Men's Basketball | 1/26/2017 11:04:00 AM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- The Central Washington men's basketball team will look to keep hold of its second-place position within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this week when they play host to Concordia University of Portland and Western Oregon University on Jan. 26 and 28, respectively.
 
 
The Wildcats come into the week with a 12-4 record, and a 7-3 mark within the GNAC.  Western Oregon, who defeated CWU earlier this year, is 9-9, 6-4 GNAC, while Concordia sits at 7-10, 3-7 GNAC.
 
Both WOU and CU split their games last week with both teams picking up a win over Alaska, and losing to Alaska Anchorage.
 
Western Oregon, the reigning GNAC champs, have lost two of its last three games after ripping off a three-game winning streak against Seattle Pacific, Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser.
 
The Wolves offense ranks 10^th in the GNAC, scoring 74.9 points per game.  However, they rank third in scoring defense, allowing just 72.7 points per contest.  WOU is led by the duo of Tanner Omlid and Ali Faruq-Bey who score 14.6 and 13.6 points, respectively.
 
Concordia, who averages 79.2 points per game, has three players who score in double-figures, led by Drew Martin at 17.1.  Chris Edwards adds 13.6 points per game and brings down a team-high 8.4 rebounds per contest.
 
The Wildcats and Cavaliers have squared off four times since the two teams first met in 2207, and CWU is victorious in all games.  CWU and Concordia have played just once in Nicholson Pavilion with the Wildcats taking an 85-80 win last January.
 
Despite losing five of the last six matchups with Western Oregon, the Wildcats hold a commanding 44-15 all-time record, including a 26-4 record at home.  Last year, the Wildcats knocked off top-ranked WOU in Ellensburg by a score of 81-77, but the Wolves won game two in Monmouth, and handed CWU a 77-98 loss in Oregon earlier this year.
 
Good news for the Wildcats is that they have only suffered back-to-back losses just three times in the last three seasons.  Coming off their heartbreaking loss to Western Washington University this past Saturday, the Wildcats will be hungry to bet back in the win column.
 
RED HOT STEPNEY
In the past seven games, which included a six-game win streak, Jawan Stepney is showing opponents exactly why he was a must get acquisition for the Wildcats.  He is averaging 17.0 points per game in that span, shooting 55.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and leads the team with eight steals in the last seven games.  Stepney eclipsed wo points three times with a pair of 23 point performances.
 
RELENTLESS RODGERS
Marc Rodgers is having his best season to date, and although it may not be reflected in his overall stats, but it is his defense that makes the biggest impact.  Rodgers is matched up with the opposing team's best scorer and Rodgers has embraced his role and according to coach Sparling, he is one of the best on-ball defenders he has had in a long time.
 
NATIONAL STATS UPDATE:
Dom hunter enters this week ranked third in NCAA Division II in scoring at 25.7 points per game.  He has scored 20 or more points in all but two games this season, and score 30 or more points on five different occasions.
 
Fuquan Niles is rejecting 3.25 shots per game, ranking fifth nationally.  He has recorded at least one block in 15 of the Wildcats 16 games this year and has swatted three or more shot attempts in 11 games.
 
As a team, the Wildcats rank 13^th in scoring and 10^th in three-pointers made per game at 11.1.