ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University closed out the home portion of its schedule Saturday in style with another blowout win. The Wildcats took down Concordia University (Ore.) by a final of 82-45 to improve to 16-10 overall and 11-7 in the GNAC.
 
Prior to tip-off the Wildcats honored five outstanding seniors before their final home game inside Nicholson Pavilion. The five seniors that were honored were MJ Lancaster, JonNae Richardson, Taylor Shaw, Alexis Pana, and Kaelie Flores.
 
"This is a special group for me," CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "This is the first group that I've been at a University where I've helped recruit them in. They came as 18-year-olds and they've grown into the awesome young women they've become. They'll always hold a special place in my heart. They've done so much to help put our program where it is right now. It's in a place that we are proud of and it's where we want to be. Each and every one of them are awesome people. I'm going to miss them and I hope they know that whatever they need, I'd be there for them in a heartbeat." 
 
The Wildcats led wire-to-wire in their rout of Concordia (5-21, 4-14 GNAC). They scored 30 in the first quarter which set up a comfortable lead for the rest of the night. Overall, CWU shot right at 50% for the game on 30-60 made shots and was 40.7% from deep with 11 made triples.
 
The Crimson and Black led the way in nearly every statistical category, but it was the bench production and points in the paint that stood out. The Wildcat reserves scored 29 points and held the Concordia bench to just eight. CWU had a 36-14 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Pana got Senior Day off to a furious start for the Crimson and Black as they raced out to a 14-6 lead in the first five minutes. Pana scored seven of the Wildcats 14 to set up a solid all-around game for her.
 
The first quarter had little breaks making for a quick opening frame. The Wildcats defense was stout giving up just 14 points. Central scored 30 in the first 10 minutes race out to a 30-14 lead. 75% shooting on 12-16 made shots helped the Wildcats keep the Cavaliers from staying in the game.
 
Shaw and Pana combined for 15 first quarter points, while Flores added five. Shaw led the opening charge with eight in the first. Defensively, the Wildcats held the Cavaliers to just 31.3% in the first on 5-16 shooting. 
 
The second quarter was a slow down affair between the two squads as they combined for just 11 total points in the first five minutes of play. CWU had the edge at 7-2 but in the final 4:52 pace picked up and CWU outscored the Cavaliers 19-13 to lead 49-27 at halftime.
 
Balanced scoring was the theme as five Wildcats scored seven or more points in the first half. Shaw was the driving force with 11 points. She had help Samantha Bowman scoring nine in just seven minutes of play. CWU shot 58.1% in the first half and held CU to just 29%.
 
The Wildcats defense made its mark in the third quarter which transitioned into more dominance on offense. Central held CU to just six points in the third on 2-15 shooting, while the offense scored 15 points to take a 64-33 lead into the fourth.
 
Going into the fourth, three Wildcats were in double figure. Pana was the leader at 13 points, while Richardson and Shaw each had 11. With the game in-hand the Wildcats never looked back and handled the Cavaliers in the fourth.
 
The Cavaliers got out to a solid start in the fourth outscoring the Wildcats 10-4, but defense picked backed for Central who gave up just two points in the final 4:24 of play. The Wildcats offense scored 14 in that span to eventually walk away with the 37-point win.
 
Five players scored in double figures led by a double-double performance from Richardson who scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed a game-best 12 rebounds. Pana and Shaw each scored 13, while Flores and Bowman both chipped in 11. 
 
"I think we played really well," Richardson said. "I think we played with a lot of chemistry on offense. We had a lot of good looks. There were some defensive stops where we fell behind, but we didn't let it snowball into more bad possessions." 
 
"It's still surreal," Richardson added. "It doesn't feel like the last home game. I've been here for five years. I'm thankful for that. I got to share it with this senior class. It was an emotional night and I'm happy I was able to play good and share the moment with the senior class." 
 
The Wildcat have just two games left in the year, both of which will be on the road. They get the final road trip started Thursday, Feb. 27 at Saint Martin's University.