MOSES LAKE, Wash. – The 24th-ranked Central Washington Wildcats (11-3, 3-2 GNAC) fell to the sixth-ranked Western Washington Vikings (10-1, 4-0 GNAC) on the campus of Big Bend Community College by an 82-70 score Thursday night. 
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH RANDI RICHARDSON-THORNLEY
 
"WWU is an experienced team with a ton of depth. Their size and physicality took a toll on us and ultimately won out with 54 points in the paint. I'm proud of how we competed in moments, but we have to invest more and want to step up and compete consistently for 40 minutes in order to compete with a team of that caliber. Sam had a heck of a game and gave us a chance. We have to continue to grow and get better from here as we have another big challenge on Saturday."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The first quarter went nearly perfect for the Wildcats in their hopeful upset bid. Asher Cai started out the scoring with a jumper, followed by Samantha Bowman with a jumper of her own to put CWU up 4-0 early in the game. The Vikings got on the board their next possession, but Bowman answered with a layup making it 6-2 CWU. Both teams would go back-n-forth as Western would go on to take an 11-10 lead heading into the media timeout. Following the media, CWU would go on to score every point the rest of the quarter to take a 20-11 lead which was dominated by Bowman and Cai with Valerie Huerta "Sunshine" getting in on the action as well.
 
WWU started out the scoring in the second quarter, which was followed by a layup by Bowman. However, the Vikings would go on a 7-0 run to force the Wildcats to take a timeout with CWU gripping to a 22-20 lead. Both teams jockeyed for the lead before the Vikings would take hold of the lead for good at the 1:26 mark of the second quarter. Two free-throws by Bowman put the Wildcats within one, 33-32 to go into the half. 
 
The start of the second half proved to be disastrous for the Wildcats as the Vikings went on a 15-0 run to open the third quarter, which proved to be a deficit the Wildcats couldn't overcome. Bowman knocked in a quick five points to put the Wildcats on the board and give them a new life at the 5:39 mark. A three by Riley Johnson, followed by a free-throw by Sunshine saw the Wildcats within eight points 53-45. However, the Vikings would quickly push that to a 13-point lead, but the Wildcats responded by finishing the quarter on an 8-2 run to claw to a 60-53 deficit. 
 
The fourth quarter started with Bowman and Cai combining with good defense to pull CWU within four points keeping the upset bid and a tenacious comeback alive with 8:26 left in the game. Unfortunately, the Vikings responded with a huge three, but Claire Heitschmidt came off the bench and contributed big buckets and huge defense down the stretch to keep CWU within striking distance of the sixth-ranked Vikings. Unfortunately, turnovers and anytime the 'Cats would get close the Vikings would strike with a huge basket or a huge steal, rounded off the Vikings victory 82-70. 

Bowman had herself a huge night notching 36 points and 15 rebounds to add to her double-double total on the season. Cai added 10 points, while Sunshine had seven. Heitschmidt and Tori Maeda had six apiece, while Johnson added on five points, respectively. Maeda dished out seven assists as well.
 
The Wildcats shot a solid 48.2 percent from the field, 20 percent from three-point attempts, and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Vikings edged out CWU on the rebound department 34-33. 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Wildcats will prepare for another challenge in the Simon Fraser Red Leafs (4-4, 2-2 GNAC). SFU comes to Moses Lake and Big Bend Community College on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. tip-off, and a reminder that all children in eighth grade and under get into the game for free.