NAMPA, Idaho – Central Washing University women's basketball suffered a tough loss on the road Tuesday night as the team fell 72-63 against Northwest Nazarene. The loss puts CWU at 11-8 overall and 6-5 in conference play.
 
The Wildcats were fast out the gate and managed to maintain a high-paced tempo for much of the game. The Nighthawks (14-5, 9-2 GNAC) managed to grab a late in the third and never relinquished in the fourth to secures a regular season sweep of CWU.
 
A 24-13 discrepancy in turnovers did not help the Wildcats, but NNU used that to convert into 26 points. Late turnovers troubled with a stagnant offense in the final minutes proved to be costly for the Wildcats.

"We accomplished what we wanted in the first half and had some really great moments tonight," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "However we compounded too many mistakes with others which gave NNU too much momentum at the end of the game."

The game's opening quarter was fast for both teams who scored a combined 35 points. The Wildcats and Nighthawks were tied at 6-all in the first three minutes of action. But the Nighthawks managed to jump out 13-11 by the halfway mark of the frame.
 
The Wildcats responded in the final 5:15 of play in the quarter. They trailed by two but used a 7-4 run to take a 18-17 edge into the second. The fast start by both squads leveled out for much of the second until a late surge by the Crimson and Black.
 
Both teams scored in double figures in the second, but the Wildcats late push help them outscore 19-14 to give them a 37-31 lead at the break. The Nighthawks managed to lead 27-26 with just over three minutes to play but the Wildcats responded.
 
The final three minutes saw the Crimson and Black outscore NNU 10-4 to take a six-point lead into the half. Taylor Shaw poured in 14 first half points to lead all scorers at the break.
 
The Wildcats only managed to shoot 38.9% from the floor overall in the first half, but a 7-21 performance from three-point range helped them take the lead at half. A 10-0 edge in second chance points also helped the first half efforts.
 
The Wildcats managed to stay in front of the Nighthawks for much of the third, but it was not until late in the third the lead slipped away. NNU tied the game at 53-53 with 1:08 to play in the quarter and took a 58-55 lead into the fourth.
 
The Nighthawks never surrendered the lead in the final frame of play. They led by as much as eight points, while the Wildcats managed to get within three multiple times. Despite their efforts at a late comeback, NNU held on as late free throws gave them the nine-point victory.
 
Shaw led the way with 16 points for her final tally. She also tacked on two steals and a trio of rebounds. Samantha Bowman added 13 points and 10 boards for a double-double performance off the bench.
 
Kaelie Flores rounded out the double-digit scoring with 13 and grabbed seven rebounds. Kassidy Malcolm also had double figure rebounds on the night while adding five points. Alexis Pana chipped in eight points and had a game-high seven assists.
 
"We have to regroup and get ready for a big game against MSU Billings at home," Coach Richardson-Thornley said.

The Wildcats will have a few days rest before being back on the hardwood. CWU gets a three-game homestand started this Saturday, Feb. 1 against Montana State Billings. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. inside Nicholson Pavilion.