ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Dec. 31) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team is back in action for 2019 with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups in the opening week of the new year.
GAME INFORMATION
Tuesday, Jan. 1
at Northwest Nazarene
6:00 p.m. (PT) | 7:00 p.m. (MT)
Nampa, ID
Saturday, Jan. 5
vs Montana State Billings
7:00 p.m. (PT)
Ellensburg, WA
QUOTABLE
"I think the break was good for us and the team is looking forward to getting back out on the court this Tuesday," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "NNU has a really good team this year. They have situated themselves as one of the best teams in the conference and west region early on. We are going to have to defend and rebound at a high level to have any success against them in their own gym."
SCOUTING NORTHWEST NAZARENE
The Nighthawks are 6-2 on the season and have split their first two GNAC games. They squeaked out an 87-86 win over Seattle Pacific back on Nov. 29, before falling 86-88 against Saint Martin's.
During the conference break, NNU fell to Metro State 96-91. They also recorded a 114-56 exhibition victory over Portland Bible College.
Adonis Arms leads the Nighthawks in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game. Obi Megwa (18.3), Adalberto Diaz (10.1), and Jayden Bezzant (10.1) are all averaging double digit scoring efforts as well. Northwest Nazarene has outscored opponents 84-79, on average, this season. They are shooting 52.6 percent from the floor, including a mark of 40.1 from beyond the arc.
Arms also leads the Nighthawks in rebounding, hauling in 5.3 boards per game. Olamilekan Adetunji sits behind Arms, averaging five rebounds per game. Northwest Nazarene is out rebounding their opponents 35.5-35.3. They have allowed 16 more offensive rebounds (79) then they have brought in (63).
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILILNGS
The Yellowjackets are 7-3 on the season and 2-0 in GNAC play. The 'Jackets recorded a 79-76 win over Alaska to open their conference season, before handling Alaska Anchorage 89-74.
Montana State Billings played a pair of games against NAIA opponents over the conference break. They defeated Rocky Mountain College (96-85) and Dickinson State University (78-61).
The Yellowjackets have five players who are averaging 10 or more points per game. Tyler Green (15.7) leads the scoring effort, while Zack Rollins (14.9), Brendan Howard (14.2), Melvin Newbern Jr. (12.8), and Zharon Richmond (10.4) round out the double-digit scorers. The Yellowjackets average 78 points per game, while holding opponents to 73.2. The 'Jackets are shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Newbern Jr. has hauled in 82 rebounds, a team-high, for an average of 8.2 per game. Rollins sits in second, averaging five rebounds a game. The Yellowjackets average 34.8 rebounds per game, but allow 33.6.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats picked up a pair of non-conference wins over Douglas College (100-64) and the University of Puget Sound (95-80).
Five Wildcats finished in double digit scoring against Douglas.
Jeryn Lucas and
Naim Ladd led the Crimson and Black with 14 points each, while
Gamaun Boykin (12),
Matt Poquette (12), and
Marcus Austin (11) also eclipsed 10 points on the night.
Central finished the night with a shooting percentage of 58.1. They did not go to the charity stripe in the second half. The Crimson and Black scored 37 points off of turnovers, 58 points in the paint, and 16 fast break points. The reserves chipped in 55 percent of the Central's total points.
Five Wildcats also finished with double-digit points against Puget Sound, led by
Malcolm Cola's 18. Boykin (16),
Malik Montoya (16),
Zellie Hudson (13), and Ladd (10) each picked up at least 10 points each. Cola also led the Wildcats in rebounds, pulling in nine boards.
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.
