Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Feb.12) -- Central Washington University senior Jamar Berry (Tacoma/Franklin Pierce HS) scored a game-high 24 points, leading the 10th-ranked men's basketball team to a 84-72 win over Montana State University Billings on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The win, Central's 11th straight, improved the Wildcats' record to 20-2 overall and 13-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. CWU also trimmed its magic number for the league's number one seed for the conference tournament to two with four games remaining. Montana State Billings fell to 5-17 overall and 3-12 in the GNAC with its fourth straight loss.

Berry was 8 of 12 from the field, 3 of 4 from three-point territory, in eclipsing the 20-point scoring plateau for the fifth time this year. He added five rebounds and four assists.

The Wildcats built a 39-31 halftime lead, due in large part to the seven three-pointers Central made in the opening period. Central was a staggering 7 of 10 from behind the arc in the opening period, while the Yellowjackets made just 2 of 10. CWU also forced seven turnovers in the first half, which the Wildcats converted into 14 points, and the home team also benefited from scoring runs of 11 and eight points in the period.

Central quickly built a 12-point lead just 1:59 into the second half. MSU Billings cut the Wildcat lead to three on a free throw by Emery Henning, but Central responded with eight points in a 45-second span on back-to-back three-pointers by senior Humberto Perez (Yakima/A.C. Davis HS) and junior Jody Johnson (Seattle/Franklin HS), plus a layup by senior Chris Scott (Las Vegas, Nev./Bonanza HS) following the steal of an inbounds pass. The eight-point flurry was part of a 15-0 Wildcat run. CWU led by double figures for the majority of the half, finishing with the final 12-point victory.

Montana State Billings outshot CWU, 57.4 to 54.2 percent, and outrebounded the Wildcats by a 33-21 margin. However, Central made up the disparity in the shooting and rebounding departments by tying a season-high with 12 three-pointers made. Berry, Perez, and Scott all contributed three treys on the evening, while senior Drew Harris (Yakima/Eisenhower HS) was a perfect 2 for 2.

Central Washington forced 14 MSUB turnovers, with nine steals on the night.

The Wildcats got an offensive boost from their bench once again, with Scott and Johnson adding 15 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Chris Sprinker (Tacoma/Curtis HS) added 13 points, while Harris contributed eight points and five assists.

Five Yellowjackets scored in double figures, led by Jaxon Myaer with 13 points and six assists. Henning added 12, and Tyler Barnes had 11 on 5 of 8 shooting.

The Wildcats, who secured the fourth 20-win season in head coach Greg Sparling's 16-year tenure at CWU, will next travel to Bellingham to take on rival and second-place Western Washington next Wednesday (Feb. 16) in a regionally-televised game on FSN Northwest. Central's next home game is Feb. 22 versus Saint Martin's.