BURNABY, B.C.— Central Washington women's basketball team took down Simon Fraser 72-60, on the back of Samantha Bowman's 20 point and 20 rebound double-double. Tonight's win elevated the Wildcats into a tie for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

"Proud of the resilience our team showed tonight. We struggled in the first half to score and finish possession on the boards," said CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley. "Our group was able to come together after half and play better team-basketball on both sides of the ball. We showed a lot of toughness being down two going in the fourth and being able to have the quarter we had on the road to finish out the game." 

This is the third time this season Samantha Bowman has notched a 20 point and 20 rebound game. 

"Sam had another monster game and gave us a big lift in the paint and on our boards," said Richardson-Thornley.

Kizzah Maltezo put up 22 points on 35 minutes, and Kassidy Malcolm added an additional 15 points being the 'Cats workhorse on 40 minutes.

The opening quarter was a shootout, with the 'Cats shooting 56.3 percent from the floor to Simon Fraser's 50 percent. While the 'Cats (50.0 percent) had the edge over Simon Fraser (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc, it wasn't enough as Simon Fraser led after the opening quarter 21-19.

The second quarter was a struggle between both teams, with neither shooting over 30.0 percent in any category.

The 'Cats were able to edge past Simon Fraser picking up 8 points in the paint and 4 points off of second-chance baskets.

The 'Cats out scored Simon Fraser in the second quarter 14-13, but still trailed heading into halftime 34-33.

Simon Fraser came out of the half looking to end it quickly, and lock-down defense alongside shooting struggles from the 'Cats allowed them to inch further ahead.

Nothing seemed to fall from beyond the arc, something unusual from one of the GNAC's leading three-point shooting teams. While shooting 70.0 percent from the charity stripe, the 'Cats only shot 26.7 percent from the floor.

While the 'Cats managed two turnovers in the third and out-rebounded Simon Fraser, they fell one basket short to SFU as the third came to a close. Simon Fraser led 51-48 after three.

The fourth quarter was an entirely different game for the 'Cats. A spark was found, and suddenly the 'Cats couldn't be caged.

The 'Cats out rebounded SFU in the final quarter 15-9, a dominate number alongside holding SFU to shooting 16.7 percent from the floor.

The 'Cats outscored SFU 24-9 in the final quarter, lifting the 'Cats to a 72-60 win over Simon Fraser.

The Wildcats continue conference play at home in Nicholson this Saturday, January 29th, at 2:00 p.m.