**Central Washington Women’s Basketball Dominates Point Loma in NCAA Tournament Opener**

Central Washington’s women’s basketball team put on a defensive clinic in their NCAA Division II tournament opener, crushing Point Loma 74-53 in a first-round matchup at Cal State Dominguez Hills. From the very first whistle, the No. 6 seed Wildcats controlled the game, allowing just 12 points in the entire first half.

Leading the charge were Sunny Huerta and Capri Sims, both scoring 16 points. Sims also pulled down an impressive 13 rebounds to complete a double-double performance. Central Washington set the tone early with a commanding 12-0 run, ending the first quarter with a 21-4 lead. Their dominance continued into halftime, where they had stretched their advantage to 27 points after Huerta drained a jumper with just six seconds left.

Off the bench, Annalee Coronado provided a crucial spark, contributing 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Wildcats’ suffocating defense was the story of the game, holding Point Loma to just two field goals in each of the first two quarters.

With this dominant victory, Central Washington (22-7) advances to the West Region semifinal on Saturday at 5 p.m., where they will face the winner of No. 2 seed Cal Poly Pomona vs. No. 7 seed Chico State.

### **Scoring Summary:**
**Central Washington:** Huerta 16, Sims 16, Cai 11, Blodgett 6, Smith 3, Coronado 14, Marsh 3, Shaw 3, DeMott 2.
**Point Loma:** Tippins 12, Byon 9, McDonald 8, Rowell 8, Mersch 2, Golan 7, Moyers 5, Thayer 2.

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### **Central Washington Men’s Basketball Survives Overtime Thriller Against Chico State**

In a nail-biting NCAA Division II tournament showdown, Central Washington’s men’s basketball team held off a furious comeback by Chico State to secure an 82-79 overtime victory on Friday in San Diego.

The Wildcats, seeded No. 6, looked to be cruising with a comfortable lead in the second half. GNAC Player of the Year Cavin Holden led the charge with 22 points, while Garrett Anderson delivered a strong double-double performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Both players knocked down four three-pointers each, helping Central Washington shoot nearly 39% from beyond the arc.

Central seemed to have control when Bradley Swillie sank three free throws to give them a commanding 61-41 lead with under 12 minutes to go. But Chico State wasn’t done yet—they stormed back with a massive 25-5 run to tie the game late in regulation. With both teams struggling to score in the final minute, Chico State missed two potential game-winning layups, sending the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Central Washington never trailed and managed to hold off two last-second three-point attempts from Chico State. With this hard-fought win, Central (22-9) advances to face the winner of Cal State Dominguez Hills vs. Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 5 p.m.

### **Scoring Summary:**
**Central Washington:** Holden 22, Anderson 18, Sanders 10, Brizee 6, Clark 5, Swillie 16, Harris 3, Sisk 2.
**Chico State:** Murphy 28, Harris 17, Taylor 15, Joyce 4, Walters 2.

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### **Track & Field: Central Washington’s Correa and Hollis Shine at NCAA Championships**

At the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, Central Washington’s Johan Correa and E’Lexis Hollis delivered strong performances in their respective events.

Correa narrowly secured his spot in the men’s 800-meter final, finishing eighth in the prelims—just barely edging out Western Oregon’s Isaiah Rodriguez by less than two-tenths of a second. He will now compete in Saturday’s final with hopes of bringing home a top finish for Central Washington.

On the women’s side, Hollis competed in two events but just missed out on making it to both finals. She finished 12th in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 23.99 seconds—falling just .13 seconds short of qualifying for the final. However, she had already secured her place in the women’s 60-meter final after posting the third-best time in Thursday’s prelims.

With Correa and Hollis advancing in their events, Central Washington remains well-represented at the national championship stage.