Before the hiring of head coach Jeff Harada, Central’s women’s basketball team struggled to find its way in the GNAC conference.

Now, in Harada’s second year at Central, the Wildcats finished the season with the program’s first .500 record in GNAC play since 2006, and they are getting ready for their second-straight GNAC tournament appearance.

“I definitely like where we are heading,” Harada said. “I definitely think the culture change is what the plan was from the beginning.”

If the Wildcats want a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament, they will need to run the tables this weekend in Lacey, Wash.

Central enters the tournament seeded fifth, and will face off with Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the opening round today at 7:30 p.m.

The teams split their games this season, each team picking up a victory from the other while on the road.

SFU leads the GNAC in 3-point shooting behind the nation’s top 3-point shooter, junior guard Ellen Kett, who is hitting 49.5 percent of her shots from long distance.

“They’ve got three kids that can shoot the ball with accuracy and they’re not shy about putting it up either,” Harada said.

A key for Central will be sticking to its normal game plan, which is to work the ball in the post.

Senior forward Jasmine Parker recorded a double-double in her first meeting with SFU this season, with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“We just gotta make sure that our defense is top-notch and we’re looking to score the basketball inside,” Parker said. “We’re gonna have some mismatches inside.”

Sophomore guard Jasmin Edwards echoed that sentiment.

“Running our normal offense is gonna create a lot of mismatches,” Edwards said. “If our posts seal hard, we can hopefully get a lot of layups.”

Harada believes the team will be successful if they can wear down SFU’s players.

“I think making them work on the defensive end will be key,” Harada said. “They’ve got a lot of kids that play a lot of minutes.”

If Central is able to get past SFU, the Wildcats will match up with the top-ranked team in the nation, the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA).

The Seawolves have lost just two games this season and are outscoring opponents by an average of 27.5 points per game.

In their first matchup, UAA dismantled the Wildcats, beating them by 24 points in Nicholson Pavilion. The Wildcats fared much better in the second game between the teams, losing by just eight points in a game they were in until the end.

“I think we just have to go in confident and know that we’re capable of beating them,” Edwards said.

A win against UAA would give Central a shot at its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

“It’s anyone’s title,” freshman guard Mandy Steward said. “Anyone can win a game, it just depends on who comes and brings it.”

Steward, who was just named GNAC Freshman of the Year, could be Central’s x-factor.

She is one of three Wildcats to average double-digits in scoring this season and leads the team with 45 three-pointers this season.

“She’s a kid who stretches the defense and can handle the ball a little big and create her own shot,” Harada said.

For the four seniors on Central’s roster, each of these games will potentially be the last of their career.

“We’re all just trying to go out there and leave it on the floor,” Parker said.