LACEY, Wash.—
Kizzah Maltezo scored 22 points as Central Washington (22-7) defeated Alaska Anchorage (20-6) 80-65 Friday afternoon to advance to the program's first ever GNAC Championship final.
The win snaps Central's 19-game losing streak to the Seawolves, dating back to Feb. 14
th, 2013.
The Wildcats advance to take on No. 22 Western Washington. The GNAC Championship final will take place tomorrow, Mar. 5
th, at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Central outscored Anchorage 24-9 shooting 9-17 from the floor and 6-11 from the three-point line in the opening quarter and never looked back.
"I'm just so proud of the growth we have shown over the year against Anchorage," Central Washington Head Coach
Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "I'm so happy for our girls, we were able to put together a complete game against a great team. We had different players all step in different moments and got key stops when we needed them which helped limit UAA's runs."
Maltezo shot 7-14 from the floor, 6-13 from the three-point line, and 2-4 at the free-throw line. She also tallied one rebound and two assists in today's effort.
Samantha Bowman was just one assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 16 points alongside 13 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. The effort marks Bowman's 23
rd double-double of the season.
Kassidy Malcolm added an additional 18 points and 8 rebounds in today's contest alongside four assists. Malcolm was 6-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the three-point line, and 2-3 at the free-throw line.
Matching up with the highest takeaway defense in the conference, Central capitalized on the Seawolves mistakes grabbing 22 points off of 13 turnovers.
Tori Maeda added an additional season-high 10 points on shooting 2-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the three-point line, and a perfect 4-4 at the free-throw line. Maeda also grabbed two rebounds and gave out six assists.
Tennae Voliva led the Seawolves with 20 points, three rebounds and six assists. Jazzpher Evans added an additional 13 points, and Jahnna Hajdukovich 10 more.
"Now it's on to the recovery battle because we do not want our journey to end here. We have to get ready for another very good team tomorrow," Richardson-Thornley said.