ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Nov. 27) -- The Central Washington University women's basketball opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this weekend. Conference play begins with a game against the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Thursday. On Saturday, the team hosts the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks. Both games are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, Nov. 29 | 7:00 p.m. PST
vs University of Alaska Anchorage
Ellensburg, Wash. | Nicholson Pavilion
Watch |
Live Stats
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Dec. 1 | 7:00 p.m. PST
vs University of Alaska Nanooks
Ellensburg, Wash. | Nicholson Pavilion
Watch |
Live Stats
QUOTABLE
"I'm excited for this week as we get to start conference play and test ourselves against a proven program in UAA and a much improve program from last year in UAF," CWU Head Coach
Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "Our team has been working hard to grow from game to game and this weekend will give us a great indication of exactly where we're at."
SCOUTING THE OPPENENTS
University of Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves were one of the best teams in the GNAC a season ago. They posted an 18-2 conference record, landing them locked for the top spot with Northwest Nazarene. They're picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Overall, the Seawolves went 27-5 on the season. This season, the Seawolves are unblemished, going 6-0. They opened their season on November 10, taking care of Holy Names 92-52.
Last season, the Wildcats dropped both meetings with the Seawolves. The first took place on the road, where the Seawolves toppled the Wildcats 70-58. The two teams didn't meet again until the final day of the regular season. The game was tightly contested, as the Seawolves edged past the Wildcats 84-72.
Hannah Wandersee and Yazmeen Goo were unanimous selections for the 2018-2019 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Wandersee leads the charts, being the named the Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 14.8 points per game with 6.3 rebounds per game a season ago. She earned Second Team All-West Region selection from last year's efforts. Goo does the majority of the ball handling for the Seawolves. She earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC a season ago. She scored 8.5 points per game.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The Nanooks found themselves looking up at the rest of the conference, going 0-20 in GNAC play, 4-22 overall. They were picked to finish 11
th in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Nanooks are 3-3 in the early stages of the 2018-2019 season. They knocked off Holy Names 79-72 on November 11. They also picked up a 65-61 win over CSU Dominguez Hills on November 16.
The Wildcats came out on top of both games against in the Nanooks in 2017-2018. In their first meeting in Alaska, the Wildcats earned an 81-72 victory. The Wildcats increased their margin of victory by one in their second meeting of the season. They took the rematch 84-74 in Ellensburg.
The Nanooks don't have any players featured on the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Kylie Wallace is averaging 15.2 points per game, shooting 44.2 percent from the field. Marian Wamsley is efficient, shooting 58.3 percent from the field while scoring 13.8 points per game. She's adding in 7.2 rebounds per game, the most of any Nanook who has played multiple games. Sabrina Ungaro can shoot from deep. She's knocked down 48.4 percent of her three-point attempts.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats hosted Holy Names last Wednesday, toppling the Hawks 82-70. The Wildcats went on a 9-3 in the first 1:58 of the opening quarter.
Kassidy Malcolm score four points within that run before it was capped by a three-pointer from
Alexis Pana. The Hawks cut the lead to one before
Taylor Shaw drilled a three-pointer with three seconds left, giving the Wildcats a 24-20 lead after one quarter.
The Wildcats adopted the fast break to gain an advantage in the second quarter. They led 30-26 before going on an 11-2 run that lasted 3:24.
Kaelie Flores took control of the game during that span. She scored eight points, six of which came in consecutive trips down the floor. The Wildcats carried a 44-34 lead into halftime.
The Hawks closed in on the Wildcats in the third quarter. Ariana Hernandez scored seven-consecutive points for her team during the middle of the quarter, as the Hawks trailed the Wildcats 62-54 over the Hawks.
With 4:05 left in the fourth quarter,
Brianna Phiakhamngon knocked down a jumper that gave the Wildcats a 10-point lead. They'd control the rest of the game, taking the win. Malcolm had an impressive night, scoring 12 points while pulling in 18 rebounds.
The Wildcats are now in sole possession of the number four spot in the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Regional Poll.
