The second act of the heated rivalry between the Wildcats and Vikings women’s basketball teams commences tonight at Nicholson Pavilion.

Central pulled out the win at Western Washington University (WWU) earlier this season—its first since 2008.

The Wildcats are currently on a five-game winning streak, and the team has been playing well while averaging to beat their opponents by 16 points per game during that stretch.

Senior guard Melanie Valdez said the team has played well through this stretch and improved since the start of the season.

“We are a really young team. [We] just had to get freshmen used to the tempo from high school to Division II basketball,” Valdez said. “Now we have learned to finish games.”

Senior forward Jasmine Parker, who had 15 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and four assists the last time the two teams met, expects the game to be a tough test.

“We have to go in with focus and confidence,” Parker said. “We are really determined and need to make the right passes.”

The team realizes the magnitude of this game and what the rivalry means between the two universities going into the game.

“Western has been the biggest environment for our games,” Valdez said. “Everything is bigger. [We] just got to win this game.”

One of the main keys in Central’s hot-streak has been their relentless defense. Over the last five games, Central’s opponents have only averaged a meager 47 points per game.

“We take pride in our defense,” Valdez said. “Limiting them to one shot will benefit us.”

These factors have earned the Wildcats an impressive 8-4 conference record with eight games remaining.

Even after their winning streak, the Vikings are currently ahead of them in the GNAC conference standings with a 10-2 record.

With the game sure to be a tough test, most of the team will be looking upon the upperclassmen to really pull through and give Central a big win to add to their resume.

“Having leaders on our team like Parker certainly helps us,” Valdez said.

With the end of the year in sight, four members of the team will never play WWU again in their collegiate careers. However, Parker made it clear that they only care about the win.

“We have to defend our home court,” Parker said. “We got to stay focused.”