Box Score

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 16) -- Central Washington University junior Brandon Magee (Spanaway/Bethel HS) scored a season-high 20 points, as the Wildcat men's basketball team upset tenth-ranked Rollins College (Fla.), 88-80, in the final game of the 2011 Great Western Shootout at the Arena at South Point in Las Vegas on Friday.

The Wildcats rebounded from their third loss of the season, improving to 7-3 overall with Friday's victory. The loss was the second straight for Rollins (7-2), which also lost its opening game of the Great Western Shootout to tournament host Western Washington.

Magee failed to score in the Wildcats' opening game in Las Vegas, but made a mends by hitting on 5 of 9 of his field-goal attempts including 2 of 3 from three-point territory, and he was 8 of 9 from the free throw line.

The Wildcats jumped out to an early 8-2 lead on consecutive three-pointers by junior Jordan Coby (Tacoma/Wilson HS) and senior Toussaint Tyler (Kent/Kentwood HS), and a jumper by sophomore Kevin Davis (Federal Way/Todd Beamer HS). The Wildcats led for the majority of the first half, with their largest advantage reaching nine points, but they relinquished the lead with less than five minutes left in the opening period. A late three-pointer by sophomore Lacy Haddock (Las Vegas, Nev./Sierra Vista HS) and two free throws by sophomore Philipp Lieser (Berlin, Germany/Hainberg Gymnasium Gottingen) allowed Central take a 37-36 lead at the intermission.

Central Washington built a seven-point lead midway through the second half, but the Tars again battled to get to within one point with just under nine minutes left. However, junior Trey Gross (Stockton, Calif./Edison HS) and Magee teamed up to score 11 points over an 80-second span to help the Wildcats build a nine-point advantage with 6:25 left in the contest, providing enough cushion for CWU to hold on for the 88-80 victory.

The Wildcats had a narrow edge in shooting as they shot 46.0 percent from the field (29 of 63) while the Tars were 45.9 percent (28 of 61). Thirteen of the Wildcat field goals came from behind the arc, which tied a season-high in that department. Coby had five of the CWU three-pointers on the evening, accounting for all 15 of his points in the game.

Haddock added 13 points, 10 of which were scored in the pivotal second half, including five in the final 2:24 seconds of the game. Davis, who was an all-tournament team selection, scored all 12 of his points in the first half and added six rebounds and three blocks while battling foul trouble for most of the second half. Senior Jody Johnson (Seattle/Franklin HS) scored just six points but hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Tars used a steady dose of center Chris Malcolm and guard Jeremy Sharpe to power their offense, as the duo combined to score 46 of Rollins' points with Malcolm scoring a game-high 28 points on 11 of 15 shooting. Rollins got just six points from its bench, while the Central reserves accounted for 43 counters.

Central Washington will enjoy 12 days off between games, as they next travel to Alaska for match-ups against Alaska Anchorage (Thursday, Dec. 29) and Alaska Fairbanks (Saturday, Dec. 31).