Box score (PDF)
        Senior Day ceremony (HTML) 

SEATTLE – Madi Hingston and Hailee Bennett ended their careers with some nice stat lines.
 
They just weren't able to get a victory to go along with it.
 
 

Hingsto

n scored 14 points and Bennett added 10 on Saturday afternoon, but Central Washington built a double-digit lead late in the second quarter and kept it the rest of the day to beat Seattle Pacific in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball finale, 81-65.
 
The Falcons wound up the season with an 8-20 overall record, 6-14 in the GNAC.
 
HIngston and Bennett were saluted during the Senior Day ceremony prior to tip-off, then went out and showed why they have been an integral part of the program, particularly this season.
 
Along with her 14 points, Hingston grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists, and came up with one steal. Bennett supplemented her 10 points with four assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
 
"I'm really happy that both of them got double-digit scoring in their final game, and they both took care of the ball really well," head coach Mike Simonson said. "Both played very well in their last game. More than anything, in their four years, seeing them grow as students and as people has been remarkable."
 
Central (18-10, 13-7 GNAC), which will be back in Brougham Pavilion this coming week for the conference tournament, scored the first four points of the game. It was tied just once, that at 4-4 on back-to-back Bennett baskets. The Wildcats went ahead to stay on a 3-pointer by Kaelie Flores, the first of her 16 points for the day.
 
Seattle Pacific was down by just six points, 33-27 midway through the second when Central Washington went on an 8-0 run to take a 41-27 lead. The Wildcats shot 56 percent in the first half (18 of 32), and 63 percent (7 of 11) from behind the 3-point arc.
 
For the game, they finished at 49.2 percent overall (30 of 61) and 47.8 from downtown (11 of 23). The Falcons were at 42.4 percent (28 of 66) and 31.3 (5 of 16) from long range.
 
"We did a lot of nice things in the game, and we had some nice runs," Simonson said. "Ultimately, we missed lay-ups, we missed open shots, and that kills your momentum and gives them momentum.
 
"They've been one of the hottest teams in the league the last eight games, and they shoot well from all five positions," Simonson added. "It's hard to make them miss. I thought we did a much better job defensively in the second half, but it was too little, too late."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Freshman post player Kayla Brundidge had a solid season finale, coming off the bench for 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds, three blocked shots, and two steals in 18 minutes of action.
-- Madi Hingston's 14 points on Saturday gave her 394 for her career.
-- Hailee Bennett finished No. 2 on Seattle Pacific's all-time free-throw shooting accuracy list. Bennett hit 86.8 percent (125 of 144). The only one ahead of her is Suzanna Ohlsen, who hit .872 (260 of 298) from 2011-15.
-- Speaking of free throw shooting, Central Washington finished the regular season just slightly ahead of Seattle Pacific  for the GNAC's overall best mark. The Wildcats hit .765 (319 of 417), while the Falcons were at .759 (262 of 345).
-- Junior forward Ashlynn Burgess scored seven points, her first time on the board since Feb. 8, when she had 15 against Simon Fraser. Burgess missed the next four games with an injury, then did not score when she returned to action on Thursday against Northwest Nazarene.
 

SIMONSON

SUMS IT UP
(On the season)
"It was a roller coaster this year. The way we started (0-8), we played one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country. Then we bounced back and went on a really nice stretch (7-4). It felt like that at the most crucial times, we hit adversity, and that's tough to overcome, whether it's injuries or being matched up against a team that has a really hot night.
 
(On the team's growth)
"I definitely feel our team and program made a drastic improvement from last year, but the record doesn't reflect that. I do believe we've done a lot of work to lay the foundation where the future is going to be bright."
 
(On the upcoming offseason)
"We have the talent and the athleticism. But it's going to take some hard work and dedication to improve our skills and confidence."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Central Washington 81, Seattle Pacific 65'
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON (18-10, 13-7 GNAC)
Flores 6-9 1-2 16, Malcolm 5-13 1-2 11, Maeda 0-3 3-3 3, Shaw 4-6 0-0 11, Pana 9-16 0-0 20, Phiakhamngon 1-5 2-2 5, Richardson 3-4 2-2 10, Stephens 0-0 0-0 0, Bowman 2-4 1-1 5, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Troy 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 10-12 81.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-14, 8-20 GNAC)
Hoff 2-4 0-0 4, Sterk 1-4 0-0 2, Bennett 5-13 0-0 10, Hingston 6-14 0-0 14, Alter 1-4 2-2 2, Berg 1-2 0-0 2, Rexach ROure 1-1 0-0 3, Brennan 3-10 0-0 7, Brundidge 5-7 2-4 12, Burgess 3-7 0-0 7. Totals 28-66 4-6 65.
 
Central Washington         24          22          19          16          -- 81
Seattle Pacific                  17          14          18          16          -- 65
 
3-point goals – CWU 11-23 (Flores 3-5, Malcolm 0-2, Maeda 0-1, Shaw 3-5, Pana 2-5, Phiakhamngon 1-1, Richardson 2-2, Bowman 0-1, Troy 0-1), SPU 5-16 (Sterk 0-3, Bennett 0-1, Hingston 2-5, Alter 0-1, Berg 0-1, Rexach Roure 1-1, Brennan 1-2, Burgess 1-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – CWU 35 (Pana 8), SPU 32 (Brundidge 8). Assists – CWU 15 (Pana 5), SPU 14 (Bennett 4). Turnovers – CWU 14, SPU 11. Total fouls – CWU 5, SPU 10. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 271.
 
 
Next game
Season complete.