MONMOUTH, Ore.—Samantha Bowman scored 24 points as Central Washington bounced back from a tough loss last Saturday to defeat Western Oregon 66-46.
 
Thursday's win elevates the Wildcats to 17-6 overall and 10-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
"I'm happy with our team effort on the defensive side of the ball," said head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley. "I thought we played one of our most complete games defensively besides our struggles on the boards. Offensively, we were able to make adjustments and found a way to get in more of a rhythm in the second half."
 
Bowman, a 6-3 center and the nation's leading rebounder, accompanied her 24 points with 14 rebounds, marking her 17^th double-double thus far this season. Bowman also picked up four steals and one assist in tonight's game.
 
"I thought Sam had a great all-around game tonight," said Richardson-Thornley. "She was patient on offense and a big presence in the paint on defense which allowed us to execute our game."
 
Kizzah Maltezo finished with 12 points, three assists and one steal. Kassidy Malcolm followed close behind with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
Amanda Sisul, a 5-9 freshman guard from Oregon City, Oregon, came off of the bench to score a season-high five points in her home state.
 
The Wildcats dominated the Wolves in the post, outscoring the Wolves 40-22 in points in the paint.
 
Central held the Wolves to shooting just .312 from the floor and .343 from deep in the opening half, resulting in a 29-24 lead for the Wildcats at halftime.
 
While CWU shot .560 from the floor and .400 from beyond the arc, they struggled when shots wouldn't fall. WOU led the Wildcats in both second chance points 16-10 and points off of turnovers 23-7.
 
The Wolves kept it close at the half, but Central outscored the Wolves in the second half 37-22 to close it out.
 
Meadow Aragon led the Wolves with 12 points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block. Aragon also made the Wolves lone free throw of the night.
 
The Wildcats continue their road trip this Saturday, February 19^th, in Lacey, Washington. Central will square off with Saint Martin's at 3:00 p.m.