Box Score

MONMOUTH, Ore. (Feb. 6) -- Central Washington University juniors Chris Sprinker (Tacoma/Curtis HS) and Toussaint Tyler (Kent/Kentwood HS) scored 21 points apiece, but the Wildcat men's basketball team was outscored 10-2 over the final 1:51 in suffering a 77-74 loss to host Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats fell to 12-7 overall and 6-3 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with their first loss to Western Oregon in the last nine series meetings. The Wolves improved to 11-9 overall and 4-5 in the GNAC.

Sprinker had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds while also matching his career-high with six blocked shots. He made 10 of 15 shots from the field and had five of Central's 13 offensive rebounds in the contest. Tyler, meanwhile, scored nine of Central's final 12 points while assisting on the other three, but fouled out with four seconds remaining.

Neither team was ever in complete control of the contest, as the first half saw five ties including the halftime score of 34-34. Western Oregon appeared to be in control midway through the second stanza when it took the game's largest lead of nine points with 14:12 remaining, but Central chipped away at its deficit. After finally tying the game at 67 apiece with 3:38 left as part of a 10-0 run, the Wildcats went ahead by five on a three-pointer by Jon Clift (Spokane/Joel E. Ferris HS).

Western Oregon responded to Clift's three with a trey of their own by Blair Wheadon, and after Tyler's final basket gave the Wildcats a four-point lead at 74-70, Wheadon made two free throws and then hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining. Central's Shane Miller (Moscow, Idaho) missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, and after WOU secured the rebound, the Wolves missed the front end of a one-and-one. Miller pulled down the rebound, and after a pair of timeouts and a pair of Western Oregon fouls in the three seconds that followed (WOU had fouls to give), the Wildcats had a turnover and subsequent foul on its potential game-winning possession. Matt Schmidt then made two free throws to extend the final margin to three.

Central nearly overcame 15 turnovers and a 34-23 first-half disadvantage in rebounding. The Wildcats shot 44.3 percent for the game but made just 3 of 16 from three-point range and were nearly doubled at the free throw line where they had just 13 attempts to the Wolves' 23.

Sprinker (10 of 15), Tyler (8 of 13), and junior Coby Gibler (Bainbridge Island/Bainbridge HS; 2 of 2) were the only players on either team to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor in the contest. The Wildcats also finished the game with 11 blocked shots -- the team's highest single-game total since blocking 13 Saint Martin's shots on Feb. 14, 2004.

Western Oregon's best shooter by percentage -- Rico Myles -- was 6 of 13 but finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds and was one of six Wolves to score in double figures. Wheadon finished as the top scorer for WOU with 18 points.

Central Washington will continue its three-game road trip with a visit to the Alaska schools next Thursday (Feb. 11) and Saturday (Feb. 13), visiting Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage, respectively.