Wildcats Ready to Pounce Back Into Conference Action on the Road at Montana State-Billings and Seattle Pacific
ELLENSBURG, Wash. The Central Washington women’s basketball team (10-1, 2-0 GNAC) will hit the road to continue their conference play. They begin with a tough game against the Montana State-Billings Yellow Jackets (11-2, 2-0 GNAC) before finishing their weekend on the road with in-state rival Seattle Pacific Falcons (6-4, 1-1 GNAC.)
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, December 29th
6:30 PM Pacific Time
Central Washington at Montana State-Billings
Alterowitz High School
Billings, Mont.
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Saturday, December 31str
2:00 in the afternoon
Washington Central to Seattle Pacific
Brougham Pavilion
Seattle, Wash.
View statistics live
EXIT LAST TIME
The Wildcats had two record-setting games last weekend in Yakima. The Wildcats won 79-52 over Whitman College on Saturday December 17thth. Samantha Bowman led the ‘Cats on the day with 19 points, 31 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Bowmans 31-rebound night secured a new CWU and GNAC single-game rebounding record, she also set the new CWU and tied the GNAC single-game offensive rebounding record (12.)
Valerie Huerta Sunshine led all scorers on the night with 24 points, including going seven-for-seven at the free throw line. Asher Cai AND Tori Maeda both finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively. Riley Johnson AND Claire Heitschmidt each came off the bench and added five points while Ashley Shaw added to four points. The Wildcats shot 43.8 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three-point line while holding Whitman to 33.9 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three-point attempts.
Monday, December 19th The Wildcats saw another record fall in a 92-44 win over the Walla Walla Wolves. Sunshine once again led all points in a game, this time with 46 that set a new school and GNAC record for points scored in a game. During the 46-point outing, Sunshine made 18 field goals, which also set a new school and GNAC record for field goals made in a single game.
Bowman and Cai also each finished with double-doubles as Bowman had 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Cai had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Heitschmidt led the effort off the bench with five points, while Schow scored four points, Johnson three points and Shaylee Coulter-Fa’amafu with two points. Maeda finished the game with nine assists. The “Cats” shot 55.2 percent from the field, while 37.5 percent from three-point range.
QUOTED HEAD COACH RANDI RICHARDSON-Thornley
“I’m excited to get the full pace of conference play. We’ll be extremely challenged out of the gate on the road at MSUB and SPU. Both are very well-coached and disciplined teams. It will be a great opportunity to compete. grow up and see where we are in a measure.”
YELLOW JACKET SCOUTING
MSUB is having one of their best seasons, if not their best ever this year at 11-2 on the season. That includes sweeping three Hawaii teams on the road, as well as a tough road sweep of the Alaska schools including a 68-61 victory over the 11th– ranks Alaska Anchorage. The Jackets have had setbacks on their way up and Black Hills State came through in a battle of the Yellow Jackets in Billings 51-60. Their next setback came in their last pair of games at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, when they fell to national power Lubbock Christian 60-58.
The Yellow Jackets have a balanced scoring attack with three players averaging double figures and eight players averaging at least six points a game. The offensive charge is led by Dyauni Boyce, who averages 11.8 points per game, while Cariann Kunkel and Shayla Montague each average 11.4 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Chloe Williams (7) and Aspen Giese (6) lead MSUB in blocks, while both also lead in steals (Giese 21 and Williams 19.) The Yellow Jackets spread their rebounding fairly evenly as Boyce is the leading rebounder with 7.1 per game.
Collectively MSUB is shooting 42.2 percent from the field, while knocking down 34.2 percent from three-point land and 76.8 percent from free throw attempts. They are averaging 38.8 rebounds per game, as well as dishing out 204 assists, 112 steals and 26 blocks.
SKY SCOUTING
The Falcons held a .500 record after the first weekend of GNAC play. SPU has picked up the pace by rattling off three wins in four games in the convincing division against Lincoln (CA), in Dominica (CA), in Holy Names, before a heartbreaking setback to Stanislaus State 63-62.
The Falcons also have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Ashley Alter averaging 14.5 points per game. Anna Eddy and Natalie Hoff each average 10.6 and 10.1 points per game, respectively, to round out the double-digit scorers. Hoff leads the team with 10 blocks, while Alter (13) and Hunter Beirne (11) lead the team in steals. Hoff and Alter are also top rebounders at 5.5 and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Combined, the Falcons shot 41.3 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from three-point attempts and 64.2 percent from free throws. SPU averages 40 rebounds per game while dishing out 147 assists, 73 steals and 38 blocks.
looking ahead
The Wildcats will turn their sights back home when they face 8th– ranked rival Western Washington Vikings (7-1, 1-0 GNAC) on Thursday, January 5th with tip-off set for 5:15 p.m. at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Wash. CWU wraps up the weekend in Moses Lake against Simon Fraser (2-3, 0-1 GNAC) on Saturday, January 7th with warning set for 4:00 p.m
