ELLENSBURG — The Central Washington Wildcats (25-7) were defeated 57-51 Monday by California State Polytechnic University Broncos, Pomona in the sweet-16 of the NCAA Division two tournament. Head Coach Randi Richardson reflected positively on the season and her team, according to a statement by CWU Athletics.   

“I'm proud of how this team, not just in this moment but in the year they've had,” she said. “It's a phenomenal team, a team that's made history at Central Washington University and just the character of who they are as young women and how much they love each other and how much they're invested into each other and into our program and the team. I'm extremely proud of the season these women have had.”  

The Wildcats started strong by taking a 12-15 lead after the first quarter. However, CPP dug their heels in during the second, outscoring CWU 15-8 to take the lead heading into halftime. From there, Central Washington bounced back in the third quarter, outscoring Cal Poly 12-15, setting up a nail biter finish in the fourth. The two teams traded the lead in the final minutes, but CPP pulled ahead 57-51 to advance to the Elite Eight.   

“I'm proud of getting to this moment,” Richardson said. “I felt like our team played really hard and was invested in this moment and wanted this moment. We just didn't execute at a high enough level to win this moment. I felt like Pomona had their best players step up and really take over the game in the fourth quarter and just hurt us with second-chance points.”   

Mydrea Moore put the Broncos on the board first and added a second layup of her own to pair with a layup from Hunter Hudson to make it a 6-0 CPP lead with 7:59 left in the first.  

A jumper by Annalee Coronado put the 'Cats on the board backed by a layup from Capri Sims, saw the Broncos respond with a pair of buckets themselves to make it 10-4 CPP with 5:11 left in the first. A pair of layups by Sims and four free throws by Asher Cai saw the 'Cats take their first lead of the game at 12-10 with 1:08 left in the first.   

A jumper by Sydney Nelson tied things up by a last-second three by Cai gave the 'Cats the 15-12 lead after the first 10 minutes. Brielle Minor tied the game with a three-pointer to begin the second, followed by a layup from Nelson to give the Broncos the lead once more.   

A layup by Kayla Thornton sparked a bucket-for-bucket battle over the next several minutes until back-to-back jumpers by Andrea Stajic and Moore gave the Broncos the 27-23 lead heading into the halftime break. Fiona Snashall hit a big three to begin the third quarter and added the and-one to give the 'Cats the 29-27 lead with 9:07 left in the third.   

The Broncos charged back with a pair of free throws and a layup by Nelson, but a pair of free throws by Cai and the and-one by Sims made it a 34-31 CWU lead with 3:46 left in the third. Three straight buckets by the Broncos gave CPP the lead once again as the teams exchanged a pair of buckets to end the third with the Broncos on top 39-38.  

Nelson started the fourth with a layup but Sims combated it with a pair of free-throws, however three-straight buckets by the Broncos gave them their largest lead of the night at 47-40 with 5:54 left. A layup by Thornton and a layup and pair of free-throws by Sims made it a 47-46 CPP lead with 3:38 to go.   

The Broncos answered with a layup only to see Cai hit a three to tie it up at 49 apiece with 2:57 left. Nelson hit the and-one followed by a pair of free throws by Cai, making it a 52-51 CPP lead with 1:23 left. A three-pointer by Kadence Lloyd with seven seconds sealed the deal as Pomona hit a pair of free throws to move on to the Elite Eight by a 57-51 score.  

“Credit to them, they hit a big shot in a moment when we couldn't give up a three, they hit one, and they hit two all night and kind of put the game in a tough spot for us with only six seconds left in the game,” Richardson said.   

According to CPP Athletics, the win served as Head Coach Danelle Bishop’s 300th career win as the program's coach. In this historic win, the Broncos turned many of their 45 rebounds into 23 points off second-chance shots. The Broncos also controlled the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 34-24 inside.   

The NCAA committee will reseed the remaining eight teams, which will determine matchups and game times for the Elite Eight as CPP moves on.   

For Richardson and the Wildcats, they still take plenty of positives away from this season.   

“I'm proud to get here. We obviously wanted to end up on the other side of this, but for sure, we will learn something from this and come back even stronger. We're just super grateful for our seniors and everything they've invested to help get us to this moment,” Richardson said.   

BOX SCORE:  

CPP: 12-15-12-18: 57
CWU: 15-8-15-13: 51 

    Capri Sims (13) posts up against a California State LA player earlier this season. Sims earned Greater Northwest Athletic conference Player of the Week honors this season.