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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 22) -- Senior JB Pillard III (Kirkland/Juanita HS) scored a career-high 29 points, but the Central Washington University men's basketball team came out on the short end of a see-saw battle with the University of West Florida, 77-73, on Sunday morning at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.

The Wildcats finished the tournament with an 0-2 record and will head into the 2014 calendar year with a 4-6 overall record. West Florida picked up its first win of the season, moving to 1-7.

Pillard, a transfer from Northwest Nazarene University, made 10 of 14 field goals and was 8 of 10 at the free throw line on the day. He finished one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down a team-high nine boards.

"JB played hard and did a nice job, made shots, and rebounded well for us," CWU head coach Greg Sparling said.

Three other Wildcats -- sophomore Jordan Russell (Tacoma/Lincoln HS), senior Mark McLaughlin (Bothell/Inglemoor HS), and junior Julian Vaughn (Tacoma/Curtis HS) -- also reached double figures with 15, 12, and 10 points, respectively.

McLaughlin, the third-leading scorer in the NCAA Division II, was held to a season-low in the scoring column after making just 4 of 19 from the floor.

The game saw seven ties and 15 lead changes, and it was the Wildcats who held the greatest lead of the contest at nine in the second half. UWF went on a 14-4 run over the next eight minutes to regain the lead at 69-68, and the Argonauts led the rest of the way with the exception of a brief one-point CWU lead. West Florida ultimately finished the game on a 22-9 run over the final 11:10.

"We came out flat and dug ourselves an early hole," Sparling explained. "Then we were able to build a lead in the second half, but then we made some crucial turnovers down the stretch."

Russell posted his first double-digit scoring game of the season, surpassing his previous single-game high of nine points. He made 7 of 17 shots in Sunday's defeat, adding four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes off the bench.

CWU committed just 10 turnovers for the second consecutive game, and forced West Florida into 16 miscues. UWF finished with a 39-36 edge in rebounding, led by a game-high 11 rebounds from Nate Johnson, and the Argonauts shot 51.8 percent for the contest. The Wildcats were at just 40.3 percent, including just 3 of 21 from three-point range.

Four West Florida players finished in double figures, led by Johnson and Ellis Young with 18 apiece. Terrence Townes and Mario Stramaglia scored 16 each.

The Wildcats will return to action on Jan. 4, 2014, as they return to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play for the duration of the regular season. CWU visits Northwest Nazarene before its next home game on Jan. 9 against Saint Martin's University.