The Wildcats shot 50 percent in the second stanza, outscoring Alaska 40-28. A late push from the Crimson and Black whittled at the Nanooks' lead until a pair of free throws from Hudson levelled the score at 52-52 with 4:57 to play.
"The team did a much better job defending in the second half," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "We needed to with how we were shooting it. Fairbanks is always a tough place to play. Those last two threes ended up being the difference for us. Malik and Zellie stepped up big in those. There was a lot of different line ups on the floor from both sides. They were down a couple guys and their big guy was really sick. We were without Jackson and Malcolm got injured early."
A layup from Hayden Nelson gave Central their first lead of the half, 54-52. After Alaska brought the score even again with 3:34 to play, both offenses went silent. Neither team scored until 1:24 on the clock. Following a timeout, Montoya knocked down the Wildcats' first three of the game for a 59-56 lead.
The Nanooks called a timeout to regroup, but their ensuing possession ended in a missed three. The rebound was snatched up by Lewis Pope. He then found Hudson for a trey and a 62-56 lead.
"What was key for us more than anything with the way we were missing shots was our ability to grab offensive rebounds," Rinta noted.
The Wildcats hauled in 21 rebounds in the second half, eight of which were offensive. They held the Nanooks to just 13 rebounds in the back half.
Central Washington is back in action on Thursday (Jan. 24) for a GNAC matchup with Western Oregon. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
