ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 14) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team faces a short turnaround after picking up two Great Northwest Athletic Conference wins last weekend. It starts on Tuesday when the team hosts No. 5 Northwest Nazarene followed by a game with Montana State University Billings on Thursday. Both games are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Nicholson Pavilion.
GAME INFORMATION
Tuesday, Jan. 15 | 7:00 p.m. PST
vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene
Nicholson Pavilion | Ellensburg, Wash.
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Live Stats
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, Jan. 17 | 7:00 p.m. PST
vs. Montana State University Billings
Nicholson Pavilion | Ellensburg, Wash.
Watch |
Live Stats
QUOTABLE
"This is a big and quick week for us as we face NNU and MSUB Tuesday and Thursday," CWU head coach
Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "Both teams play very different styles but they are very similar in the fact they both play super hard and can knock down shots from behind the arc. We need to bring two great defensive efforts in order to compete with either one of these teams."
SCOUTING NORTHWEST NAZARENE
The Nighthawks finished last season tied for first place in the GNAC standings after going 18-2 in conference. This season, the conference's coaches picked the Nighthawks to own the top spot. This year's team featured two returning starters on Raquel Jardine and McKenna Walker. Jordine averaged eight points and 4.8 rebounds per game last year, while Walker earned All-GNAC Honorable Mention. Walker is slated for another appearance on the All-GNAC list, joined by unanimous selection Danielle Jardine and Ellie Logan.
The Nighthawks have year to lose in the 2018-2019 season, going 14-0 overall with a 6-0 mark in conference play. Last weekend, the Nighthawks beat Seattle Pacific 82-64 on Thursday before going over against Saint Martin's 92-47 on Saturday. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC in scoring offense, averaging 86.8 points per game, nearly 10 points more than next-closest Central Washington. The Nighthawks can also defend, holding teams to an average of 62.4 points per game.
Avery Albrecht has emerged as the team's leading scorer nearing the midway point of the season. Albrecht is averaging 12.6 points per game, knocking down 47.9 percent of her shot attempts. Logan is scoring well, averaging 10.6 points per game with 5.4 rebounds per game, second most on the team. Danielle Jardine leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets earned a fourth-place conference finish with a 12-8 GNAC record a season ago. They would go onto win the GNAC Championship and NCAS Division II West Region behind the play of GNAC Player of the Year Alisha Breen. Luckily for the Wildcats, and the rest of the GNAC, Breen has graduated. In the 2018-2019 preseason coaches' poll, the yellowjackets are picked to land in eighth-place. Vanessa Stavish returns to the club as a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-GNAC team. Stavish is joined by Taylor Cunningham as the only returning starters.
The Yellowjackets are 7-5 to open the new season, with a 3-3 record on GNAC games. The team split last weekend's road games in Alaska. On Thursday, the yellowjackets dropped a game with No. 14 Alaska Anchorage 87-42 before getting the better of Alaska Fairbanks 80-72 on Saturday. The Yellowjackets find themselves in the middle of the pack both on offense and defense.
Hannah Collins leads the group with 15.9 points per game, tied for the top spot in the GNAC. Cunningham and Stavish have lived up to their preseason hype thus far. Cunningham averages 13 points per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field. Stavish has scored 11.3 points per game, while grabbing the second most rebounds per game on the team at 5.1.
LAST TIME OUT
The CWU women's basketball team toppled Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific in front of the home fans at Nicholson Pavilion last weekend. The Wildcats outlasted the Saints 85-82 on Thursday before getting the better of the Falcons 77-70 on Saturday.
The Wildcats trailed the Saints 68-60 entering the fourth quarter of Thursday's game. During the middle of the final quarter, the Wildcats exploded for a 17-7 that would go on to win them the game. As a team, the Wildcats shot 53.1 percent from the field, going 34-for-64 from the field.
Alexis Pana was outstanding the Crimson and Black, scoring 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. She dished out 11 assists, and was two rebounds shy of a triple-double, finishing the game with eight.
On Saturday, the Wildcats earned their advantage in the middle quarters of the game against the Falcons. The team outscored their opponents 43-28. They'd hang on to the lead in the fourth quarter, securing a 77-70 win.
JonNae Richardson supplied a huge lift off the bench for the Wildcats. Richardson scored 13 points, going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Even more impressive were her seven rebounds, five of which came on the offense glass.
WBB D2SIDA POLL UPDATE
The Wildcats own the number five spot in the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Regional Poll.
NOTEABLE CWU GNAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
- · 2nd in scoring offense – 77.1 points per game
- · 3rd in scoring margin - +9.8
- · 1st in field goal percentage – 47.8%
- · 2nd in field goal percentage defense – 38.8%
- · 2nd in three-point percentage – 36.4%
- · 3rd in three-point defense – 29.7%
- · 1st in blocked shots – 4.9 per game
- · 2nd in assists – 17.8 per game
- · Tied for 1st in assist/turnover ratio – 1.2
- · 2nd in defensive rebounds – 26.5
NOTEABLE IDIVIDUAL GNAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
