ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 24) - The Central Washington University women's basketball team hung on with the No. 4 team in the nation, but the Wildcats ultimately fell to the University of Alaska Anchorage, 84-72, Saturday evening in Nicholson Pavilion.
 
"Really proud of our effort tonight for 40 minutes," CWU Head Coach Randi-Richardson Thornley said.  "I felt like we didn't sustain our aggressiveness to dictate the tempo once we got the lead.  We played to keep the lead, rather than to put Anchorage away.  I don't want tonight's game to take away from what our seniors accomplished and where this program was four years ago to where we are now.  I'm incredibly grateful for our five seniors and how they been the driving force of our program these last few years."
 
CWU (15-13, 11-9 GNAC) was led by Sadie Mensing with 20 points (8-of-15), while pulling down six rebounds.
 
Taylor Baird also finished in double figures for the Wildcats, scoring 13 points and grabbing a team-high ten rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Rachel Lorentson scored nine points to go with three rebounds and three assists.
 
Central Washington led the Seawolves in assists (17-13), but UAA held the advantage in steals (9-4), blocks (3-0), and bench points (33-19).
 
The Seawolves (25-3, 18-2 GNAC) were paced by Hannah Wandersee scoring 20 points.
 
The Wildcats and Seawolves were deadlocked at ten before a jumper by Kaelie Flores sparked a 13-4 run for Central over the final 3:30 of the opening quarter. CWU managed to pull out to a nine-point lead (23-14) on an agile move from Mensing. Mensing scored a total of eight points in the quarter on 3-of-5 shooting. The Wildcats shot 52.9-percent from the floor in the first and converted five offensive rebounds into six-second chance points. 
 
Central Washington kept things rolling in the second quarter, jumping out to a 14-point lead (33-19) with eight minutes remaining. UAA strung together an 8-0 run midway through the quarter, but CWU regained an eight-point advantage following a three-pointer by Kassidy Malcolm. The Wildcats went into the locker room up seven, 39-32, against the No. 4 team in the nation. 
 
CWU was on the board first in the second half with a three pointer by Rachel Lorentson, but the Seawolves answered with a pair of layups as UAA climbed within six points, 42-36. Alaska Anchorage grabbed their first lead since the first quarter (51-49) after Hannah Wandersee side stepped a CWU defender and laid it in for two. After a two-minute scoring drought from the Wildcats and a 9-0 run by the Seawolves, Mensing drilled back-to-back jumpers to trail 58-55 heading into the fourth.
 
The possession arrow was in favor of the Wildcats to open the fourth quarter, but the Seawolves were first on the board as Rodericka Ware sliced to the basket for a contested layup. Jasmin Edwards intercepted an errant pass by UAA and dribbled straight to the basket for two points in hopes of spurring some momentum for the Wildcats, but the Seawolves countered with six straight points to claim an 11-point lead (73-62).
 
Alaska Anchorage reached a 80-67 lead before the Wildcats were forced to foul.  The Seawolves managed to shoot 82.6-percent from the charity stripe to leave Nicholson Pavilion with an 84-72 victory.
 
The Wildcats scored 32 points in the paint, eight points off of turnovers, and ten second chance points.  
 
Central Washington's regular season has concluded and the Wildcats now wait to see whom they will face in the upcoming GNAC Tournament next week.