ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Dec. 18) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (6-4) closed out 2018 with a 95-80 victory over the University of Puget Sound (4-6).
 
Five Wildcats finished with double-digit points, led by Malcolm Cola's 18.  Gamaun Boykin (16), Malik Montoya (16), Zellie Hudson (13), and Naim Ladd (10) each picked up at least 10 points each.  Cola also led the Wildcats in rebounds, pulling in nine boards. 
 
The Loggers took an early lead, 18-16, with 13:19 to play in the first half.  The Wildcats kept them close, keeping the deficit within six for the majority of the first half.  Trailing 41-37, Zellie Hudson knocked down a pair of free throws for a 41-39 score line.
 
 A three from Montoya with 2:11 to play in the opening stanza gave the Wildcats a 42-41 advantage.  A pair of free throws from Boykin shortly after made it 44-41 in favor of the Crimson and Black.  The first half finished squared away, 46-46, after quick possessions from both Central and Puget Sound.
 
"We guarded the three-point line a whole lot better," CWU head coach Brandon Rinta said of his team's effort in the second half. "One of the keys coming into the game was guarding the three-point line and we did not do a good job of that in the first half. They made us pay and shot nearly 60 percent from the three-point line. We did a much better job of guarding that in the second half." 
 
The Loggers finished the first 20 minutes shooting 8-for-15 from beyond the arc and 17-for-28 from the floor. 
 
The second half saw a role reversal.  The Wildcats held the Loggers to a 43.8 shooting percentage in the second stanza, while knocking down 57.7 percent of their own shots. 
 
"I thought we adjusted in the second half and were able to pick it up defensively," Rinta said. "We were able to get the ball inside and rebound it better in the second half. We have to get better defensively. We have to be able to take team's strengths away. We were able to do that for 20 minutes tonight and luckily it was enough to get the win." 
 
Puget Sound finished the second half just 3-for-12 from three-point range.
 
"We communicated and took away the threes," Cola said. "We had a game plan that we did not execute to perfection in the first half, but we came out in the second half and took away a lot of the threes they had." 
 
Jackson Price opened the second half scoring, draining a three to put the Wildcats up 49-46.  After a turnover by UPS, Cola extended the Crimson and Black's lead to 51-46 with a layup.
 
"I was aggressive in the second half on my rebounding," Cola said. "It was an emphasis we had in the locker room during halftime. That and transition threes. I worked a little harder in the post and my teammates were finding me."
 
Cola tallied 12 points and six rebounds in the second half.  He also went a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe.
 
 The Wildcats nabbed their first double-digit with 14:31 left in regulation.  Cola reeled in an offensive rebound and converted the second effort for a 59-48 lead.
 
With a double-digit advantage in hand, the Wildcats did not look back.  They extended their lead to a game-high 16 points, on a layup from Montoya, with 5:50 remaining in regulation.
 
Central finished with 26 points off of turnovers, 42 points in the paint, 27 second chance points, eight fast break points, and the reserves chipped in 33 points.
 
The Crimson and Black are back in action on January 1 for a road matchup against Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Northwest Nazarene.