ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Fresh off a home win in their conference opener, Central Washington Women's Basketball will look to carry that momentum into Saturday night. The Wildcats host the Saint Martin's Saints to close out the first week of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Play.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Saint Martin's
Saturday, Dec. 7
5:00 p.m. PT
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, Wash.
 
QUOTABLE
 "We need to continue to show improvement in this game especially with taking care of the basketball and rebounding," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "SMU is a team who plays fast pace, can put up a tone of points, and pressures you on the boards all game long. We have to value possession and limit them theirs with taking care of the boards."

SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2019-20 STATS
The Saints are 3-3 overall and 0-1 to start GNAC action entering Saturday's contest. SMU fell on the road, 82-71, to Northwest Nazarene Thursday night. Of the Saints three wins this year, two have come against NCAA Division III schools.
 
SMU has wins over Pacific Lutheran and Warner Pacific, both of which have come at home. The saints lone Division II victory came against Texas A&M International on Dec. 1, also at home. Entering the 2019-20 season, the Saints were tabbed to finish eight in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Claire Dingus leads the way in scoring going into the weekend with an average of 13.3 points per game. The 2018-19 GNAC Freshman of the Year has started in all six games for SMU and is shooting 46.6% from the floor overall in her sophomore campaign. Bria Thames is right behind Dingus in scoring averaging 13.0 points per game.
 
Thames is the top shooter percentage wise for SMU. She owns a 50.9 shooting percentage through six starts and is also the team's leading rebounder averaging 9.5 boards per contest. Dingus is second in rebounding with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game and leads the way in steals with 2.0 per game.
 
Mallory Vivola is the only other player averaging double figure points. She scores 11.2 points per game on 38.5% shooting and is the best three-point shooter for the Saints at 50% (14-28). Janealle Sutterflict leads the wayin assist to guide the offense. She averages 3.0 per game and chips in an average of 8.2 points per contest.
 
Offensively, the Saints post an average of 65.5 points per game on a 40.9 shooting percentage. Defensively, SMU is giving up 66.2 points per game to opponents on 39.6% shooting. Where the Saints excel is in three-point percentage defense. They hold opponents to 27.5% from deep, which is second in the GNAC behind CWU (25.2%).
 
LAST TIME OUT
CWU got GNAC play started Thursday night at home against the Seattle Pacific Falcons. Despite things being close at halftime, a strong second half helped lift the Wildcats over the Falcons, 65-46, inside Nicholson Pavilion.
 
The Wildcats put together a strong shooting night going 25-29 from the floor overall for 51%. They shot over 60% in both the third and fourth quarter to create separation after leading by just five at halftime, 31-26. The third quarter was the difference maker as CWU held SPU to just eight points to run away with the 19-point win, 65-46.
 
JonNae Richardson had a solid game off the bench to lead CWU with a double-double performance. She scored 15 points on 5-9 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of play. She also had a pair of steals, which tied a game-high.
 
Three other Wildcats scored double-digit points in the win. Kaelie Flores added 12 on 5-9 shooting to go along with eight boards. Alexis Pana and Samantha Bowman each chipped in 11 points. Both shot 50% from the floor with Pana going 4-8 from the floor, while Bowman finished 5-10. Bowman also had seven rebounds in the win.
 
Defensively, CWU did not allow one SPU player to score in double figures. The Wildcats had arguably their best defensive performance of the season as they held SPU to just 27% shooting on 17-63 made buckets. The Wildcats offense also proved to be a force down low in the paint with 42 of their 65 points coming from there.
 
CWU vs. SMU HISTORY
The Wildcats are 43-38 against the Saints in 81 meetings all time. CWU is currently on a seven-game win streak against SMU that dates back to the 2015-16 season.
 
The Saints last defeated the Wildcats on January 2, 2016 65-61 in Ellensburg during the 2015-16 campaign. Since the turn of the decade at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, CWU and SMU have played each other 18 times and are an even 9-9 in that span.
 
In three seasons of leading the Wildcats, CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley is undefeated against the Saints with a clean 4-0 record. In five years with CWU, including her time as the top assistant, Richardson-Thornley and the Wildcats are 7-1 against the Saints.