ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team earned its toughest win of the season Tuesday, defeating Central Washington 89-69 on the road.

The Nighthawks (15-0 overall, 7-0 GNAC) remain undefeated on the season, knocking off the third-place team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown.

"This never felt like a 20-point win," NNU coach Steve Steele said. "This game was close all night long. I was really proud of how our girls battled and stuck to the game plan and eventually wore them down."

NNU, which moved up to No. 4 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national poll earlier Tuesday, took control of the game in the third quarter with a 10-0 run.

"Central is a really good team and they should be ranked in the national polls," Steele said. "Playing here is really, really tough. Their band is obnoxious – and fantastic – and right next to our bench. It makes it hard to communicate on the bench and on the floor. We really grinded this one out."

After a Central (10-4, 5-2) 3-pointer cut NNU's lead to 62-57 with 8 minutes, 20 seconds remaining the quarter, the Nighthawks took over.

Ellie Logan had a layup, Avery Albrecht had a pair of layups, Marina Valles hit a jumper and Logan had a putback for a 72-57 lead with 5:46 left.

"It was nice having our depth tonight," Steele said. "When they took one thing away, we were able to go to something else."

Logan finished with a game-high 17 points and five rebounds. Raquel Jardine added 17 points and six rebounds, Danielle Jardine had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, Albrecht had 15 points and Valles had 11.

NNU had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds on the night. The Jardines also played their best games in a few weeks, which certainly helped on the glass and in the scorebook.

"They were outstanding," Steele said. "In the game against Saint Martin's (on Saturday), what changed the tide in the game was them playing together. We did the same thing tonight for longer stretches, and their toughness was a huge factor."

NNU hosts Montana State Billings at 7 p.m. Saturday.