Wildcats take down the Vikings

ELLENSBURG — The Central Washington Wildcats (14-1) defeated the Western Washington Vikings (12-5) 75-58 on Saturday to remain undefeated in the Greater Northwest Conference, according to a statement by CWU Athletics. The ‘Cats haven’t had a loss in conference play, with their only setback this season being a nonconference game against California State Polytechnic University.  

Head coach Randi Richardson said it was a well-rounded performance by her players, who secured their sixth straight win. 

“Our team executed incredibly well on both sides and showed a great amount of consistency for the full 40 minutes,” Richardson said. “I loved how we shared the ball, which is reflected in our assists and point spread. Defensively, we did a very good job limiting their top scorers below their averages, besides (Libby) Stump, which is a tough thing to do with the talent they have. I'm happy for our team and we are going to enjoy this one.”  

The two teams exchanged baskets to begin the game, but a layup by Capri Sims sparked a 12-2 run by the 'Cats to take the 14-6 lead and force WWU to call a timeout with 4:10 left in the first.  

Aspen Garrison earned a jumper for the Vikings immediately following the timeout, but was responded to by a three from Sierra Eddie and four-straight free throws by Annalee Coronado to make it a 21-8 Central lead. The Vikings earned back-to-back buckets, but Fiona Snashall drilled a jumper as time expired to give CWU the 23-12 lead after the first quarter.  

The two teams exchanged buckets all the way to the media timeout as the 'Cats held onto the 29-19 lead. Following the pause, the 'Cats held WWU scoreless for the rest of the second while finishing the quarter on a 10-0 run to take the 39-19 lead heading into the half.  

Once again, the two teams battled back-and-forth to begin the third quarter, but a three by Eddie at the 6:38 mark sparked a 9-0 run by the crimson and black to make it a 53-26 CWU lead. Back-and-forth again it went for the rest of the third with the quarter ending on a pair of free throws by Kayla Thornton as CWU took the 62-32 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.  

The Vikings began the fourth quarter with a 10-3 run to cut the CWU lead to 65-42 heading into the media timeout. A 7-1 run by WWU after the media timeout saw the CWU lead cut to 17, 66-49, with 2:53 left. The two teams continued to slug it out blow-for-blow for the rest of the game as CWU earned a 75-58 victory over their rivals.

According to WWU athletics, junior guard Libby Stump led all players with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, her fourth 20-point performance of the season. Senior forward Olivia Hodges fell just short of another double-double, contributing 11 points and nine rebounds.  

The Wildcats had several players put together standout performances Saturday. Asher Cai led CWU with 21 points, adding one rebound and five assists. Thornton added 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Snashall tacked on another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while adding four assists, two blocks, and two steals.  

Coronado had a season-high 10 points and paired it with two rebounds and two assists. Sims added eight points, five rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and a steal. Eddie contributed nine points, one rebound, four assists, and two steals. Rylee Leishman added two points and two steals, while both Emily Shaw and Aliyah Finch added one point, with Finch also adding a rebound and a block.  

The 'Cats finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, 50% from three, and 73.1% at the free-throw line. The Vikings finished the game shooting 33.9% from the floor, 23.1 percent from three, and a perfect 13-13 at the free-throw line. CWU edged WWU in the rebound battle 32-31.  

CWU hits the road Jan. 15 to play Seattle Pacific at 5:15 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

WWU: 12-7-13-26: 58 

CWU: 23-16-23-13: 75