ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Western Washington University senior center Anna Schwecke scored 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting, but a late comeback attempt fell short as the Vikings were defeated by Central Washington University 72-62 Thursday evening in Nicholson Pavilion.
The Vikings had their three-game winning streak snapped to fall to 10-5 overall and 4-3 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. CWU improved to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in GNAC play to pull even with WWU in the conference standings.
Playing shorthanded without starting guards Dani Iwami (injury) and Avery Dykstra (sickness), the Vikings had a tall task against the Wildcats on their home court. WWU trailed 34-31 at the half, but CWU pulled away with a big second half including a 20-point third quarter. WWU used a 10-2 run to pull to within two possessions at 65-59 late in the second half, but the Wildcats fought off the comeback for the 10-point victory.
Schwecke was a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line for her team-high 19 points.
Senior point guard Lexie Bland scored 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting in her final collegiate game in her hometown of Ellensburg and junior forward Kelsey Rogers added 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Overall the Vikings shot 43.4% from the field (23-for-53) and were 4-for-20 from 3-point range.
Central Washington was led by a pair of 20-point games from guards Alexis Pana and Taylor Shaw. Pana was 9-for-13 from the field for her game-high 26 points and Shaw was 8-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range for 23 points. Kassidy Malcom led all players with 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.
FOURTH QUARTER COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
CWU opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to extend its lead to 14 points at 63-49. WWU cut the deficit to six points at 65-59 following back-to-back 3-pointers by Lexie Bland, but the Wildcats put the game away with a 7-0 run to fend off the comeback attempt.
CENTRAL PULLS AHEAD IN THIRD QUARTER
The Wildcats out-scored the Vikings 20-16 in the third quarter, extending their lead to as many as 8 points at 52-44. A late three-point play by Anna Schwecke helped cut the deficit to 54-47 heading into the final quarter.
HANGING TOUGH IN THE SECOND QUARTER
Central Washington scored the first five points of the second quarter and led by as many as 5 points at 27-22. But the Vikings kept close with freshman post Carley Zaragoza scoring five consecutive points to tie the game 31-31. CWU took a 34-31 lead into halftime, out-scoring WWU 17-13 in the second stanza. The Vikings were held to 33.3% shooting (6-for-18) in the quarter and were 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
BACK AND FORTH FIRST QUARTER
WWU gained an 18-17 first-quarter lead, with Kelsey Rogers leading the way with 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. The Vikings were 7-for-9 from the floor (2-for-4 3FG), but were hurt by 9 turnovers leading to 9 CWU points. Alexis Pana led all players with 9 points on 3-for-4 shooting.
The Vikings (10-5, 4-3 GNAC) remain on the road traveling farther East to play at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Nampa, Idaho, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 pm MT/6:30 pm PT in the Johnson Sports Center.
WWU has now lost its last three games in Ellensburg and dropped four of the last five overall to the Wildcats over the last three seasons. The two teams will meet again in Bellingham on Saturday, February 15 in Carver Gym. WWU maintains the all-time lead in the series 94-15.
Here is a look at the updated Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings through games played on Thursday. WWU is tied for 4th place in the GNAC standings with a 4-3 league mark:
|
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
1.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
7-0
|
1.000
|
17-1
|
.944
|
8-0
|
6-1
|
3-0
|
Won 12
|
|
2.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
6-1
|
.857
|
11-4
|
.733
|
6-1
|
3-2
|
2-1
|
Won 1
|
|
3.
|
Simon Fraser
|
5-2
|
.714
|
10-7
|
.588
|
6-3
|
2-2
|
2-2
|
Lost 1
|
|
4.
|
Western Washington
|
4-3
|
.571
|
10-5
|
.667
|
5-0
|
3-4
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
|
Central Washington
|
4-3
|
.571
|
9-6
|
.600
|
6-2
|
1-3
|
2-1
|
Won 2
|
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
4-3
|
.571
|
9-7
|
.562
|
6-1
|
3-3
|
0-3
|
Won 1
|
|
7.
|
Saint Martin's
|
2-5
|
.286
|
7-7
|
.500
|
7-1
|
0-5
|
0-1
|
Won 1
|
|
|
Western Oregon
|
2-5
|
.286
|
5-9
|
.357
|
4-4
|
1-4
|
0-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
9.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
2-5
|
.286
|
4-11
|
.267
|
4-3
|
0-6
|
0-2
|
Won 1
|
|
|
Concordia
|
2-5
|
.286
|
3-12
|
.200
|
1-5
|
1-3
|
1-4
|
Lost 2
|
|
11.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
1-7
|
.125
|
6-11
|
.353
|
3-6
|
0-4
|
3-1
|
Lost 7
|
|
Thursday's GNAC Scores
(home team in bold)
|
|
Central Washington 72, Western Washington 62
Saint Martin's 71, Western Oregon 64
Seattle Pacific 63, Concordia 44
Northwest Nazarene 85, Simon Fraser 84
Montana State Billings 70, Alaska Fairbanks 68
|
More information on WWU Basketball can be found online at WWUVikings.com/WBB and via social media on Twitter (@WWUBasketball), Instagram (@wwu.basketball) and Facebook (@WWUwomensbball).
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in seven of the last 11 seasons, and 34 times in the 48-year history of the program. WWU has 20 seasons of 20 or more wins under head coach Carmen Dolfo, who is the winningest coach of any sport at WWU and ranks among Division II active and all-time coaching leaders in wins with 60, win percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 16 of 21 seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,031 all-time wins in the 48-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of just 16 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.
