her four-year career for Heisey, two of those years with Richardson-Thornley on Heisey's staff.
 
JAZZING IT UP
Senior Jasmin Edwards has been a mainstay in the Wildcat lineup for the past four years.  The Lynnwood, Washington product ranks in the top five in eight career categories.  She also ranks in the top ten in six more categories.
 
For single-season records, it's more of the same.  Edwards is among the most decorated players to ever grace the court at Central Washington.  She ranks in the top five in twelve different single-season records.
 
Edwards' name appears as the all-time career lead in assists (493), assists per game (4.9), and minutes (3,640).  She is also the GNAC all-time leader in assists, surpassing former Simon Fraser point guard Ellen Kett.
 
WINNING WAYS
The Wildcats are riding a four-game winning streak, propelling them to No. 8 in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.  It is the first time the Wildcats have appeared in the poll this season. 
 
In their last four games, the Wildcats are shooting at a clip of 48.8 percent from the field.  The Wildcats are also averaging a season-best 13.5 turnovers per game over the stretch.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Wildcats are 6-2 at home this season, with just one conference loss coming in the Pav.  The Wildcats have posted a scoring average of 83.5 when playing in front of their home town crowd, a staggering +12.1 above their season average.  Opponents are also scoring at a slightly higher clip than normal, averaging 76.2 points per game in Nicholson Pavilion.