BOISE, Idaho (Dec. 8) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team fell in an exhibition to Boise State University, 82-62. 
 
Malcolm Cola led the Wildcats with 16 points.  He finished 7-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.  Cola also chipped in three rebounds and two blocks. 
 
"I thought Malcolm and Hayden [Nelson] combined to give us a big lift today," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.  "Their teammates did a great job of finding them inside and they were really efficient with their footwork and finishes on their catches."
 
Nelson finished with nine points, shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 1-for-1 at the charity stripe.  He recorded five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and three steals.
 
The first half was a closely contested contest, as the Wildcats held the Broncos within a 10-point differential.
 
"I thought our guys did a good job of competing and playing together," Rinta said.  "The whole first half was tight and it was a four to eight-point game for the first 10 minutes into the second half. Their size eventually wore us down the last ten minutes."
 
Central kept the Broncos close in the opening minutes, trailing by just four, before a Jeryn Lucas three with 16:06 on the clock brought the Wildcats within one at 10-9.
 
The jostling for the lead continued as the Crimson and Black traded baskets with the Broncos.  A dunk from David Wacker at 11:05 made it 25-18 in favor of Boise, before a jumper from Marcus Austin cut the deficit back to five at 25-20.
 
After Austin's jumper the Wildcats knocked down consecutive baskets.  A jumper from Cola brought Central within three, before a three from Austin levelled the score at 25-25.
 
The Broncos knocked down a pair of free throws and a layup, reclaiming a four-point advantage at 29-25.  Hayden Nelson cut the deficit in half with a layup of his own at the 5:08 mark.
 
Boise State extended their lead to eight, 35-27, with 2:05 remaining in the opening stanza.  The Wildcats scored the last two buckets of the half, however.  Naim Ladd drained a jumper with 42 seconds remaining, before Nelson picked up a second effort layup as time expired.  Central trailed by just four heading into the locker room, 35-31.
 
The Broncos knocked down the first two buckets of the second half, extending their lead to 40-31.  A three from Jackson Price kept the deficit within two possessions.  Central pulled within three a few minutes later, thanks to a three from Lucas.
 
After a differential of four-points in the first half, Boise State found its groove and outscored the Wildcats 47-31 in the second stanza.
 
The Crimson and Black scored 30 points in the paint and the reserves chipped in 24.  Central held Boise State to just 12 points off of turnovers.
 
The Wildcats are back in action on Wednesday (Dec. 12) as they host Douglas College inside Nicholson Pavilion.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.