CWU women’s basketball started the season with an exhibition game against Northwest University. The Wildcats won with a final score of 97-51.

While this game does not count toward their GNAC record, their next big game is against Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) Nov. 11 at the Pavilion.

In preparation for the game, the Wildcats watch game film to better understand their opponent and gauge their strengths and weaknesses. This helps them build a game plan because each team is built differently.

“I really like where our team is at right now,” head coach Randi Richardson said. “We had a preseason full of learning with the implementation of some new offensive structures.”

CWU will face Seattle University on Nov. 4 and Cal State, Los Angeles on Nov. 10 before their big game against HPU.

CWU lost to HPU last year on Nov. 26 with a final score of 77-70.

“Our main goal going into this game will be to put together all the learning and hard work of the preseason and compete for 40 minutes,” Richardson said. “We want to control the tempo of the game by competing and force Hawaii Pacific to play our pace.”

While Richardson is only in her first year as head coach, she started the season on a positive note.

HPU competes in the Pacific West Conference as part of the NCAA Division II. Last season, they went 21-7 and lost in the regional playoffs.

Sophomore Kaelie Flores made her first start for CWU and shot five for six from the field, while scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds against Northwest.

“We are trying to share the ball and hustle back on defense. If we can do that then we usually are in a good spot to win the game,” Flores said.

As a freshman last season, Flores averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. She averaged seven minutes per game, but started this season by playing 17 minutes against Northwest.

“We have 14 of 15 players returning from last season. Especially with six seniors on our roster this year, including two returning all league players Jasmin Edwards and Taylor Baird,” Richardson said. “We’ll rely heavily on those two in terms of their play and leadership, but with the high tempo style in which we intend to play we will need to rely on every piece of our roster in order to be successful.”

There are only two freshmen on the CWU roster: Khloe Snair and Kassidy Malcolm. Malcolm played 14 minutes against Northwest and scored seven points. Snair has yet to suit up with the Wildcats this season.

“The new players add a great dynamic to the team and they push us in practice,” Senior forward Taylor Baird said. “They are a great addition to the team and will be very helpful for us throughout the season.”

CWU will look to get two wins against Seattle University and Cal State, Los Angeles before taking on a strong HPU team on Nov. 11.