MONMOUTH, Ore. (Jan. 10) — In a hard-fought, high-paced game that featured 17 ties, the Central Washington University men's basketball team (8-4, 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) fell at Western Oregon University (13-3 5-1 GNAC) 78-74 on Saturday.
 
"Our guys came out and gave a heck of an effort," said CWU head coach Greg Sparling. "They played hard and executed the game plan well.  We had our chances, but we just came up a little bit short on the scoreboard."
 
Sparling credited excellent ball movement and unselfish play for allowing the Wildcats to hit on 51.9 percent of their shots from the field. CWU started hot, hitting on 56 percent of their shots in the first half and led by eight points with 3:33 left in the opening period.
 
But WOU scored the final seven points of the half to trail by just one at intermission. The Wolves pulled out to what would be their biggest lead of the night, of just four points, with 16:07 left, but then saw CWU storm back to regain the lead less than two minutes later, in a run that featured consecutive three-pointers by Terry Dawn. The final 14 minutes of the game saw eight ties, as neither team was able to get ahead by more than three points.
 
"We had some costly turnovers down the stretch," Sparling pointed out. "And I thought their big fella [forward Andy Avgi] did a great job. He got to the free throw line and he also made some big baskets."
 
Avgi led all scorers with 23 points, including six points that came in the final three minutes. Guard Julian Nichols, who was scoreless from the field, hit on seven on eight free throws, three of which came in the final 13 seconds, and helped secure the win for the Wolves. WOU actually outscored CWU from the charity stripe overall 24-10.
 
Avgi was one of three WOU players to score in double figures. His frontcourt running mate, forward Lewis Thomas scored nine points and grabbed a game high 12 rebounds. Overall, Western Oregon outrebounded CWU 31-24, which included a 10-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
CWU was led by the 17 points of Joseph Stroud, who connected on all seven of his shots from the field. Dawn added 12 points off the bench, while Dom Williams added 11, but only hit on 3-10 field goal tried, including 2-7 on three-point shots. Stroud and Jordan Russell led CWU with five rebounds.
 
Next up for the Wildcats is a home meeting with archrival Western Washington University Wednesday (Jan. 14) at 8 p.m., which will be aired throughout the Pacific Northwest on ROOT SPORTS. It will also be "60s Night," as Wildcat fans are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite 1960s-era garb. In addition, the first 500 fans through the door will receive a complimentary, commemorative tie-dye t-shirt. Grammy-award winner Wanz will sing the national anthem before the game.