ELLENSBURG (Nov. 18) -- After facing two of the top Division I teams on the West Coast in exhibition contests, the Central Washington men's basketball team will open up its 2009-10 regular season on Thursday night (Nov. 19) against Portland Bible College at 7 p.m. at Nicholson Pavilion.
The Wildcats are hoping that their home court and a non-Division I opponent will get their regular season off on the right foot after suffering 29- and 36-point losses against Washington and BYU, respectively, during the exhibition portion of their schedule. Central failed to score 50 points in either of those contests, totaling 48 in Seattle against the nationally-ranked Huskies on Nov. 4 and 46 last Tuesday (Nov. 10) against the Cougars, who are the preseason favorites to win the Mountain West Conference.
Central will play Portland Bible for the first time in the program's history. Portland Bible, also nicknamed the Wildcats, competes in the Pacific Christian Athletic Conference (PCAC) as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and is in just its third season of intercollegiate basketball. PBC comes into Thursday's contest with a 6-2 record, with both of its losses coming in the only two games against NCAA or NAIA members. Portland Bible's six wins have come against NCCAA members or Canadian institutions.
Ten of Central Washington's 14 players to play in their exhibition games will make their regular-season debuts for CWU against Portland Bible. Junior
Toussaint Tyler (Kent/Kentwood HS) was the only Wildcat to average double figures during exhibition play with 20 points in two games, while sophomore
Roby Clyde (Connell/Pasco HS) totaled a team-high 14 rebounds in those two games while also leading the team in steals.
Fifteenth-year head coach
Greg Sparling expects to start three of his four returning lettermen against Portland Bible on Thursday. Senior
Jon Clift (Spokane/Joel E. Ferris HS) is slated to start at the point guard, a position he started at in 23 of Central's 25 games last season. Also expected to start among the returnees are senior forward
Riley Sivak (Ellensburg) and junior center
Chris Sprinker (Tacoma/Curtis HS).
Tickets are $12 for reserved seating, $8 for general admission, and $5 for seniors, non-CWU students, and emeritus faculty general admission. CWU students are admitted free with a valid ID card. The game will also be broadcast live on the radio with CWU Athletics Hall of Famer
Robert Lowery calling the action on KXLE-AM 1240 and online through the CWU Alumni Association.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON (0-0) vs. PORTLAND BIBLE COLLEGE (6-2)
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Location: Nicholson Pavilion (2,519), Ellensburg
CWU PROBABLE STARTERS
G: 1-Jon Clift (5-10, 160, Sr.-1V, Spokane/Joel E. Ferris HS/CC of Spokane)
G: 22-JC Cook (6-1, 190, Jr.-JC, Canby, Ore./Canby HS/Clackamas CC)
F: 40-Riley Sivak (6-5, 195, Sr.-1V, Ellensburg/Ellensburg HS/Columbia Basin College)
F: 20-Roby Clyde (6-5, 230, So.-JC, Connell/Pasco HS/Snow College)
C: 5-Chris Sprinker (6-9, 225, Jr.-1V, Tacoma/Curtis HS/Eastern Washington/Tacoma CC)
