Box Score

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 19) -- Junior Mark McLaughlin (Bothell/Inglemoor HS) scored a game-high 22 points, and the Central Washington University men's basketball team shot a season-best 52.3 percent from the field in an 87-80, come-from-behind victory over the University of West Florida at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic late Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

The Wildcats will head into the holiday break with a 7-3 record, splitting their two games in Las Vegas. CWU had lost to Central Oklahoma, 86-84, on Tuesday night. West Florida fell to 6-4 on the season with Wednesday's loss.

CWU trailed for most of the first half, aside from five ties and a pair of brief two-point leads. Despite shooting nearly 52 percent in the opening period, the Wildcats trailed 44-42 at halftime. They scored the first four points of the second half, and were ahead by as many as four within the first 3 1/2 minutes of the period, before a 6-0 Argonaut run that saw UWF take a 56-52 lead. Each time the Wildcats would fall behind, though, they would rally to tie the score, as there were eight more tie scores within the first 11 1/2 minutes of the second period.

West Florida took its final lead on a free throw with 8:05 remaining before a jumper by junior Nate Walker (Tacoma/Henry Foss HS) at the 7:13 mark jumpstarted an 8-0 run -- as part of an overall 15-8 game-ending spurt by the Wildcats -- that enabled CWU to take the lead for good.

McLaughlin was steady offensively for the Wildcats, tallying 11 points in each half and finishing as the team's only double-digit scorer with the 22 counters. His 10-for-17 efficiency from the field was his second-best single-game percentage (58.8) of the season and helped spark a CWU offense that made 34 of its 65 attempts for the game.

All 10 Wildcat players scored at least four points, with at least two made field goals apiece. Walker, who had a game-high eight rebounds, as well as seniors Jordan Coby (Tacoma/Woodrow Wilson HS) and Jordan Starr (Yakima/A.C. Davis HS), all scored nine points, while junior Chris Holmes (Seattle/Franklin HS) finished with eight.

As part of its offensive efficiency in the victory, CWU made 8 of 18 three-point shots (44.4 percent) and committed just nine turnovers. The Wildcats also capitalized on second-chance opportunities, outscoring the Argonauts by a 14-7 count in second-chance points.

Ellis Young III scored a team-high 20 points for UWF, while four others scored 10 or more in the losing effort.

CWU will break for the holidays, returning to action on Jan. 3, 2013, against the University of Alaska Fairbanks at Nicholson Pavilion.