Game notes

ELLLENSBURG, Wash. (Dec. 30) — The Central Washington University men's basketball team enters 2015 tied atop the leader board in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings. CWU won its first two conference games and seven of nine the nine contests the Wildcats have played so far this year.
 
On a five-game winning streak, Central resumes GNAC action Saturday at home against Northwest Nazarene University (3-9, 1-1 GNAC). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Nicholson Pavilion. Because they reopen league play against their travel partner, the Wildcats will not have to play Thursday, as will the other eight GNAC teams.
 
"It's absolutely huge," said CWU head coach Greg Sparling of the additional time off. "The teams that have to travel, that's a challenge. Playing at home opening weekend, that's going to be a benefit for us. The two extra days in our own beds and on our own floor are really going to be beneficial."
 
As CWU starts the first of 16 consecutive regular season games against conference opponents, the Wildcats top the GNAC in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on just 40.4 percent of their shots from the floor on the season.
 
Individually, CWU forward Terry Dawn (So., Arlington) leads the conference in three-point field goal accuracy, hitting 46.7 percent of his long-distance shots, while, at 2.4 per makes per game on average, guard Jordan Russell (Jr., Tacoma) is seventh in three-pointers made.
 
Forward Joseph Stroud (Jr., Seattle) is also No. 1 in the GNAC in field goal accuracy at 68.0 percent. In addition, he is averaging three blocked shots per game, which is second in the conference. Dawn is ninth in the GNAC in that category, blocking 0.8 shots per outing. Guard Joey Roppo (Jr., Monroe), who is hitting at an 89.3 percent clip, is second in the conference in free throw accuracy.
 
The Crusaders come to Ellensburg led by a top-quality returner in senior center Kevin Rima, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to CWU in Nicholson Pavilion two years ago. Rima earned honorable mention GNAC honors last season.
 
"He's a load inside, without a doubt, and he just keeps getting better as the years go on," said Sparling of Rima, who the CWU coach expects will be named a conference player again at season's end. "He's on a team that he's going to try to carry into the GNAC playoffs.
 
Rima's sister, Melissa, is in her first year as an assistant coach with the CWU women's team.
 
Last year in Nicholson Pavilion, the Wildcats came away with an 86-66 victory over NNU. It was CWU's ninth home-court victory in its last 11 Ellensburg meetings with the Crusaders. As a team in that game, the Wildcats connected on what came in as a season second best 59.6 percent field-goal shooting, including hitting on 10 of 20 three pointers. 
 
The series between the teams dates back to 1939, when the Wildcats hosted—and defeated—the Crusaders 42-28. The "series" then went on hiatus for 24 seasons before the next game was played in Nampa, Idaho, which was again won by Central Washington College of Education. All time, CWU has won 30 of the previous 41 meetings, including 13 of the 17 played in Ellensburg.
 
Following Saturday's action, the Wildcats will make their first conference road trip of the season, playing at Saint Martin's University on Thursday and at Western Oregon University (WOU) on Saturday. 
 
The Wildcats and WOU Wolves are among the three GNAC teams ranked in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) West Region Media Poll. CWU moved up one spot to No. 8, while WOU remained fourth. Seattle Pacific was the other conference school listed, at ninth.
 
"It's nice to always get a pat on the back," acknowledged Sparling of the ranking. "But it's a long grind of a season and we've got to keep getting better. We want to be chased instead of us being the chaser and that's something we've been talking about—stay on top and make people chase us. With those accolades, and being 7-2, the bull's eye keeps growing on [our] back."
 
D2SIDA is sponsoring unofficial regional and national basketball polls for the first time this season, which are developed by panels comprised of sports information directors from across the country.