HAYWARD, Calif.—Samantha Bowman scored 24 points and grabbed 24 boards as No. 2-seeded Central Washington defeated No. 7-seeded Northwest Nazarene 79-74 in the West Regional Quarterfinals on Friday.
 
Earning the programs first NCAA Regional Win, Central (24-7) advances to the West Region Semifinals for a GNAC Tournament Champion rematch against No. 25 Western Washington (21-5) on Saturday, Mar. 12^th, at 5:00 p.m.
 
"First off, we're happy to get the win and survive," Central Washington Head Coach Randi-Richardson Thornley said. "We definitely felt like it was a battle for survival in this one. It wasn't the prettiest 50 minutes we've played this year, and all of the credit goes to NNU. They do a really good job of taking us out of what we do, pressuring our ball handlers, changing up the defense, and it was a real grind-it-out win."
 
Bowman shot 10-19 from the floor and 4-7 at the free-throw line, picking up two steals and handing out five assists. Bowman's final line today marks her fourth 20-20 game of the season, and her Division II leading 25^th double-double.
 
"I just wanted to make sure I did everything I could do for us to win," Bowman said. "I knew what I had to do, and I had the mentality that I was going to get every board. If I have an opportunity, I'm going to take it, but it's also about reading the defense and seeing my kick outs. Overall, it was a great team win."
 
Kizzah Maltezo added 21 points shooting 7-15 from the floor, 5-11 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-2 at the free-throw line near the end of overtime giving Central a three-point lead. Maltezo grabbed an additional three rebounds alongside four assists.
 
Jenna Troy matched her career-high scoring 13 points in todays win. Troy was 4-7 from the floor, 3-5 from the three-point line, and 2-2 at the free-throw line. She also added two assists and the Wildcats single block of the day.
 
Kassidy Malcolm provided an additional 11 points and six rebounds.
 
After trailing by as many as eight in the second quarter after a layup from Kate Clark, the Wildcats fought back in the remaining nine minutes to recapture the lead 31-28 on a pair of free-throws from Troy just before halftime.
 
Both sides contained the opposition to open the second half, providing a 4:11 minute scoring drought between a layup from Erin Jenkins and a layup from Keagan Thurman to provide the Nighthawks with a 36-33 lead.
 
The remainder of regulation was a grudge match as Central and Northwest Nazarene exchanged scores providing 12 lead-changes in the final 12:00 minutes of regulation.
 
NNU battled from the second tip-off, capturing a four-point lead in the opening two minutes. A contested layup in the post gave the Wildcats just a one-point lead, and the Nighthawks were unable score another basket.
 
Maltezo and Bowman iced the game on four-straight free-throws, sending Central Washington to the West Regional Semifinal.