ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington Wildcat women's basketball team (4-3) moved back over .500 on the season with an 84-71 victory over the Westmont Warriors (2-3) inside Nicholson Arena to conclude their home-opening week. Asher Cai led all scores once again, posting 27 points.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
 

• Final: Central Washington (84), Westmont (71)
• Records: CWU (4-3), WC (2-3)
• Location: Nicholson Arena, Ellensburg, Wash.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• The Warriors started out the game with a quick 5-0 run before a Sunny Huerta three, an Annalee Coronado jumper, and an Asher Cai jumper put the 'Cats in front 7-5 with 6:51 left in the first quarter.
• Both teams battled, exchanging the lead before a three-pointer by the Warriors gave them the 19-17 lead after the first quarter.
• The Warriors opened the second quarter extending their lead with a free throw and a jumper to make it 22-17 less than 45 seconds into the quarter.
• Both teams kept battling it out with the Warriors draining a three to take the 32-26 lead, their largest of the night.
• The Wildcats answered with a 12-4 run to end the first half and take the 38-36 lead heading into halftime.
• Both teams came out of halftime right where they left off in the first half, battling, as the Wildcats maintained their lead, but in back-and-forth fashion.
• A jumper by Capri Sims followed by a free throw by Tori Maeda and a layup by Aliyah Finch put CWU up 48-42 with 5:29 left in the third quarter.
• Following a free throw by the Warriors, the 'Cats used stout defense to cause a turnover that Cai was able to lay the ball in and draw the foul. Cai drained the free throw to make it a double-digit lead for the crimson and black, 53-43.
• The Warriors would battle, but the 'Cats managed to keep them astray with Maeda draining the buzzer beating three to end the third quarter and keep the double-digit lead for the 'Cats at 64-52.
• The Warriors struck first to start the fourth, but the 'Cats would respond with four points of their own to put them up 68-54 with 8:18 left in the game.
• Westmont went on a streak of their own, slicing the 'Cats lead to 68-62, forcing CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley to call a timeout with 6:21 left in the game.
• The Wildcats came out of the timeout and immediately saw Cai score back-to-back three pointers that was backed up by threes from Coronado and Malia Smith to make it an 80-65 lead with 4:02 left in the game.
• The Warriors went on a little 4-0 run of their own before two free throws from Huerta and a layup by Sims put CWU back up 84-69 with 23 seconds left.
• Westmont grabbed one more bucket before the buzzer went off sealing the Wildcats 84-71 victory.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:
 

• Cai led all scores with 27 points, pairing that with five rebounds and two steals.
• Sims finished with a double-double posting 18 points and 12 rebounds, tacking on two assists and two steals.
• Huerta was next for the Wildcats with 17 points and had three rebounds, five assists, and one block on her night.
• Coronado added on seven points with her one rebound, seven assists, and one steal, while Maeda finished the night with four points, one rebound, and three assists.
• Keira Marsh in her first start for the Wildcats contributed three points and one rebound while Smith and Shelby Blodgett each added three points off the bench with Smith adding two assists and Blodgett having one rebound, one assist and three steals.
• Finch finished the night with two points.
• The Wildcats finished the night shooting 59.3 percent from the floor, 45 percent from three-point land, and 68.8 percent from the free throw line.

 
SERIES HISTORY:
 

• This was the first ever meeting between the two squads.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• The Wildcats will trek over to Bellingham to participate in the WWU Thanksgiving Tournament. They'll play both of their games at 4:30 p.m., first playing Hawaii Pacific (0-2) on Friday, November 24 before wrapping up the weekend on Saturday with a matchup against the Dragons of Minnesota State Moorhead (0-2).