Box Score ELLENSBURG, WA (Jan. 25) -- Central Washington University senior MARK MCLAUGHLIN (Inglemoor HS) eclipsed 40 points for the second-consecutive game as he finished with an even 40 points as the Wildcats defeat Simon Fraser University 96-79 Saturday night in Nicholson Pavilion.

McLaughlin might have played his most impressive game as a Wildcat as he shot a remarkable 73.6 percent from the field making 14 of his 19 shots, and became the first player in Central Washington University history to record back-to-back 40 point games.

The Wildcats improve to 9-8 on the season and 5-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition.

Central Washington took a comfortable 50-35 lead going into halftime.  McLaughlin scored 25 of his points in the opening frame making all but one of his 10 shots in the half.  As a team the wildcats shot a scorching 65.5 percent (19 of 29) from the field.

The Clan came out firing in the second half as they cut the Wildcat lead to just six-points with over 12 minutes left in the game.  The Clan got to within one-point but a couple of old fashioned three-point plays by JB Pillard (Juanita HS) gave the Wildcats a 72-66 lead with over eight minutes left.  That was closely followed by another basket by Pillard and a long three-pointer by McLaughlin to give the Wildcats a hefty 77-66 lead.

The Wildcats continued to pour in points as they ended up with the final 96-79 advantage.  Pillard played a big role in the Wildcat offensive onslaught as he scored 21 points on just 9 of 11 shooting and hauled down six rebounds. 

Simon Fraser got 22 points from both Sango Niang and David Gebru who combined to shoot 15 of 28 from the field.

Central Washington will get a week off as they next play a home game against Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 1 at 7 P.M. in Nicholson Pavilion.