ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University women's basketball picked up another blowout win at home Thursday night with a 70-46 win over Western Oregon inside Nicholson Pavilion. The win improves the Wildcats record to 15-10 overall and 10-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
It was a career night for senior guard Alexis Pana as she eclipsed 1,000 career points in the first half. She finished with 10 for the night as she reached the milestone. She was one of four Wildcats to score in double figures in the 24-point victory.
 
"It means a lot," Pana said. "I've been playing since I was six-years-old. I'm thankful for my dad. He'd take me to the gym away from practices. I'm also thankful for Randi [Richardson-Thornley] for believing in me and helping me put in the work it has taken to get here. I couldn't have done it without my teammates. I'm happy to get here but I'm focused on the games we have coming up." 
 
"I'm super happy for Lex," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "She's put in a lot of work over the last three years, not only scoring but play-making wise as well. She's been a big player for us and is a big reason for our success over the past three years. I'm really happy that she was able to reach that mark and feel that she's very deserving."
 
Deep triples from Kaelie Flores and Taylor Shaw helped CWU get out to a 6-3 lead to start the game. That combined with stout defense paved the way for a furious first frame for the Crimson and Black who scored 24. The Wolves had no answer on offense to start scoring just eight first quarter points.
 
The Wildcats combined flow on both sides of the ball got them out to a 13-3 lead with just over two minutes to play in the game. WOU ended the drought at 2:07 with a three-ball to make it 13-5, but JonNae Richardson countered on the next possession with a triple to make it 16-6.
 
Tori Maeda scored five of the final eight points for the Wildcats in the final minute of quarter No. 1 to help them lead 24-8. The Wildcats quick tempo led to 9-17 shooting from the floor for 52.9%, while their defense held the Wolves to just 15.8% shooting on 3-19 made attempts.
 
The Wildcats dominance on both sides continued in the second frame. At the midway point they extended the lead to 34-12 thanks to a 10-4 scoring surge. The Wolves managed to eclipse 10 points in the second, but it was not enough as CWU put 16 to lead 40-19 at the break.
 
History for Pana was made with just over two minutes to play in the half. She had seven points for the game and 999 for her career until a quick driving layup at the 2:05 gave her nine for the first half at 1,001 for her career. She was not done but was content with it going into halftime.
 
The Wildcat first half superiority echoed on offense and defense. They shot 15-34 from the floor for 44.1% and went 7-18 from deep for 38.9%. CWU held the Wolves to just 7-33 from the floor for a dismal 21.2% overall and just one made triple on 12 shots for 8.3%.
 
Nearly every statistical category belonged to Central in the first half and it continued in the final two quarters of action. Balanced scoring by the Wildcats in the first half showed with no player scoring double figures but four players already had six-plus points.
 
The Wolves came out strong to start the third quarter outscoring the Wildcats 11-5 in the first 2:54 of action forcing a timeout early. The Wildcats lead was cut to 15, 45-30, but managed to maintain a double figure lead the whole quarter.
 
By the media timeout with 4:43 to play in the stanza, CWU held a 49-34 lead. The short break in action did not favor the Wildcats as they were held scoreless for nearly three minutes. A Flores three-pointer with just under two minutes to play in the third ended the drought.
 
The Wolves managed to outscore the Wildcats 21-14, but the home team entered the final frame leading 54-40. Shaw was the only player in double figures after three with 10, but she had help in the fourth from Pana and Kassidy Malcolm to help CWU earn the double-digit win.
 
Central gave up four points in the first four minutes of action in the fourth to the Wolves but managed to score five to stay in front 59-44. Defense picked up for the Wildcats in the final six minutes of regulation as they gave up just two points the rest of the way.
 
The Wildcats offense scored 11 in that span as they easily walked away with the 70-46 home victory. The Wildcats went 10-23 in the second half and were 5-11 from three-point range to secure win No. 15 of the year.
 
Pana's 10 points came on 4-10 shooting and she also had a game-high seven assists. Shaw was the team leader with 12 points on 3-5 shooting and 2-3 from deep. Brianna Phiakhamngon and Malcolm each scored 11 points, respectively. Richardson led the way in rebounding with a game-high seven.
 
"I thought we came out really hot in the first half," Coach Richardson-Thornley said. "We had a great first half. We were confident and shared the ball really well. We scored from different spots and were dynamic with our offense. Defensively, we were locking them down. We were disciplined and rebounded well out of it. Western Oregon played well in the second half, so credit to them. We have to find a way to push our momentum from the first half into the second have." 
 
The Wildcats close out the home portion of the 2019-20 schedule on Saturday, Feb. 22. They face Concordia (Ore.). CWU will honor its five seniors prior to the 5 p.m. tip-off against the Cavaliers.