SEASIDE, Calif. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team held off a second half Cal State Monterey Bay comeback to defeat the Otters 93-87 Saturday night in its final game of the CCAA/GNAC Crossover.
 
The Wildcats are now 2-0 on the season while the Otters fall to 0-2 on the season.
 
Dom Hunter led the Wildcats in scoring for the second consecutive night, pouring in 24 points while grabbing seven rebounds in 32 minutes of work.  Naim Ladd added 16 points on 4 of 11 shooting and Fuquan Niles scored 12 on 4 of 5 shooting.
 
"Dom draws a lot of attention from defenders because he can hit the long ball and get to the rim," CWU Head Coach Greg Sparling said.  "He also did a great job of knocking down free throws, grabbing rebounds and finding other guys as they get open.  He played extremely well this weekend and we hope he can keep this going as the season progresses."

Central was scorching hot in the first half where they shot 56.3-percent from the field, making 18 of 32 shots, including 9 of 14 from behind the arc.   The CWU defense held the otters to 39.3-percent from the field and helped the Wildcats to a 56-40 halftime advantage.
 
"I thought we moved the ball well, had good energy and took good shots in the first half," Sparling added.  "We had a lot more of that in the first than the second, and we really needed it tonight with the run CSUMB went on to end the game."
 
The Wildcats led 81-67 with 6:25 left in the second half, before CSUMB went on a 11-2 run to pull to within five points.  The Otters got to as close as three points, but late game free throws by hunter and a layup by Sage Woodruff helped the Wildcats secure the 93-87 victory.
 
"CSUMB started making shots and getting to the line, it was much different than the first half," Sparling said.  "They made some good adjustments throughout the half and made it difficult on us.  We have to find a way to keep our energy consistent and remember to take good shots and take care of the basketball for a full 40 minutes."
 
Monterey Bay had four players score in double figures, led by Jahvon Johnson who had 17 points, 12 of which came from the charity stripe.  Kevin Warren added 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting.
 
The Wildcats return to action this coming week when they play Washington State in an exhibition in Kennewick on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. followed by matchups with Dixie State and Minnesota State Mankato on Nov. 18 and 19 at 2 and 12:30 p.m., respectively.