Men's Basketball | 12/28/2016 6:24:00 AM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Dec. 28) – With eight games under their belt, and a 6-2 record, the Central Washington University men's basketball team aims to continue their early success in the 2016-17 campaign.
 
The Wildcats have won their last two games and three of their last four.  They split the opening weekend of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play against the Alaskas.
 
Dec. 17 was the last time out for Central Washington, when the Crimson and Black rolled to a 100-63 victory over Langara College in front of a hometown crowd.  The Wildcats head out on the road this week to take on Western Oregon on Thursday (Dec. 29) and Concordia (Ore.) on Saturday (Dec. 31.)
 
Western Oregon enters the week with a 4-6 record, including a 1-1 mark in GNAC play, after splitting the opening weekend of conference play.  The Wolves last game came against Azusa Pacific on Dec. 16 that culminated in a 71-82 loss for Western Oregon.
 
Last season the Wolves finished 31-4 and split the season series against the Wildcats, recording a 85-68 victory in Monmouth.
 
The Wolves are averaging 71.9 points this season, while opponents are averaging 75 points per game.  Nearly a third of the Wolves' offense comes from beyond the arc.  They average 27.6 threes a game and convert on roughly one-third of their attempts.
 
Demetrius Trammell leads the barrage from three-point land, knocking down shots at a clip of 41.7 percent.  Trammell, however, is fifth in scoring averaging 6.8 points per game.  Ali Farug-Bey and Tanner Omlid lead the Wolves' offense, averaging 12.6 and 12.5 points, respectively.
 
Omlid not only contributes at a high rate on offense, but also leads Western Oregon in rebounding.  The six-foot-three junior pulls in an average of seven rebounds every night out.  He also dishes out a team high 4.2 assists per game and leads the Wolves in steals (34) and blocks (19).
 
Concordia sits at 5-4 overall as the Cavaliers have won three straight games and four of their last five.  Within the streak, Concordia has eclipsed the century mark three times.  The lone loss came to Western Oregon on Nov. 29 in an 80-70 affair.
 
Despite the high scoring as of late, the Cavaliers are averaging 82.9 points per game.  A pair of losses to UC San Diego and San Francisco State blemish the offense's record, as Concordia failed to score more than 65 in each contest.
 
Drew Martin leads the Cavaliers in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game, while Christopher Edward (14.4) and Latrell Wilson (12.7) also contribute in the double digits.   Edward (8.7) and Martin (7.4) occupy the top two spots in the Cav's rebounding efforts.
 
For the Wildcats, Dom Hunter has been on proverbial fire as of late.  The senior from Federal Way has racked up the points, averaging 28.6 points per game.  The Wildcats are averaging 92.7 points a game as a whole.  He is connecting on nearly half of his shots from beyond the arc, contributing 108 of his 229 points from three-point land.  At the charity stripe, Hunter is dialed in and has made 95.2 percent of his free throws thus far.  Hunter also leads the Wildcats in assists, opening up teammates three times a game.
 
On the glass, Fuquan Niles leads the Wildcats with 49 rebounds, while averaging 6.1 per game.  Central Washington is averaging 36.8 rebounds per game.
 
Thursday's (Dec. 29) game against Western Oregon is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m., while Saturday's (Dec. 31) action begins at 3 p.m.  Live stats and video are available, HERE.