ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 5) — After leading by as many as 10 points in the contest, the Central Washington University men's basketball team found itself down by 10 to visiting Western Oregon University (WOU) with just 1:08 left in the game.
 
Terry Dawn hit a three-point shot with 52 seconds left and Gary Jacobs completed a three-point play that pulled the Wildcats to within five. But they never got closer in a 78-71 loss Thursday to WOU in Nicholson Pavilion.
 
CWU led by seven at halftime 38-31, but Central head coach Greg Sparling said too many turnovers and not enough rebounds by his Wildcats were the biggest differences between the first and second halves. 
 
"We turned over the ball and they went on a run," he added.  "There's a reason that team [WOU] is 19-3—they're a good club.  They've got good experience and they've got guys who know how to play."
 
WOU outscored Central 47-33 in the second half and outrebounded the Wildcats 40-33 on the night.  Central also connected on just nine of 22 free throws attempts in the game. 
 
The loss offset a 30-point performance by CWU senior guard Dom Williams. He hit on five for eight shots from three-point distance in the first half alone while scoring 19 of his points in that period.
 
"He was feeling it definitely," Sparling said. "But, at the end of the day, we got to get some post-scoring and the paint touches. Dom had a good game in the paint."
 
In discussing the loss, Williams explained, "Honestly, I think we beat ourselves. We'd have a five-point lead and we'd turn the ball over. I feel like we've just got to get better on ball control and keep that lead going and we'll be fine."
 
Junior forward Joseph Stroud scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds and five blocked shots in the game.  
 
"Everybody just got stagnant," he commented. "That's what it was."
 
With the loss, CWU dropped to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Next up for the Wildcats is a home game Saturday against Saint Martin's. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. in Nicholson Pavilion.
 
Williams added, "It hurts, every game we lose hurts so we just got to learn from it and get better."
 
Saturday will also be Hawaiian Night, as all Wildcat fans are encouraged to come dressed in their aloha wear.