Box Score
ELLENSBURG (Nov. 26) -- Junior
Mark McLaughlin (Bothell/Inglemoor HS) scored 19 points, leading five Central Washington University men's basketball players in double figures as the Wildcats defeated visiting Walla Walla University, 92-74, in their 2012-13 home opener on Monday night at Nicholson Pavilion.
CWU improved to 4-1 on the season with its fourth consecutive win. Walla Walla, which competes as a dual member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) fell to 0-13 on the year.
The game was the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools -- all of which have been played at Nicholson Pavilion within the past 36 months. CWU had reached the century mark in each of the three previous meetings, and was actually held nearly three points below its 2012-13 season scoring average in Monday's contest.
Monday's contest was never in doubt, as CWU did not trail in the game, but Walla Walla did keep things close in the first half. The Wolves had closed to within one on two occasions in the first seven minutes, and trailed by just three with 8:59 to go before halftime, before the Wildcats went on a 25-9 run over the next 6 1/2 minutes to take a 19-point lead. CWU led 49-35 at halftime after shooting an even 50 percent (20 of 40) in the opening period.
The lead stayed in the teens for the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half before a jumper by senior
Brandon Magee (Spanaway/Bethel HS) at the 12:16 mark gave CWU its first 20-point lead of the night. The Wildcats pushed the margin to 30 at one point, although a 16-3 run by Walla Walla closed the Wolves' deficit to 17. The CWU lead then wavered between 17 and 22 for the duration of the contest.
McLaughlin scored his 19 points on 8 of 15 field-goal shooting. He also added six rebounds and was one of four Wildcats with six or more boards in the contest as CWU finished with a 53-47 edge on the glass. Magee had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, while junior
Nate Walker (Tacoma/Henry Foss HS) had eight points and 10 rebounds. Senior
Jordan Coby (Tacoma/Woodrow Wilson HS) finished as the Wildcats' second-leading scorer in the game with 16 points, including 4 of 8 from three-point range, while Magee, junior
Chris Holmes (Seattle/Franklin HS), and junior
Dom Williams (University Place/Curtis HS) scored 10 apiece. Nine of the Wildcats' 10 players in the contest scored at least six points.
Walla Walla saw two of its players reach double figures, including a game-high 25 points from Tristan Greenidge. The junior guard made five of the Wolves' eight three-pointers in the game and added seven rebounds. Freshman center Miguel Martinez totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds.
CWU will next open up Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a pair of road games this weekend, beginning with a Thursday (Nov. 29) match-up at Saint Martin's University in Lacey (7 p.m.). The Wildcats then visit Western Oregon University on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1, 2 p.m.) before taking a break for final exams. The team's next home game is Dec. 11 versus The Evergreen State College.
