FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Central Washington University men's basketball team extended its winning streak to six games with a 79-76 road victory over Alaska.
 
The Wildcats are now 14-8 on the season and 9-6 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and currently sit in fourth-place.  The Nanooks fall to 9-12 on the season, 7-8 in the GNAC.
 
Khalil Shabazz scored a game-high 26 points for the Wildcats, going 9 of 17 from the field and hauled down a season-high nine rebounds.  He got help off the bench from Sage Woodruff who finished with 15 points, 12 of which came from long range where he connected on 4 of 6 shots in the contest.
 
Central Washington shot an even 50-percent from the field (28 of 56), while holding the Nanooks to a 41.9-percent shooting clip.  The Wildcats were also efficient from three, going 7 for 16.
 
Central jumped out to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes after tip thanks to lay ins by Shabazz and Fuquan Niles, followed by a triple by Jawan Stepney.  Alaska went on a 10-2 run to take a one-point lead with 15 to go in the half.
 
The Wildcats used a 12-1 run of their own to capture its largest lead of the contest at 10 points, but the scrappy Nanooks rallied to take a 43-36 lead heading into halftime.
 
Ten first-half turnovers hurt the Wildcats, but ball security was a big focus for CWU Head Coach Greg Sparling as the team headed into the locker room.
 
"We shot well in the first half, well enough that we should have had a lead, but we had a hard time taking care of the ball," Sparling said.  "In the second half we were able to minimize turnovers and we continued to score at a good percentage and get a good road victory."
 
The Wildcats turned the ball over just four times after halftime and pulled to within one of the Nanooks with 12:41 to play despite falling behind by 10 in the half.
 
The Wildcats first second-half lead came with 5:57 remaining on a jumper by Shabazz, and held the advantage until the end of the game with game clinching free throws by Niles and Shabazz.
 
Niles finished with nine points, five rebounds and five blocks in just 27 minutes of action due to foul trouble.
 
Alex Barham led Alaska with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting, followed by 11 points each from Tre Eisenhut and Michael Kluting.
 
The Wildcats will look to extend its winnings streak to seven games when they travel to Anchorage, Alaska this Saturday to face Alaska Anchorage at 8 p.m. Pacific.