ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 5) – The Central Washington University women's basketball team hopes to bounce back on the west side of the state. They'll take on Seattle Pacific on Thursday followed by a game against Saint Martin's on Saturday. Both games tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, Feb. 7 | 7:00 p.m. PST
at Seattle Pacific
Brougham Pavilion | Seattle, Wash.
Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb 9 | 7:00 p.m. PST
at Saint Martin's
Marcus Pavilion | Lacey, Wash.
Watch | Live Stats
QUOTABLE
"Our team is excited for an opportunity to bounce back this week," CWU head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "It will be a challenge as we head on the road play two good teams who gave us two very competitive games the first go around. Excited to see how our team responds."
SCOUTING SEATTLE PACIFIC
The Falcons are in the sixth and final Great Northwest Athletic Conference playoff spot heading into the final month of the regular season. They own a 6-6 conference record. The team has lost three of their last five games. Most recently, they picked up a 79-74 win over Montana State University Billings.
Riley Evans is the best scorer for the Falcons. Evans averages 14.5 points per game and is shooting an outstanding 41 percent from three-point range. She leads the conference with a free-throw percentage of 91.5 percent. CiCi West leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game, tying her with Kassidy Malcolm for the most in conference.
In their first meeting on January 12 in Ellensburg, the Wildcats owned a 21-point lead over the Falcons in the third quarter. The Falcons cut the lead to just four, but the Wildcats were able to hang on for a 77-70 win. Central finished the game with 34 points in the paint and 28 points from the bench. Alexis Pana led the home team with 14 points and five rebounds. JonNae Richardson also contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass.
SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S
The Saints are second to last in GNAC standings, holding a 3-9 conference record. They've also lost three of their last five games. On January 29, the Saints beat Seattle Pacific 91-70 in Seattle.
Sanaih Simspon-Patu, Mekenna Schultz and Clair Dingus average double-figures for the Saints. Simpson-Patu scores 14.2 points per game, while leading the team with 4.9 rebounds per game. Schultz knocks down 37.1 percent of her three-point attempts, scoring 13.2 points per game. Dingus is efficient, shooting 49.5 percent from the field while scoring 12.6 points per game.
The Wildcats outlasted the Saints on January 10 at home. The Wildcats used a 17-7 fourth quarter un to beat the Saints 85-82. The Wildcats were efficient on offense, shooting 53.1 percent for the game. Pana led the group with 21 points, going 8-for-12 from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from downtown. Pana had 11 assists and eight rebounds, nearly earning a triple-double. Kaelie Flores poured in 17 points, going 7-for-10 from the field. Sadie Mensing had a strong night from the field, hitting seven of her 14 shot attempts. She finished the game with 14 points.
LAST TIME OUT
The CWU women's basketball team dropped a pair of home games last weekend. The first happened against Concordia (Ore.) 78-69 on Thursday in overtime. The team was downed 74-70 by Western Oregon on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Wildcats trailed 64-53 with 3:30 remaining in the contest. They'd pull off an 11-0 run, tying the game at 65. Pana attempted a three-pointer that rimmed out at the buzzer of regulation, forcing overtime. The Wildcats struggled offensively in overtime and would go on to drop the game. Malcolm was superb, tallying 14 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double. Mensing led the team with 18 points.
On Saturday, Taylor Shaw powered the Wildcat offense. Shaw led all scorers with 25 points, going 10-for-17 from the field, while knocking down five three-pointers. She added three rebounds and an assist to her outstanding performance.
