ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Women's Basketball Team will start the second half of GNAC play with a pair of big road battles up in The Last Frontier as they head to Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks this week.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Thursday, January 30
6:15 p.m. PST
Central Washington at RV Alaska Anchorage
Alaska Airlines Center
Anchorage, Alaska
WATCH LIVE STATS TICKETS
 
Saturday, February 1
1:00 p.m. PST
Central Washington at Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium
Fairbanks, Alaska
WATCH LIVE STATS TICKETS 
 
QUOTING CWU HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH RANDI RICHARDSON
 
"We hit the road this week up to Alaska to start out the second half of conference play. Both games in Nicholson presented some great challenges to us so we are excited to see how we can grow and build upon what we learned from the first time we played both UAA and UAF."
 
LAST WEEKEND
 
Last weekend was a huge weekend for the CWU Women's Basketball Team not only earning a big road sweep, but also seeing senior guard Sunny Huerta surpass the CWU career scoring record as she now has 1,698 total points in her career.
 
The Wildcats maintained an early lead to fend off St. Martin's to open the weekend by a 77-72 score. Asher Cai led the game with her first double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds while adding five assists, one block, and three steals. Huerta wasn't far behind with 25 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Malia Smith also finished in double-digits with 15 points. The 'Cats shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 56.3 percent from three, and 87.5 percent at the free-throw line. They won the rebound battle 26-23 over the Saints.
 
Enroute to Huerta breaking the scoring record, the Wildcats cruised to a 66-35 victory at Western Oregon to wrap up the weekend. Huerta led all scores with 17 points and added nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and three steals. Annalee Coronado had 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block, and two steals off the bench for CWU while Cai added 10 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Capri Sims was just short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. CWU shot 33.8 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three, and 85.7 percent at the free-throw line. The 'Cats dominated the boards 49-38.
 
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
 
This is the second meeting between the two squads this season with UAA coming out on top 68-61 in Ellensburg in a clash that saw the Wildcats claw back from multiple double-digit deficits, but a fourth quarter slump by the 'Cats proved to be the difference as the Seawolves came away with the victory. Following the matchup earlier this year, UAA has been on a tear defeating Alaska Fairbanks on the road, Simon Fraser and Western Washington at home, and then Seattle Pacific on the road to start last weekend. In the much-anticipated showdown between UAA and 20th-ranked Montana State Billings last Saturday the Yellowjackets utilized a 13-point third quarter advantage to take the 70-55 victory in Billings.
 
The Seawolves still have a high-volume offense that's averaging 80.6 points per game and a defense that's still holding the best scoring margin in NCAA Division II at 32.6 points, holding their opponents to just 48 points per game. UAA is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, 35.2 percent from three, and 67 percent at the free-throw line. The Seawolves opponents have averaged 35.4 percent from the floor, 28.9 percent from three, and 63.6 percent at the free-throw line this season. The Seawolves have dominated the boards this season, averaging 43.4 rebounds per game to the 29.9 they've given their opponents. UAA leads the GNAC in assists per game, averaging 17.4 and leads NCAA Division II in steals per game with 18.7 per game as well as turnover margin with a +13.3 as they force 27.6 turnovers per game from their opponents compared to the 14.4, they give up per game. They average 4.1 blocks per game.
 
The Seawolves have a four-headed monster on offense as Elaina Mack (13.5), Emilia Long (13), Tori Hollingshead (12.5), and Jazzpher Evans (11.8) all average in double-figures. Hollingshead leads UAA with 6.6 rebounds per game while Hedda Koehne has the most blocks on the season at 28. Long has the most assists this season for the Seawolves at 87 and leads NCAA Division II with 95 steals on the season for an average of 4.75 per game.
 
SCOUTING THE NANOOKS
 
In the first meeting of the two teams earlier this month, the Wildcats came away with the 87-54 victory after a giant second half that saw the 'Cats outscore the Nanooks 56-23 after the two squads headed into halftime tied. Since the two squads met the 'Nooks went on a skid dropping contests at Northwest Nazarene, against UAA, Western Washington, Simon Fraser, and at Montana State Billings last Thursday before securing their first GNAC victory of the season in an 88-82 win at Seattle Pacific last Saturday.
 
The Nanooks are getting outscored by their opponents on averaged 76.7 points per game to the 68.1 points UAF is managing. They're shooting 37.8 percent from the floor, 30.8 percent from three, and 63.3 percent at the free-throw line. The 'Nooks opponents are averaging 42 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three, and 69.6 percent at the free-throw line. Opponents are outrebounding UAF 44.5 to the 36.6 rebounds the Nanooks are averaging. The Nanooks are averaging 13.6 assists per game, 10.1 steals per game, and 2.7 blocks per game. They're averaging 18.7 turnovers per game and forcing 18.9 turnover on their opponents.
 
Destiny Reimers is the do-it-all player for the 'Nooks as she's leading UAF with 13.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game, and has added 42 assists, 31 steals, and 10 blocks. Taylor Pilot has dished out the most assists this season with 57 total and has grabbed the most steals with 48. Amelia Brady has 12 blocks to lead the Nanooks.
 
UP NEXT
 
CWU will be back home after back-to-back road trips and will welcome in the Western Washington Vikings (11-7, 6-3 GNAC) on Thursday, February 6 at 5:15 p.m. and the Simon Fraser Red Leafs (10-8, 3-6 GNAC) on Saturday, February 8 at 4:00 p.m. with all the action happening in Nicholson Arena.