ELLENSBURG, Wash.—The Central Washington women's basketball team is set to host Saint Martin's (9-4, 1-3) and Western Oregon (7-5, 3-2) for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups. Thursday's matchup with the Saints is the first home game since the Wildcats 89-63 win over non-conference Whitworth (5-9, 0-5 NWC) on December 30^th.

Tip off for Thursday's matchup against the Saint's is set for 5:15 p.m. Tip off for Saturday's matchup against the Wolves is set for 4:00 p.m.

QUOTABLE
"Excited for another opportunity to hit the floor against two great opponents in SMU and WOU. We are excited to continue our conference play at home this week." Said CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
First to challenge the 'Cats in Nichols will be the Saints from Saint Martin's. The Saints sit eight in the GNAC just behind the 'Cats and are headed to Ellensburg fresh off of a loss to Montana State Billings, 31-55. The Saints will apply similar pressure to the 'Cats ability to shoot from beyond the arc as they sit second in the GNAC behind Western Washington in 3-point field goal defense holding opponents to shooting 25.7 percent.

"SMU has a ton of talent and will present challenges offensively, defensively and on the boards. When they put it all together, they are a tough team to beat."

Offensively the Saints average 63.1 points per game, a margin only 4.3 points higher than opponents. Assists and rebounds are where the Saints have thrived, averaging 15.1 and 36.4 respectively.

Directing the Saints offense is junior Claire Dingus. The 6-0 forward leads the roster with 7.7 points per game on a strong 47.1 percent shooting.

Second to challenge the Wildcats will be the Wolves from Western Oregon. The Wolves, who currently sit sixth in the GNAC and one spot above the 'Cats, will take on Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. The Wolves are currently 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the GNAC. Most notably the Wolves are riding a three-game winning streak after dropping conference opponents Saint Martin's, Alaska Fairbanks, and most recently Montana State Billings 66-57.

"WOU is rolling right now with three straight conference wins. They are a very disciplined team and have added some great pieces offensively we will have to prepare for."

The Wolves stand the tallest in the GNAC on defense, leading the conference with an average of 5.4 blocks per game. At the forefront of the Wolves rotation is Meadow Aragon. The 5-11 forward averages 7.7 points per game on a 59.7 percent shooting from the field. Aragon also leads the roster with 69 rebounds and 22 blocks.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats (9-4, 2-2) are hot off of a big upset win over GNAC rival No. 5 Western Washington on their home court, 76-68. Saturday's win marked four-straight in the 'W' column for the Wildcats amidst a series of postponements.

GNAC leading scorer Kizzah Maltezo put up her season high 29 points in the 'Cats statement win over the Vikings. Maltezo's 19.5 points per game is the highest in the conference and No. 20 in all of DII.

Alongside Maltezo is the 'Cats rebounding machine Samantha Bowman and utility weapon Kassidy Malcolm. Bowman, the 'Cats 6-3 center is averaging an astounding 15.1 rebounds per game, the 2^nd highest in all of DII. Not to mention Bowman is also averaging 17.2 points per game, a mark that puts her 3^rd in the GNAC.

The final piece of the 'Cats big three is utility weapon Kassidy Malcolm. Malcolm, a 5-11 forward sits a hair behind Bowman averaging 17.1 points per game. Malcolm is one the leagues best shooters, sitting second in free throw percentage at 84.4, second in three-point percentage at 44.4, and a strong 47.9 from the field. Malcolm plays an essential role anywhere on the court as she's averaged 31+ minutes a game this season.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL
Masks are required inside Nicholson Pavilion, regardless of vaccination status.