ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washing University women's basketball gets conference play started this week with a Thursday home matchup against in-state foe Seattle Pacific University.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Dec. 5
5:15 p.m. PT
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, Wash.
 
QUOTABLE
"We're excited to be back home, start GNAC play, and have the opportunity for our team to bounce back this week," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "We know we must compete on both ends of the floor against Seattle Pacific in order to have success. They will play hard and we must exceed their effort."
 
SCOUTING SEATTLE PACIFIC | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2019-20 STATS
The Falcons will begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference Play still in search of their first win of the 2019-20 season. SPU sports an 0-6 record entering the weekend and is 0-2 in true road games.
 
The Falcons were picked to finish ninth-place finish in the GNAC preseason coaches poll. SPU racked up a total of 39 points in the preseason poll after finishing 8-19 overall last season with a 7-12 mark against GNAC opponents.
 
The Falcons are 16-2 all-time in GNAC openers with an 8-2 mark on the road. SPU last defeated the Wildcats in the 2016-17 season with a 54-51 win inside Nicholson Pavilion on January 28, 2017.
 
Ashlynn Burgess leads SPU in scoring early on through the season averaging 13.0 points per game in six starts. She is shooting 55.2% from the floor overall and 46.2% from three-point range. She also leads the team in rebounding with an average of 6.2 per contest.
 
Abril Rexach Roure and Haillee Bennett are tied for second in scoring at 8.7 points per game, respectively. Roure has a 48.7 shooting percentage and is pulling down 3.0 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in assists at 2.8 per game and 17 total. Bennett shoots 34.7% from the floor and is the second leading rebounder at 4.0 per game.
 
As a team, SPU is fourth in the GNAC in three-point shooting percentage at 31.2%. They average 60.7 points per game, but are giving up 74.0 to the opposition. Their scoring offense is eighth in the GNAC, but their scoring defense is last (11th). Individually, Burgess is 13th in the GNAC in scoring average, while her rebounding ranks 12th. Her shooting percentage of 55.2% is fourth.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats played a pair of tournament games over Thanksgiving Break and went 1-1 while in the Mile High City of Denver. CWU defeated Colorado Christian, 60-48, on Nov. 29 before falling to MSU Denver, 60-67, on Nov. 30.

In the loss to MSU Denver, CWU (3-3) finished the game with a 35.1 shooting percentage, while the Roadrunners shot 43.1%. CWU produced more points in the paint, 24-20, and on second chances, 12-9. The MSU Denver reserves had a stronger performance with a 22-11 scoring edge.
 
The Wildcats managed to stay in front for much of the night against MSU Denver but late fourth quarter woes on the offensive end kept the Wildcats from securing win No. 4 of the year. CWU led 61-57 in the final six minutes of the fourth, but produced just six points the rest of the frame. The Roadrunners had the opposite effect and scored 12 points to steal the victory from CWU by just two.
 
Alexis Pana led all scorers with a game-high 28 points while dishing out four assists. She was one of four Wildcats to score in double figures. JonNae Richardson scored 11 in her first game of the season.
 
Taylor Shaw and Samantha Bowman both chipped in 11, while Shaw was tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight. Kaelie Flores scored six points and also grabbed eight boards, which tied a game-high with Shaw.
 
CWU vs. SPU HISTORY
The Falcons own a 50-35 all-time series lead against the Wildcats. CWU is currently on a three-game win streak against SPU, which includes a 2-0 season sweep from a year ago. The Wildcats are just 3-7 against the Falcons at home since 2010.
 
Last season, the Crimson and Black posted a pair of 70-plus point games to win both contests against SPU. At home, CWU held off the Falcons for a 77-70 win. In Seattle, the Wildcats ran over the Falcons for a 74-56 road win.
 
Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley served as the top assistant for SPU from 2013-15 before transitioning over the CWU as an assistant coach before being named head coach. Currently in her third season leading CWU, Richardson-Thornley is 3-1 all-time against the Falcons.