LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Central Washington Women's Basketball picked up its third win of the season Friday night as they got going in the Holiday Inn Denver Cherry Creek Classic. The Wildcats earned 60-48 victory over the Colorado Christian Cougars. The win moves CWU's overall record to 3-2.
 
Fresh off a near upset against Seattle University this past Tuesday, the Wildcats got their Thanksgiving break started with their fourth-straight game on the road or at a neutral venue. CWU matched up against CCU (0-6) for the second time in a tournament and once again came out as the victor.
 
The Wildcats shot 40.4% for the game on 21-52 made buckets from the floor. They went just 8-26 from deep for 30.8% but missed just one free throw (10-11) to finish at 90.9%. Two players finished in double figures for CWU in Samantha Bowman and Alexis Pana.
 
Bowman led all scorers for the game with 17 points and was consistent threat in the post in just 29 minutes of play as a starter. She shot 4-6 from the floor and did not miss a single free throw going 8-8. She grabbed five rebounds as well. Pana added 12 points on 4-12 shooting and went 2-2 from the charity strip. She also added seven boards to go along with three assists.
 
The Wildcats were consistent on offense outscoring the Cougars in three of the four quarters and scored double-digit points in all four. CCU also managed to score in double figures in every quarter but never managed to put up more than 14 in just second frame. CCU managed to shoot just 29.9% in the game on 20-67 made shots.
 
The Cougars shot just 3-23 from three-point range, but offense found other ways to score. CCU's forced 11 CWU turnovers and converted that to 12 points. The Cougar bench also produced 16 points, while CWU's had just seven. CCU also won the points in the paint battle, 32-24.
 
"CCU came out energized and played hard. Our team struggled to keep up with their intensity at times tonight which we must learn from," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "I'm happy to get the win but there's a lot we can learn from in this game. We must bounce back tomorrow and give a more consistent effort for 40 minutes."
 
CCU jumped out to an early lead against CWU, similar to when the two squads met back on Nov. 15 in Nampa, Idaho. The Cougars led 6-3 in the first two mines of play, but it was short lived as the Crimson and Black strung together an 8-0 lead to grab a 11-6 edge.
 
Bowman's offensive flow started in that run for the Wildcats. She scored six of the team's eight points, while fellow post JonNae Richardson added the other two in her first game of the 2019-20 season.
 
CCU looked to keep pace with the Wildcats in the final four minutes of play of the first quarter. CWU outscored them 7-6 in the span to stay in front 17-12 going into the second. Both teams scored 14 in the second frame.
 
The Wildcats added another run that helped them establish a double figure lead at the midway point of the second. A layup by Brianna Phiakhamngon in the final :30 of the first quarter jump started the run that carried over. The fast pace gave CWU a 24-12 with 5:10 to play in the half.
 
CCU trailed by as much as 13 in the second but found a rhythm in the final 5:00 of play and outscored CWU 14-7 to trail by five at the break. A deep three-pointer from India Cole cut CWU's lead to three, 29-26, in the final minute. Kaelie Flores pushed the Wildcats' lead to 31-26 with a contested layup to close out the half.
 
Three-point shooting helped CWU maintain its lead as the team went 4-8 from deep. Taylor Shaw was a perfect 2-2 in the third and grabbed two rebounds to help the Wildcats maintain its offensive pace. Flores and Phiakhamngon each hit a triple, respectively. Both nailed the long ball in the final 2:00 of the third to help CWU take a 47-38 lead into the fourth.
 
The Wildcats jumped out to a 11-point advantage, 51-40, with 7:52 to play in the fourth and maintained a double-digit lead for much of the fourth. CWU outscored CCU 13-10 in the final 10 minutes of play with Pana scoring seven of the team's 13 points. Bowman chipped in four, while Richardson added two to help CWU secure the 12-point road win.
 
Helping guide the Wildcats offense outside of Bowman and Pana's double figure performances were Flores and Phiakhamngon. Both players scored nine points and combined to shoot 8-17. Flores also added a game-high eight boards. CWU's defense held CCU to have just one player in double figures. Lourdes Gonzales scored 14 on 7-16 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
 
CWU is back in action tomorrow (Saturday) for its final game of the Cherry Creek Classic. The Wildcats will play the MSU Denver Roadrunners. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. PT.