Game notes

LAIE, Hawaii (Nov. 20) — Coming off two wins, that propelled the team into the season's first unofficial West Regional rankings, the Central Washington University men's basketball team is in Hawaii for the annual GNAC/PacWest Challenge. The two-day tournament, Friday and Saturday, also includes the host BYU-Hawaii (BYUH); Hawaii Pacific University (HPU); and Seattle Pacific University.
 
Last weekend, at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic, at Seattle Pacific, the Wildcats beat the University of Minnesota, Crookston 65-52 and followed that with a 70-68 win over the Academy of Art. With those victories, CWU was tied for eighth in the region in the unofficial D2SIDA rankings. D2SIDA is a first-year poll developed by sports information directors from around the region and nation.
 
The Wildcats tangled with both the BYUH Seasiders and HPU Sharks in last year's GNAC/PacWest Challenge, host by CWU in Nicholson Pavilion, beating the former 100-93 but losing to the latter 71-64.
 
At this year's tourney, as BYUH goes into their first game of the season against the Wildcats, the Seasiders are tied for seventh in the first regional rankings. The team's top returner is junior guard Scott Friel, who ranked eight in the PacWest in rebounds (7.0), ninth in steals (1.3), and 22nd in assists (2.3). Friel also shot 54 percent percent from the field, while averaging 11.9 points per game.
 
Also returning to the Seasiders' backcourt is guard Pablo Coro, a dangerous three-point shooter, who connected on 44 percent of his long-rang shots, hitting on 62 of 141 last year. Coro had eight games with a least four makes from downtown during 2013-14 and averaged 12.2 points per game. Both players were named to the 2014 All-PacWest men's basketball team.
 
"They are big," Sparling said of the Seasiders, who have five players 6'6" or taller on their roster. Sparling notes that the Seasiders are now also implementing a match-up zone defense, which is a change from recent years.
 
"I think where this game will be won is on the defensive end," he added.
 
Senior guard Justin Long, who was named to the 2014-15 Preseason PacWest Men's Basketball Team, leads Hawaii Pacific. He was first-team All-PacWest last year. Long averaged 18.5 points per game, connected on 91.5 percent from the free throw line and 45.2 percent from three-point range last season. Sparling expects a high scoring affair in the game with the Sharks.
 
"It's going to be a quick turnaround to get ready for HPU," he noted. "They're playing an up-tempo style of game, they're trying to put a lot of points on the board. It looks like they're trying to shoot some three-pointers and get up into you defensively."
 
Sparling summed the tournament up succinctly, saying, "It's a lot of travel [but] we've just got to take care of business."
 
All-time, CWU has seven of 16 meetings with BYUH and nine of 14 contests against HPU. After the tournament, the Wildcats will return home to take on Walla Walla University Saturday, November 29, at 7 p.m. in Nicholson Pavilion.