SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Nov. 10) – Gamaun Boykin drained a three as time expired in regulation, forcing overtime, but Central Washington University (1-1, 0-0) fell to Cal State San Bernardino (2-0), 87-83.
San Bernardino opened the game with a 7-2 run, but a three from Jeryn Lucas narrowed the early advantage back to two. The Wildcats took their first lead of the contest with 15:09 showing on the clock with a jumper from Lucas, 10-9.
Momentum seesawed between the benches, as both teams fought to gain a foothold. The bucket exchange continued through much of the first half with the score becoming tied, or the lead changing hands, over 10 times.
"Momentum was tough to grab a hold of in this game," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "I am very interested to see ho San Bernardino's season goes. I feel like they are a really good team and we had our chances to steal a win on their court. They seemed to be able to counter any run we made the whole night. I thought are defense was good except for our rebounding. They are a huge team and it was a constant struggle to keep them off the glass."
With 6:20 left to play in the first half, Malik Montoya knocked down a trey to bring the Wildcats within one, 27-26. After a three from the Coyotes, Malcolm Cola drove the lane for a bucket, but then added another layup just 30 seconds after to level the score at 30-30.
Cola finished with a team-high 21 points, 13 of which came in the first half. He went 1-for-1 from the free throw line and 10-for-17 from the field overall.
"This weekend was a good step for Malcolm," Rinta added. "I thought I saw him getting more comfortable this past week in practice and it definitely showed in these games. In reality we had a lot of guys give us great minutes tonight."
With neither team being able to find consistent momentum, the Wildcats went into the half trailing, 43-37.
The second half was much the same, but this time in favor of Central Washington. The Wildcats went 9-for-9 from the charity stripe and knocked down five threes in the second stanza.
The Coyotes clung to their lead early in the second half, keeping the Wildcats at bay for nearly the first eight minutes. The Crimson and Black chipped away at the Coyotes' lead, bringing the score level with 12:11 to play with a free throw from Nygil Carr, 56-56.
A pair of free throws from Hayden Nelson gave the Wildcats their first lead of the half at 58-56. After a CSUSB bucket tied the game, Nelson came up with a tip-in to regain the lead. Carr then drained a three for a 63-58 advantage.
With just 7:40 left in regulation, the Coyotes tied the score at 63-63 on a layup from Dante Williams.
A three from Montoya gave Central a slim 66-63 lead, but Garrett Baggett converted a layup to shrink the 'Cats lead to one. The Coyotes made consecutive shots to gain a slim edge, 69-66.
With just 1:28 left in regulation the Wildcats trailed by four, 75-71. Jackson Price knocked down a trey to cut the deficit to one, 75-74. The Coyotes looked to put the game out of reach and Malik Rhodes knocked down a pair of free throws, putting the Coyotes ahead 77-74 with just 16 seconds to play.
As time expired in regulation, Boykin's three leveled the score at 77-77 and forced five minutes of extra play.
The Crimson and Black nabbed the first lead of the overtime period, but a pair of free throws from San Bernardino leveled the score line again before Daytone Jennings knocked down a jumper for an 81-79 lead. Moments later, a layup from Cola brought CWU within one at 82-81. The Coyotes responded with a jumper of their own tp edge their lead to 84-81. Undeterred, Cola took a pass from Poquette and brought the Wildcats within one at 84-83. Another jumper from Jennings, and a free throw from Rhodes, put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats' reserves chipped in 22 points, while CWU held San Bernardino's bench to just 13 points. The Coyotes took the rebounding edge, 54-41.
Central Washington heads to Seattle, Washington next weekend for a pair of games against Azusa Pacific and Westminster College.
