PORTLAND, Ore. — A solid defensive effort came up just short Saturday afternoon as Central Washington held off Cal State Monterey Bay for a 55–48 win at the GNAC/CCAA Women's Basketball Challenge on the campus of Concordia–Portland.

CSUMB led 21–20 at the half. Neither team was able to build more than a four point lead until Central went up by six with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The Otters got back to within three twice after that, but the Wildcats made four free throws in the final 11 seconds to secure the win.

Senior guard Victoria Dorn (Seaside HS) led the Otters with 16 points, including 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior forward Alexa Sperling (Clovis/Buchanan HS) just missed her career high in rebounds, finishing with 11.
 

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THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… Central Washington didn't put this one away until Jonnae Richardson hit a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to make it 55–48 Wildcats.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Victoria Dorn 16; REBOUNDS: Alexa Sperling 11; ASSISTS: Aubri Smith 2; BLOCKS: None; STEALS: Five Otters 1.

CENTURY MARK IN SIGHT… With four more 3–pointers in her ledger following Saturday's game, Victoria Dorn now has 97 career 3–point field goals. She currently sits No. 3 on the CSUMB all–time list. She is looking to join Dana Andrews (178) and Holly Holcomb (102) amongst the only Otters ever to reach 100 career treys.

THE LAST WORD… "We did a good job defending them and making them work for their points. We adjusted and took better care of the ball today, but still struggled finishing." – CSUMB Head Coach Kerri Nakamoto

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters return to The Kelp Bed for their 2016–17 home opener when Notre Dame de Namur visit on Wednesday (Nov. 19) for a 7 p.m. tip.