Ellensburg, Wash – The Central Washington women's basketball team opened their season with an exhibition game against Whitman College. It took two overtimes for the Wildcats to outlast the Blues 80-76 on Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Wildcats trailed the Blues by three with 11 seconds left. Brianna Phiakhamngon dribbled the ball down the court before giving it up to Kaelie Flores on the left wing. Flores hoisted a contested three-point shot that tickled the twine, tying the game with six seconds left. Mady Burdett missed a wide-open three for the Blues, sending the game into overtime. 
 
"Coach really had faith in me," Flores said. "In the timeout before the play, she asked me if I could knock down a three. I said 'yeah, let's do it.' My teammates really stepped up. Bri was a huge part in that play. I had a lot of confidence in myself and I knew my teammates had a lot of confidence in me too."  
 
The first overtime period was dominated by Taylor Shaw. Shaw scored nine consecutive points for the Wildcats, none of which were bigger than the final three. With 1:33 left in the first overtime period, the Wildcats trailed by a point. Shaw drove baseline with her left hand. She stopped, spun away from the basket and converted the shot through contact. Shaw added the free-throw, giving the Wildcats a two-point lead. Whitman's Burdett would hit a pair of free-throws that tied the game with 26 seconds left. The Wildcats could not convert, sending the game into a second overtime period. 
 
"I struggled a little bit in the first three quarters of the game, but my teammates were really supportive of me and reminded me to keep shooting," Shaw said. "I tried not to let myself get frustrated. Once I made the first one, my confidence boosted up and I decided I would keep shooting and it paid off for us." 
 
The Wildcats trailed by one with 3:17 remained in the second overtime period when Sadie Mensing knocked down a clutch three-pointer. The Blues brought the game to within a point with 1:01 left to play. Flores was at the line for a pair of free-throws. She knocked down the first before the second rimmed out. Samantha Bowman yanked down a rebound and kicked it out to Shaw for a three. Shaw missed the shot, but Flores was there for the put back. The Wildcats hung on for a tight four-point win. 
 
"It was a true testament of our kids gut and grit, which have been a focus throughout our preseason," head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "I'm just proud of them. They stepped up when we needed them to, they knocked down shots when we needed them to, they executed plays. Everyone contributed tonight. This is a game we have to learn from. I think this game could be the best thing that's ever happened to this team. It showed them how far you have to dig with your effort and your toughness to grind out wins." 
 
Shaw led the Wildcats with 27 points, aided by a perfect 11-for-11 performance from the free-throw line. Flores finished the contest with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. The Wildcats received 13 points from their bench, led by JonNae Richardson with seven. 
 
The Wildcats are back in action on Friday at 3:30 p.m. when they take on Cal State Monterey Bay in Nampa, Idaho.