The Wildcats women’s basketball (11-12 overall, 6-9 GNAC)   will get set to tip off with the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders (NNU) (6-18 overall, 4-11 GNAC) Saturday in Ellensburg.

The Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing stretch of games, losing a pair of home games to Seattle Pacific University (SPU) and Montana State University Billings (MSU-B).

They have set themselves up for a exciting end of the year.

Head coach Jeff Harada is happy the for Wildcats to control their own fate for the playoffs.

“I like where we’re at, being in a position to qualify for the playoffs is a good spot, and it’s a good place to be but we’re not comfortable,” Harada said. “If we win were in, if we don’t we don’t deserve to be in.”

Central is sitting at the fifth spot in the GNAC standings right now, with the top six teams making the tournament, and needs to finish the season strong.

Central will need to hold off late season pushes from MSU-B and the Saint Martin’s Saints (SMU). MSU-B holds fifth place with SMU behind them in seventh.

The Wildcats will wrap up he regular season with a game against SMU, but they will need to keep their focus on NNU before looking ahead.

Junior guard, Jasmine Parker, knows that it takes all five players for someone to get points in the box score.

“We had a lot of team effort which played a role in my performance and the team’s performance,” Parker said.

NNU is coming into this game with hopes of pulling off an upset and finding a way to get themselves into the playoffs.

Junior guard, Taylor Simmons, leads the attack for NNU. Simmons is having a standout season, averaging 13.8 points per game and 4.1 assists per a game. Along with Simmons, NNU leans on freshman guard, Ellie Logan, who is averaging 12.7 points per game.

NNU is the only team to defeat second-ranked Alaska this season.

The last time these two teams played each other, there was no lack of excitement.

The Wildcats were able to come away victorious, 68-66, in overtime. They managed to overcome 31 turnovers in that win.

Limiting turnovers in this game could prove to be the x-factor for the Wildcats.

“They’re going to play the zone the majority of the time, we need to be ready to attack it.” Harada said.

Making adjustments to the zone will be crucial because the Wildcats struggled in the half-court offense against MSU-B.

The Wildcats have great production from their junior center Jasmine Parker, in the overtime win over NNU.

Parker put up 17 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks that the night. This was the game that was the start of the second half tear Parker went on.

The ability to get points off the bench is crucial for a basketball team, but in the heat of a playoff race, getting contributions from role players in addition to key players performing is invaluable.

The Wildcats have come to rely on redshirt junior guard, Hannah Shine, for these points.

Shine may not take the most shot attempts, but she makes the most of the ones she does. Shine is leading the GNAC in three-point shooting percentage at 44.8 percent.

Shine is quick to praise team for her success behind the three-point arc this season.

“We have a lot good passers and lot of people who make the extra pass, the more open you are the easier it is to knock them down,” Shine said.

With only two games remaining after this matchup every game is becoming a must-win for the Wildcats.

Harada has had this team prepared all season, but late in the season it comes down to which team executes better.

Harada knows how important a spark on the bench can be for a team.

“We really rely on her shooting off the bench. We will need her consistently down the stretch to be successful,” Harada said. “We have all the faith in the world in her.”