The Basics

• Final score: Western Oregon 46, Central Washington 61
• Records: WOU 4-22, 3-15 GNAC; CWU 16-10, 9-9 GNAC
• The Wildcats improved their lead in the all-time series to 24-15.
• Location: Ellensburg, Wash. – Nicholson Pavilion

 
How It Happened
The Wildcats attained an early seven-point lead in the opening quarter, but the Wolves got into the game as Kaylie Boschma put up Western Oregon's first two buckets, and the Wolves went on a 6-0 run to catch up. Western Oregon took the lead with a jumper from Boschma near the end of the period, but Central Washington reclaimed the advantage and never let go of it for the remainder of the game.
 
Central Washington added to their advantage in the second period with a nine-point streak. Natalie DeLonge scored the Wolves' four final points of the half off of free throw shots to put the Wolves within 15 points at 32-17.
 
Western Oregon put themselves in a good position during the third quarter as Boschma had the first three points, and the Wolves went on another 6-0 run near the end of the period.
 
In the final period, the Wolves came within five with a layup from Boschma, but the Wildcats quickly gained a 13-point lead and capped off the win with four free throw shots.
 
Wolves' Top Performers

• Kaylie Boschma matched her season high with 16 points, while adding six defensive rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
• Sydney Azorr had nine points, two boards, two assists, and one steal.
• Ali Nelke contributed with five rebounds, three steals, two points, and two assists.
• Emily Howey added six points and one steal.

 
For the Wildcats

• Mandy Steward led the Wildcats with 12 points, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc.
• Jasmin Edwards had 10 points and six assists for the night.
• Alexis Berrysmith totaled nine points and six rebounds.

 
Stats of the Game

• The Wolves shot 38.6 percent from the field, while the Wildcats shot 38 percent.
• Western Oregon went 9-for-16 from the free throw line, whereas Central Washington went 15-for-19.
• Western Oregon had a slight edge in steals, 8-6, but Central Washington outrebounded the Wolves, 34-29.
• The Wolves totaled more points in the paint, 20-14.
• The turnover amount was similar for both teams, but the Wildcats scored 11 points off of the Wolves' 12 turnovers, and the Wolves scored eight points off of the Wildcats' 11 turnovers.

 
Coach Quotes
WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter after the loss:

• "I thought we did a good job valuing the basketball and running our sets, but we hit a drought in the second quarter that really hurt us. And to counter that, Central Washington got hot, and we had trouble stopping their run."
• "As always, we fought back in the third and were able to get it to single digits to go into the fourth. I believe we cut the lead to four at one point, but Central Washington hit some huge threes that killed our momentum."
• "We didn't get on the offensive glass tonight, nor did we knock down our free throws, and we need to commit to doing that in order to be more productive on offense."
• "Ali had a great defensive game tonight and really locked down their post players. Kaylie played aggressive and gave us a lot of energy."

 
Up Next
The Wolves will return home and play Saint Martin's on Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. for Faculty Appreciation Day. They will then celebrate their seniors as they host Seattle Pacific on Saturday, February 27 at 2 p.m.