ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University women's basketball team closes out a three-game homestand tomorrow against the No. 8 nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Alaska Anchorage
Saturday, Feb. 8
6:00 p.m. PT
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, Wash.
QUOTABLE
"Alaska Anchorage is a great team who knows how to win games. Our team has to step on and compete for 40 min because you know Anchorage will," CWU Head Coach
Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "Taking care of the basketball, playing confidently, and doing work on the boards will be big keys tomorrow night."
SCOUTING ALAKSA ANCHORAGE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2019-20 STATS
The Seawolves enter the Saturday contest with an overall record of 22-2, 12-1 in the GNAC, and currently ranked No. 8 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll. They are also currently atop the GNAC standings.
UAA current;y averages 75.1 points per game 43.2% shooting overall and 35.3% from three-point range. Their three-point shooting is the best in the GNAC, while the points per game and overall percentage rank second and third, respectively.
The Seawolves also have the top defense in the conference holding opponents to just 53.3 points per game on 36.1% shooting overall. They also lead the way in three-point percentage defense holding opponents to 27.4% from deep.
Ball distribution and stealing the ball are also two things the Seawolves excel at. They average 16.3 assists per game and 13.5 steals per game. Both marks are second best in the GNAC. They lead the way in assist-turnover ratio at 1.2 and their turnover margin of +8.25 is atop the conference stats.
Saflyyah Yasin is the top scorer for UAA averaging 13.3 points per game which is eighth in the GNAC. She is shooting 42.3% from the floor overall and 38% from deep. Tennae Voliva is the only other double figure scorer at 10.1 points per game.
Voliva is the top rebounder at 7.8 boards per game which is fourth highest in the GNAC. She also is shooting 49.2% from the floor to sit ninth in the conference. Yazmeen Goo leads the way in field goal percentage at 53.35 to rank fifth in the GNAC.
Goo is the ball distributor for UAA averaging 4.2 per game. Her average currently sits fifth in the conference. She has an assist-turnover ratio of 2.0 which is second highest in the GNAC. Stephanie Jackson is second on the team in assists at 2.3 per game.
Yasin, Voliva and Goo all sit in the top-five in steals per game. Yasin in second at 2.4 per game. Voliva is two spots back in fourth at 1.0, while goo is fifth at 1.9 per game. Rachel Ingram is the top three-point shooter at 40.4%, which is third in the GNAC.
GNAC STATS LEADERS (As of Feb. 7)
The Wildcats are still fifth in scoring averaging 69.2 points per game and shoot 44.7% from the floor overall. They are shooting 35% from three-point range. Both percentages are second best in the GNAC as is their free throw percentage of 75.6%.
Central is third in rebounding averaging 39.2 boards per contest. The team is second in blocked shots at mark of 4.8 per game. The Wildcats 7.7 average made threes per game is also second in the GNAC.
Four players are averaging double figure points going into the weekend and all four rank in the top-20 with their average.
Alexis Pana is the top scorer for CWU at 13.8 points per game and ranks eighth in the GNAC.
Samantha Bowman is 13th in scoring at 12.3 points per game, followed by
Kaelie Flores at 12.2 points per game to sit 14th.
Taylor Shaw rounds out the quartet at 11.1 points per game and is 18th in the conference.
Bowman, Flores and Pana all sit in the top-15 in rebounding. Bowman and Flores are fifth and sixth respectively, at 7.0 and 6.9 rebounds per game. Pana is 15th averaging 5.3 boards per contest.
Bowman is second highest percentage shooter in the GNAC at 60.6%. Flores is 12th at 48.7%, while Shaw is 15th at 45.3%. Pana is shooting 40.2% but ranks just 28th in the conference. Pana does continue to lead the GNAC in assists averaging 5.0 per game.
Flores is second in the GNAC in free throw percentage. She has gone 51-58 from the charity stripe for a mark of 87.9%. Bowman ranks sixth at 80.3% followed by Pana in seventh at 79.6%. Pana is also seventh in steals averaging 1.7 per game.
Shaw is the top three-point shooter in the conference at 44.6%. She, along with Pana, are tied for fourth in average three-pointers made per game at 2.1.
Flores is second in the GNAC in blocked shots averaging 1.8 per game. Bowman is right behind her in third averaging 1.4 swats per game. Pana is tied for seventh at 1.0. Pana is also seventh in assist-turnover ratio at 1.7.
LAST TIME OUT
Central Washington University women's basketball picked a big blowout win Thursday night at home as the team thrashed Alaska Fairbanks 91-69. The Wildcats win moves them to 13-8 overall and 8-5 in the GNAC.
Helping the Wildcats secure the win at home was a fast start to the first half in which CWU put up 50 points and held the Nanooks (8-14, 2-11 GNAC) to just 28. The Wildcats held a 42-20 edge in points in the paint and went 10-25 from deep to secure the home win. The 91 points for the Wildcats is their highest in a game this season.
Four Wildcats finished the game in double figures.
Kassidy Malcolm led the group with 24 points. She completed the double-double with 10 rebounds.
Samantha Bowman scored 18 points in just 16 minutes of play.
Alexis Pana slashed home 15 points.
Taylor Shaw rounded out the Wildcat scorers with 11 points.
CWU vs. UAA HISTORY
CWU is just 16-34 all-time against Alaska Anchorage in 50 meetings. CWU has also dropped each of its last 11 meetings to the Seawolves and 22 of the last 23 meetings.
The last time the CWU handed UAA a loss came in the 2012-13 season on January 19, 2013. The Wildcats won 74-64 on the road. Prior to that win, UAA won 11-straight, and since that loss UAA has won 11-straight.
The Seawolves won three straight matchups against the Wildcats last season. The Seawolves ended the Wildcats 2018-19 season in the GNAC Semifinals. Under Head Coach
Randi Richardson-Thornley, CWU is 0-6 against UAA.
