NAMPA, Idaho – Women's basketball (2-1) suffered its first defeat of the season Friday evening as the Lions fell to Central Washington (3-0) 66-58 at the Johnson Sports Center. The Blue and Gold trailed most of the 40 minutes played, but nearly turned the tide after snipping the deficit to three heading into the final quarter. The Wildcats would not let up, however, shooting 58% in the fourth quarter and sinking seven free throws to seal the Lion defeat.

Only four players across both squads broke double-figures in points, with the game's scoring rhythm maintained with a duel between Kaylee Byon and CWU's Asher Cai. Byon dropped 25 points on 11-19 from the field to go with five rebounds and four assists. Cai, meanwhile, clipped 27 points (10-16) with an identical five boards and four helpers. She also hit all six of her free throws.

The pair of teams receiving votes in the national poll had a similar sample of overall statistics, though the Lions held their greatest advantages in rebounds (37-28), offensive rebounds (16-5), and points off turnovers (14-8). The Wildcats led in field goal percentage (49%-37%), points in the paint 32-22 and earned five more trips to the line to shoot 92% (12-13) at the charity stripe.

What Happened? The Wildcats had their best scoring periods in the first and fourth quarters, a tally that ultimately dictated the narrative for the game's pace and tempo. CWU shot 61% (8-13) from the field and 57% (4-7) from downtown to get things going for an early 4-4 score.

Vanguard matched pace, shooting 50% (7-14) from the floor in the first quarter. Their three-pointer woes (0-4) in the first frame were dampened by Byon, who repeatedly attacked the lane to shoot 4-5 from the field and finish with 10 first-quarter points. She also set up Akilah Kubi down low for an easy deuce, to contribute to 14 of the Lions' 16 first-quarter points.

CWU, however, never lost momentum, finishing the period on an 11-6 run to lead at the first interval (21-16).

The Lions were narrowly outscored 16-15 in the next quarter, but improved from beyond the arc, shooting 3-7 (43%) from deep. Shayla O'Neil's presence down low led to an early Wildcat miss and a shot attempt returned to sender thanks to a block at the rim from the graduate student.

Central Washington recovered on a 10-2 run, hitting two treys to push the Lions into a timeout. Down 31-18, Micaela Hanning stepped up from deep to stop the bleeding. She was joined by buckets from Emma Schaaf and Jaryn Madsen to keep the deficit within reach. Cai responded with a tip-in at the rim and a midrange jumper to put the CWU back up into double-figures (37-26). The Lions finished the half with a Byon bucket, as the guard picked up a board and rinsed down a three-pointer to finish the half.

The game slowed down in the second period, which favoured CWU's potency down low. It also translated a 12-4 lead in free throw attempts for the Wildcats.

Starting the second half, VU won the third quarter 11-8, but were not quite able to take advantage of Central Washington's 22% (2-9) display offensively. CWU made the difference by getting to the line, hitting 4-4 of their free throws while the Lions went without an attempt.

VU's scoring was split between four players, with their best run highlighted by O'Neil's three-pointer and another late quarter closing jumper from Byon to put the Lions at their closest reach of the Wildcats (45-42 CWU).

The transfer had half of VU's total points heading into the fourth quarter.

The Blue and Gold's rally took a turn in the final period, as CWU dominated the paint (14-6) to steer them toward 58% shooting and, more critically, a 7-8 split at the free throw line. Cai put up 10 points in the quarter and the first CWU points off a layup.

The Wildcats only missed three shots over the next four minutes, and cranked out a 15-5 run to drift away from the Lions. Byon's jumper at 5:34 was just VU's second made field goal of the quarter. The guard scored six straight points and assisted O'Neil for another basket inside to set the score at 64-55 CWU.

Central Washington burned a 30-second timeout and got to the free-throw line after the break to ice the first of two VU games on the Idaho trip.

What Was Said? "We could never get in a rhythm offensively," noted Head Coach Russ Davis. "We got outplayed and outcoached. We will get better as we search for the right combinations in the team. Kaylee was special tonight, obviously; however, she needed more help."

What's Next? The Lions will regroup for a quick turnaround at the Johnson Sports Center against Northwest Nazarene tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.