ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University women's basketball is home for the first time in January this Thursday when they host in-state rival Western Washington University. This is just one of two home games in the month of January for the Wildcats.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Western Washington
Thursday, Jan. 16
5:15 p.m. PT
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, Wash.
 
QUOTABLE
"We are excited to be back home and in our home environment this week for two important games. WWU always brings extra excitement because of the rivalry," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "They have a very talented, competitive, and extremely well coached team. They show very little weaknesses in on either side of the ball. We have to play a hard for 40 minutes, play disciplined team defense, and execute offensively at a high rate in order to compete."
 
SCOUTING WESTERN WASHINGTON | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2019-20 STATS
The Vikings are 10-4 overall entering Thursday's game and have a 4-2 mark against GNAC opponents. They are currently on a three-game winning streak, but are just 1-2 on the road this season against conference opponents.
 
WWU currently averages 74 points per game which is third best in the GNAC, while its defense is allowing just 60 points per game. That mark ranks second in the GNAC in fewest points allowed.
 
The Vikings are defeating opponents by an average of 14.0 points per game and have the best field goal percentage in the GNAC at 44.7%. Defensively, they hold opponents to 38.1% shooting from the field overall. They also lead in the GNAC in rebounding at 40.9 per game.
 
Team assists and blocked shots are also strengths for the Vikings. They lead the conference in assists averaging 18.9 per game and are second in blocked shots at 5.0 per game. They are also third in steals averaging 10.0 per game.
 
Anna Schwecke leads the Vikings scoring efforts through 14 games. She averages 12.9 points per game, which is 10th in the GNAC. She is also the team leader in rebounds at 6.8 per game, a mark that ranks seventh in the GNAC. She is fourth in free throw percentage at 84.3%.
 
Schwecke is also one of the GNAC top overall shooters percentage wise. She is second in the conference with a 56.1 shooting per percentage. She also ranks ninth in the GNAC in blocked shots averaging 1.1 per game.
 
Emma Duff is the only other Viking averaging double figure points at 10.6 per game. She is the team's second leading rebounder averaging 5.9 boards per contest.
 
Mollie Olson and Dani Iwami lead the way in assists for WWU. Olson has the top average at 4.2 per game, while Iwami is right behind her at 4.1 per game. The two ranks fifth and sixth in the GNAC, respectively.
 
Avery Dykstra is the top defender in terms of steals. She has 23 on the season and averages 1.8 which is eighth in the conference. Maddison Coleman leads the way in three-point shooting at 44.4%. Her percentage is third highest in the conference.
 
GNAC STAT LEADERS (As of Jan. 14)
The Wildcats go into this week with the sixth highest scoring offense in the GNAC. They average 68.0 points per game on 44% shooting. Their field goal percentage is second highest in the conference behind WWU.
 
Defensively, CWU is holding opens to 63.1 points per game on 38% shooting from the field overall. The scoring defense is fourth best in the GNAC, while the field goal percentage defense ranks third best.
 
Overall free throw percentage still belongs to the Crimson and Black who average 77.8% at the charity stripe. That percentage is still ranked No. 1 in the GNAC. CWU is second in three-point percentage at 34.4%.
 
The Wildcats are the third best rebounding team in the GNAC entering the latter half of the week. They pull down 39.4 boards per contest. They do lead the GNAC in blocked shots with 72 overall and average 5.1 per game.
 
Two Wildcats still hold top-10 spots in scoring. Alexis Pana is eighth averaging 13.4 points per game despite not playing in the previous two contests. Kaelie Flores is right behind her at ninth at 13.3 points per game.
 
Samantha Bowman is just outside the top-10 still in scoring averaging 12.9 points per game. She is the team leader in rebounds averaging 8.3 per contest, which ranks fourth in the GNAC. Flores is two spots back at sixth with an average of 7.3 boards per game.
 
Bowman does lead the conference in field goal percentage still with a mark of 57.9%. She has made 62 shots on 107 attempts in 13 games to hold the top spot in the GNAC. Flores is 10th in the GNAC in field goal percentage at 49.6%.
 
Pana continues to lead both CWU and the GNAC in assists. She averages 5.1 per game. She is also seventh in steals at 1.8 per game. Pana along with Flores and Bowman all still sit in the top-10 in free throw percentage.
 
Flores is the CWU leader in free throw percentage, followed by Pana and Bowman. Flores' 88.6% average at the charity stripe is second in the second. Pana is right behind her in third at 87.9%, while Bowman is sixth at 82.6%.
 
Flores and Taylor Shaw are also still top-10 in the GNAC in three-point shooting. Flores shoots 42.2% from deep which leads the team and is sixth highest in the GNAC. Shaw is two spots back at No. 8 with a 41.5% average.
 
The trio of Flores, Bowman and Pana also rank top-five in the conference in blocked shots. Flores is second at 1.8 swats per game, while Bowman is third at 1.5 blocks per contest. Pana is fifth averaging 1.3 blocks per game.
 
Jenna Troy and Pana both rank in the top-10 in the GNAC in assist-turnover ratio. In 11 games played Troy has five assists to just two turnovers and leads the conference with a 2.5 assist-turnover ratio. Pana is 10th at 1.6 (61 assists-38 turnovers).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Central Washington University women's basketball picked up a hard-fought win Saturday afternoon on the road as they defeated Alaska Fairbanks 68-65. The win snaps a three-game skid for the Wildcats.
 
Helping the Wildcats secure the win was a 57.1 shooting percentage in the second half. Playing a big role in the win was the play of Kaelie Flores who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to lead the charge.
 
The Crimson and Black got help in other areas as well in the win as they had a 12-8 edge in bench points to go along with a 44-28 advantage in points in the paint. UAF won the turnover battle 12-18 but CWU scored 16 points off turnovers, while UAF had just 12.
 
Three Wildcats finished with double figure points led by Flores with 18. Brianna Phiakhamngon and JonNae Richardson scored 11 points, respectively. Symone Brown had a game-high seven rebounds in 18 minutes of play off the bench.
 
CWU vs. WWU HISTORY
The Wildcats are just 14-94 all-time against the Vikings in 108 all-time meetings. The two programs first squared off in the 1972-73 season and have played each other every season since.
 
The Wildcats swept the series last season against the Vikings, winning both games by double figures. In three seasons now of leading CWU, Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley is 3-1 against WWU and 2-0 at home.