Irvine, CALIF.—The Central Washington women's basketball team took down the Eagles from Concordia (Calif.), 75-63. Samantha Bowmans seventh double-double and explosive offense late in the game from Kassidy Malcolm and Kizzah Maltezo propelled the 'Cats to their overtime win.

"Today was a battle for us. We fought through some early struggles with missing shots and giving up the ball unforced. Proud of how our team kept their heads and kept grinding out enough stops and scores until we found our rhythm." Said CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley."
 
Samantha Bowmans 29 rebounds has broken the Central Washington single-game school record that she previously set (23) against Stanislaus on November 12^th. She has also tied the GNAC single-game record for rebounds originally set by Bria Thames from Saint Martin's on January 18^th, 2020. The 29 boards are the NCAA Div II single-game high this season.
 
"Sam had another monster game and was a big reason we were able to stay in the game at all. Kassidy Malcolm and Kizzah Maltezo stepped up big late and gave us the lift we needed offensively. Everyone buckled down defensively and found ways to get enough stops to win. We showed growth this week and that's all we wanted. We need to find ways t grow before Monday against a good CSLA team."
 
The 'Cats were off to a slow start in Irvine. Samantha Bowman picked up the opening bucket beating a double-team in the post. Bowman followed suit with the and-one, knocking down the free throw for the big play.
 
While the 'Cats shot a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe in the opening quarter, shooting struggles from the field allowed the eagles to take the early lead, 9-16.
 
In the second quarter the 'Cats offense began to find their footing. Kizzah Maltezo found a three in the deep corner and "Sunshine" Valerie Huerta found another at the top of the key.
 
Samantha Bowman began to take control of the post, putting up 18 points before the half alongside 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double.
 
The 'Cats defense began to show, putting up a block and three steals allowing them to claw back before the half, still trailing 26-31.
 
Out of the half "Sunshine" Valerie Huerta was firing on all cylinders. The freshman knocked down a bucket and the free-throw from the stripe for the and-one. She followed suit with another mid-range jumper, and a layup down the open lane by Kizzah Maltezo had the 'Cats within six.
 
Kassidy Malcolm closed out the third quarter with back-to-back buckets in the paint and the 'Cats trailed 39-44.
 
A parade of back-to-back-to-back threes from Tori Maeda, Samantha Bowman, and Kassidy Malcolm helped the 'Cats close the gap late in the fourth. Kizzah Maltezo knocked down a big free throw with 0:21 on the clock to the provide the equalizer.
 
The Eagles made a strong push in the final seconds with a pair of missed shots, but the 'Cats defense held strong to force the overtime. The fourth quarter closed out tied at 55-55.
 
Kizzah Maltezo hit a deep three to open the overtime quarter, and Kassidy Malcolm began to heat up.
 
Kassidy Malcolm put up back-to-back three-pointers alongside a pair of buckets from the charity stripe and the 'Cats were ahead by six.
 
Tori Maeda and Kassidy Malcolm exchanged a pair of layups, but Maeda and Kizzah Maltezo would close out the game both with a pair of free throws.
 
The 'Cats took down the Eagles in overtime, 75-63.