Monmouth, Ore - The Central Washington University women's basketball team couldn't miss from three-point range in Thursday night's game against Western Oregon. Powered by a 53.8 three-point percentage, the Wildcats Wallop the Wolves 78-65. 

The Wildcats (7-3, 2-1) and Wolves (4-5, 1-2) traded points throughout the entirety of the first half. The half featured five ties and eight lead changes. Alexis Pana hit a three-pointer that gave the Wildcats a 32-30 lead. That basket would be the first of a 14-5 run that lasted the final 3:33 of the first half. Pana and Kassidy Malcolm hit a pair of three-pointers each during the run that was capped by a fast-break lay in from Samantha Bowman. The Wildcats carried a 43-35 lead into the break. 

"Happy with our teams ability to stay the course and stick to what we do especially on the offensive end after struggling a bit early," head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "Our teams confidence definitely grew after making that 14-5 run in the second quarter. Proud of our posts for stepping out and knocking down 3s with confidence. Once they hit a couple it became a bit contagious." 

The Wildcats continued to pour in three-pointers in the third quarter. Kaelie Flores netted a three to open the scoring in the second half. Taylor Shaw added one of her own on the Wildcats next possession. Later in the quarter, Aliyah Pana got in on the act, hitting a shot from long range. Brianna Phiakhamngon cashed in from deep with 2:51 remaining in the half. The Wildcats closed out the quarter with a 63-47 lead. 

While everything went well on offense, the Wildcats were stout on the defensive end of the floor. The Crimson and Black suppressed the Wolves offense, holding them to a 36.7 field goal percentage through three quarters of action. 

The Wolves battled their way back into the ball game in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats allowed the Wolves a 12-5 run that lasted 4:15 near the end of the fourth quarter. Phiakhamngon was at the line for two free-throws with 1:44 left in the game. She made the first before missing the second. JonNae Richardson would reach up and grab a game sealing offensive rebound. The Wildcats would bleed the clock out and take the game. 

Malcolm and Pana were outstanding the for the Wildcats on Thursday night. Malcolm had a game-high 20 points with 13 rebounds for a strong double-double. Pana scored 18 points including a three-point barrage by going four-for-six from deep. The junior out of Hilo, Hawaii added 10 assists. It was a good night for the Wildcat reserves, as they added 20 points in the winning effort. 

"Very proud of our bench who had great minutes and production," Richardson-Thornley said. "Our team played as a unit tonight and stuck to the course. We didn't allow negative plays or mistakes to change us. We bounced back." 

The Wildcats return to the action on Saturday when they take on Concordia (Ore.) at 2:00 p.m. in Portland, Oregon.