ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 17) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team (11-4, 6-2) led wire to wire to defeat Montana State University Billings (7-6, 3-4) 93-58 on Thursday evening in the Nicholson Pavilion.
 
The Wildcats were led by Kaelie Flores with a career high 24 points and 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Kassidy Malcolm added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Alexis Pana nearly notched a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
 
"My team also has given me confidence and my coaches as well so I just knew I needed to go in and do what I needed to do," Flores said. "My team was doing a really good job of getting me the ball and those three pointers wouldn't have happened without them."
 
The 93 points allowed were the most in a game this season and the most by a Yellowjacket team since a 98-57 loss at the hands of Seattle Pacific University on February 4, 2017.  Likewise, the 14 threes allowed by MSUB were the most since Western Oregon made 15 of 31 on January 14, 2017.
 
The game remained close early on with the Wildcats taking a slight edge 9-8 halfway through the first period. Central's defense clamped down for the remainder of the quarter, holding the Yellowjackets to just 20 percent from the field leading to a 20-13 lead.
 
The Crimson and Black pushed their lead to 24-15 in the first two minutes of the second quarter before they exploded for a 12-0 run behind four straight three pointers in just three minutes. Flores nailed back-to-back three pointers, Taylor Shaw buried another and Brianna Phiakhamngon capped the incredible shooting display with one of her own.
 
"[I'm] really happy for our kids to get back to our shooting ways after we struggled the last three games from behind the arc especially," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley. "I think once we got rolling there, there was no stopping us."
 
Central outscored MSUB 24-11 in the quarter, led by Malcolm with eight points along with six from Flores. The Wildcats shot 75 percent from deep in the quarter and closed the half with a staggering 43-24 lead.
 
The team traded baskets to open the second half of play with the visitors scoring seven of the first 12 points. From that point, Central put together a 13-5 run to expand their lead to 64-36 with 3:24 remaining in the period. The Crimson and Black closed the quarter hitting three of four shots; all three from deep to bring their lead to 73-40 at the end of the third.
 
The Wildcats started the final period on yet another run; this time 9-0 in just two minutes to build their lead up to 42 points. The Yellowjackets went on to score eight of the next 12 points before an Aliyah Pana shot from deep put the Crimson and Black's lead back to 40 with just minutes remaining.  
 
The Crimson and Black head to British Columbia next Thursday (Jan. 24) for a GNAC matchup with Simon Fraser University.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.