BILLINGS, Mont. (Jan. 31) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (9-11, 3-9) fell behind early and were defeated by Montana State University Billings (11-8, 6-5) 87-47 Thursday evening on the road.
Central shot a paltry 31 percent from the field for the game, including just 4-for-24 from the three-point line. The Yellowjackets dominated the Wildcats in close with 50 points in the paint and a decisive 46-to-29 rebounding advantage.
Zellie Hudson led the visitors with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting and three rebounds.
Tanner Davis and
Jeryn Lucas pitched in seven points each as well.
The Wildcats started slow, not scoring their first basket until the 15:36 mark of the first period. Fortunately for Central, they only faced a 6-2 deficit. From that point on, the Yellowjackets put together a 22-to-6 run over the next six minutes to take a commanding 28-8 lead halfway through the first period.
The road team closed the period with not being able to get anything to drop. Central did not score the final 2:46 of the half. The home team headed into the break with a sizable 52-22 lead.
Matt Poquette led the Wildcats in the first half with six points on 75 percent shooting. Three other Wildcats contributed 4 points and the team shot 0-10 from beyond the arc in the half.
Poor shooting carried over into the second half for the road team. After a jumpshot from
Marcus Austin brought the deficit to 65-33 with 13:53 remaining, the Wildcats went scoreless the following three and a half minutes. The Yellowjackets strung together six straight points during that stretch to extend their advantage to 71-33 with 10:42 remaining.
The home team continued to expand their lead the remainder of the evening. The Yellowjackets brought their lead to a game-high 48 points with 6:14 left in the contest after a 14-to-4 run.
Central gets a week of rest and practice at home, before continuing their three-game road trip. The Wildcats next game is Thursday, Feb. 7 against Western Washington University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
