ANCHORAGE, Alaska. (Mar. 1)– The Central Washington University women's basketball team fell in the final seconds to Montana State Billings, 75-73.
 
The Wildcats fall to 15-14 overall, while the Yellowjackets improve to 20-11.
 
Taylor Baird paced the Wildcats with 18 points while Jasmin Edwards and Taylor Shaw supplied 13 each. As a team, the 'Cats shot 42.9 percent from the field and outscored MSUB in the paint 46-28.  Edwards also picked up six assists   Sadie Mensing led tne Wildcats with eight rebounds.  The Wildcat seniors combined for 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.
 
Up two with 3.1 seconds left in the contest, Montana State Billings' Vanessa Stavish drew a charge against Central Washington's Alexis Pana to give MSUB its third 20-win season in program history.
 
Montana State Billings' seniors Alisha Breen and Rylee Kane provided a majority of the Yellowjackets' offense. Breen finished the night with 26 points on 10 of 19 shooting while Kane pumped in 25 points, nine of which came from the free-throw line.
 
It was a tale of two quarters for the Yellowjackets in the first half. Montana State Billings shot nearly 67 percent from the field in the opening stanza but was limited to 2 of 13 shooting the following quarter.  
 
Deadlocked at 10 during the 5:13 mark of the first quarter, the Yellowjackets went on a 13-2 spurt to give themselves a 23-12 advantage. Breen tallied eight points during the run. 
 
The Wildcats shot just 36.11 percent in the first half, before shooting 50 percent in the second half. 
 
Despite Montana State Billings shooting 75 percent from behind the three-point line, Central Washington kept the score within reach after corralling 10 offensive rebounds for nine second-chance points.

The Wildcats nailed their first three-pointer of the game with 53 seconds left in the first half after Pana converted from the right wing to cut MSUB's lead 39-33 heading into halftime. Baird led CWU with 12 points.
 
Shifting her way through traffic at the 3:04 mark of the third quarter, Pana brought the Wildcats within six after her lay-in made the score 45-39. Shaw tacked on CWU's 42nd point of the contest after knocking down a three-pointer with 1:54 on the clock.
 
Kaelie Flores tied the contest with 3:04 left in the game after nailing a 12-foot turn-around jumper to level things at 66. Kane responded, however, as she flipped up a right-handed lay-in while drawing a foul. Vanessa Collins extended the run to five after a steal and easy layup on the successive possession to give MSUB a 71-66 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets went on a 5-0 run, staking out a 73-68 lead.  Baird picked up a bucket in the paint and Shaw drained a three, pulling within two, 73-71.  The 'Jackets clung to their lead to preserve the win.
 
Contributions to this release provided by GNACsports.com.