ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University women's basketball closes out regular season play this week with a pair of in-state road games. The Wildcats first stop is at Saint Martin's University.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Saint Martin's
Thursday, Feb. 27
5:15 p.m. PT
Marcus Pavilion
Lacey, Wash.
 
QUOTABLE
"This is a big game for both teams as we are in the hunt to clinch for the postseason. It's been a long time since the first time we've faced each other in early December," CWU head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "SMU is one of the hottest teams in the league winning five straight and we need to come out ready to defend and rebound at a really high level against them."
 
POSTSEASON PICTURE
As of Tuesday, Feb. 25 four GNAC squads have clinched a spot for the GNAC Tournament. Alaska Anchorage is currently the No. 1 seed and has clinched at least a share of the regular season championship at 17-1 in GNAC play. Northwest Nazarene is the current No. 2 seed and is 15-3 in the GNAC.
 
Western Washington and Simon Fraser have both clinched a berth to the GNAC Tournament but both are 12-6 in conference leaving the No. 3 seed up for grabs at the moment. CWU is 11-7 in the GNAC to sit fifth but is just two games ahead of Saint Martin's and MSU Billings.
 
The Saints and Yellowjackets are both 9-9 in conference play. The No. 1 and 2 seeds are set with AAU and NNU, but the No. 3-6 seed is still up for grabs. WWU and SFU are in for sure having already clinched, leaving just two more spot between three teams.
 
SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2019-20 STATS
The Saints are winners of their last five games entering Thursday's contest. They are 14-11 overall and sit .500 in GNAC play at 9-9.
 
Going into the final season of play, the Saints sit tied for sixth in the conference standings. They are two games back of the Wildcats and are currently tied with Montana State Billings.
 
SMU is just eighth in the GNAC in scoring averaging 64.9 points per game on 39.2% shooting overall which is also eighth. They are sixth in three-point shooting with a percentage of 31.1%. They are third in rebounds averaging 38.7 per contest.
 
Defensively, are fourth best in the GNAC in points allowed giving up just 64.2 points per game. Opponents shoot 40.3% from the field against SMU and 30.5% from deep. The Saints three-point percentage defense is fourth in the GNAC.
 
Three players are averaging double figure points in Bria Thames, Claire Dingus, and Tierney DeDonatis. Thames is third in the GNAC at 14.8 points per game. Dingus ranks 12th at 12.2 points per game, whole DeDonatis is right at 11.0 points per game and ranks 19th.
 
Thames is the GNAC leader in rebounds and her and Dingus are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the category. Thames leads the way at 11.2 rebounds per game to average a double-double. Dingus is second at 8.9 boards per contest.
 
Thames also ranks in the top-10 in field goal percentage. She is 10th at 48.9%. Dingus is 18th with a 44.2 shooting percentage.  DeDonatis is the top assist player for SMU averaging 2.8 per game. Hanealle Sutterlict is tied for 13th at 2.4 assists per game.
 
DeDonatis has the top free throw percentage at 77%, which ranks 12th in the GNAC. Dingues is 15th at 74.5%. Dingus is the team leader in steals averaging 1.7 per game and ranks 10th in the conference.
 
Sutterlict and DeDonatis both rank in the top-10 in the GNAC in three -point percentage shooting and average triples made. Sutterlict is fifth in percentage at 39.1% and ninth in threes made at 1.7. Dedonatis is sixth in percentage (38.7%) and 10th in triples made (1.6).
 
GNAC STATS LEADERS (As of Feb. 25)
The Wildcats hold down the No. 5 spot in scoring offense averaging 69.8 points per game and are second in field goal percentage at 45.1%. From beyond the arc, CWU ranks third averaging 35.5%. Their 8.1 average triples made per game leads the conference.
 
On defense, CWU is second in both points allowed and percentage holding opponents to just 62.5 points per game on 38.5% shooting overall. They are third in three-point percentage defense allowing the opposition to shoot just 35.5% from deep.
 
The Wildcats still sit first in free throw percentage at 76.2%. They rank second in in rebounds per game at 39.1 and are also second in blocked shots at 4.6 per game.
 
The quartet of Alexis Pana, Kaelie Flores, Samantha Bowman, and Taylor Shaw all continue to average double-digit points for the Crimson and Black. Pana leads the group and ranks sixth at 14.2 points per game.
 
Flores and Bowman are 16th and 17th, respectively. Flores is averaging 11.9 points per game, while Bowman is at 11.7. Shaw is 21st averaging 10.9 points per game.
 
Flores is sixth in rebounding grabbing 6.6 boards per game. Bowman is also averaging 6.6 rebounds per game and ranks seventh in the GNAC. Pana is 15th averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. JonNae Richardson now ranks 22nd at 4.4 boards per game.
 
Bowman is second in overall field goal percentage at 61.1%. Flores is 11th at 47.4%, while Shaw is 16th at 45.5%. Pana is 25th shooting 41.5% from the floor.
 
Pana still sits atop the statistical leaderboard in assists per game averaging 4.9. She is also eighth in steals tallying an average of 1.8 per game. Her 1.6 assist-turnover ratio is eighth in the GNAC.
 
Flores, Pana, and Bowman all still hold down spots in the top-10 in free throw percentage. Flores sits third shooting 86.2%, followed by Pana at fifth shooting 82.5%. Bowman is eighth shooting 80.9%.
 
Shaw still holds down the No. 1 spot in three-point shooting at 44.8%. Flores is in the top1-0 right at 10th shooting 37.2%. Pana ranks 20th at 32.7%. Shaw ranks fourth in averages triples made at 2.2, while Pana is sixth at 2.0.
 
Flores is the second best shot blocker in the GNAC at 1.6 swats per game. Bowman is right behind her in third averaging 1.3 blocks per game. Pana is tied for seventh at 1.0 per contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
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.
 
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.
 
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 Samantha Bowman both chipped in 11.
 
CWU vs. SMU HISTORY
The Wildcats are 44-38 against the Saints in 82 meetings all time. CWU is currently on an eight-game win streak against SMU that dates back to the 2015-16 season.
 
The Wildcats defeated the Saints back on December 7, 2019 earlier this season by a final of 68-52. Helping the Wildcats win was the all-around phenomenal play of Kaelie Flores. She finished with a double-double scoring 21 points while pulling down 12 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots. Both numbers were game high's and the Wildcats had four players total finish double figure points.
 
The Saints last defeated the Wildcats on January 2, 2016 65-61 in Ellensburg during the 2015-16 campaign. Since the turn of the decade at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, CWU and SMU have played each other 19 times, with WU leading 10-9.
 
In three seasons of leading the Wildcats, CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley is undefeated against the Saints with a clean 5-0 record. In five years with CWU, including her time as the top assistant, Richardson-Thornley and the Wildcats are 8-1 against the Saints.