LACEY, Wash.—In a crazy year which featured multiple postponements, cancellations and a new conference tournament format which allowed for the inclusion of all ten Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams, No. 3 seed Central Washington overcame all obstacles in capturing its first GNAC Tournament championship as the Wildcats defeated top-seeded Western Washington, 57-46, on Saturday at Saint Martin's University.
 
Tournament MVP Samantha Bowman set a GNAC Tournament record with 23 rebounds against the Vikings (20-5), adding 12 points for her Division II-leading 24^th double-double of the season.
 
In addition to Bowman's efforts, Central's defense was the star of the show as the Wildcats (23-7) limited the Vikings to 25 percent shooting for the game, including a paltry 2-of-25 effort from 3-point range.
 
"I'm so proud of our team and the year that we have had," CWU head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. "We have been challenged all year long and have found ways to rise to the challenge and grow in the process. To be able to win three games in three days to finish our GNAC season and get a championship means so much for them and their investment, trust, and hard work. I couldn't be happier for the team, program, and everyone who has been a part of this process."
 
The Vikings led by as many as seven in the opening half but began to lose pace with the Wildcats as CWU took a 28-23 lead at halftime.
 
The Wildcats began to slowly pull away from the Vikings out of the half, taking 43-31 lead – Central's largest of the game – on a Valerie Huerta jumper with 37 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
 
Western Washington twice cut the Central lead down to six points in the fourth quarter, the last coming at 50-34 with 2:33 to play.  But Western missed its last nine shots as the Wildcats secured the championship victory.
 
Kassidy Malcolm, the GNAC Player of the Year, provided an additional 14 points for Central, shooting 4-9 from the floor, 2-3 from the three-point line, and 4-6 at the free-throw line.
 
Sophomore Jenna Troy couldn't have picked a better game to show out for the Wildcats, picking up a career-high 13 points.
 
Brooke Walling led WWU with 18 points, shooting 8-19 from the floor and 2-2 from the free-throw line. Emma Duff added 14 more and posted seven rebounds.
 
Central Washington, and the rest of the West Region, will learn its NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday as the tournament field is announced, beginning at 7 p.m. PST, on NCAA.com.