ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Westminster women's basketball (1-2) out-shot Central Washington (4-1) with a 51 percent shooting percentage overall and 30-28 advantage in shot attempts but the Wildcats outscored the Griffins 40-33 in the second half and won, 83-71, on Friday night in the Nicholson Pavilion.

Abby Mangum finished with her first 20-point night of the season, scoring a team-high 23 points in the loss on 11-of-14 shooting with four assists and four rebounds.  Lyndzi Rich reached double figures with 10 points on the night and led Westminster with eight rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Westminster came out strong and shot over 50-percent from the field in the opening half for a third-straight game but were outscored 21-9 in a third quarter in which the Griffins made just four field goals and one free throw.

The Griffins owned a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint with a 7-4 advantage in rebounds on the offensive glass but suffered from 14 turnovers that led to 22 Wildcats' points.  After trailing by just five at the half, Westminster trailed by as many as 19 in the second half before trimming the final margin with a mid-quarter run in the fourth.

Central Washington had two finish beyond the 20-point threshold and hit 12 three-pointers as a team en route to their fourth non-conference win in five tries to begin the season.

Westminster will stay in Ellensburg where it will take on Seattle Pacific in a neutral contest tomorrow beginning at 3 p.m. (MDT).

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