ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team opens the 2019-20 campaign with a pair of games against Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino as part of the CWU Crossover.
GAME INFORMATION
Friday, Nov. 8
6:00 P.M.
Vs Cal State Monterey Bay
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, WA
Saturday, Nov. 9
8:00 p.m.
Vs Cal State San Bernardino
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, WA
QUOTABLE
"There is always a lot of excitement heading into the first weekend of the season," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "The fact that we are able to host this quality of a tournament out of the gates just adds to that. Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino are both athletic and well coached team. It will give us an early indication of where we are at in comparison to some of the other West Region teams."
SCOUTING CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2018 STATS
The Otters finished 2-25 in 2018-19, their only two wins came in CCAA play over Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino.
Monterey Bay is under the direction of third year head coach Isaac Williams. He was previously the head coach at Eastern Oregon University where he posted a record of 120-41. When he departed Eastern Oregon, he was the winningest coach in program history. He led the Mountaineers to a 24-9 record, and an NAIA National Championship second round appearance, during his second stint at Eastern Oregon after spending a three-year stint as Boise State as the director of basketball operations.
Koen Sapwell led the Otters' scoring efforts last season, averaging 12 points per game in his sophomore campaign. He set a CSUMB record by starting in his first 23 games and started 25 of the team's 26 games. He recorded a season-high 22 points in a win at the University of California, San Diego. During his high school career, Sapwell was named the team captain for the Australia National School Champion runner-up in 2016. He averaged 26.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as a senior.
Jahvon Johnson and Charlie Tooley round out the 10-plus per game scorers, averaging 11.9 and 11.3 points respectively.
Joseph Bosetti led the rebounding efforts for CSUMB. He hauled in a team high 5.3 boards per game. Bosetti averaged 18.9 minutes and 9.7 points per game over the course of the 2018-19 season.
SCOUTING CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | 2018 STATS
The Coyotes finished 2018-19 a game above .500 at 15-14. In CCAA play, San Bernardino went an even 11-11.
Daytone Jennings led the offensive output for the Coyotes, averaging 14.5 points per game. He also hauled in 7.7 rebounds per game, finding himself atop the rebounding leaderboard as well. San Bernardino lost their number two and three scorers after last season in Garrett Baggett and Naradain James, who averaged 12.9 and 11.4 points respectively. James also finished third in rebounding at 5.2 boards per game.
Head Coach Andy Newman is in his second year with the Coyotes. At Division II UTPB, located in Odessa, Texas, Newman's teams have had five-straight winning seasons, racking up 101 wins. In that time, the Falcons made the postseason every year, and advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament his last two seasons. He led a Coyote group that featured only one returner to the CCAA Tournament in 2018-19 with a 15-14 record including a win over No. 16 UC San Diego. Three of his players were selected All-CCAA.
In their only exhibition on the season, San Bernardino lost to Grand Canyon University, 87-60, while Jeremy Smith led the Coyotes' scoring with 14 points.
LAST TIME OUT VS IDAHO (EXHIBITION)
Central owned the first half of play, outscoring Idaho 41-33 before the halftime buzzer. In the first stanza, the Wildcats shot 51.7 percent (15-29) and knocked down five attempts from beyond the arc. Idaho, meanwhile, shot just 42.4 percent from the floor in the first half. The Vandals went 3-for-14 from beyond the arc and 2-for-6 at the free throw line.
It was no different in the second half. The Wildcats once again flourished from beyond the arc, finishing 7-for-13 in the second stanza. In total, Central converted at a clip of 54.5 percent from three-point land. They easily eclipsed Idaho's mark of 6-for-24 (25%). Despite getting into some early foul trouble, the Vandals were in the double bonus with 10 minutes to play, the Wildcats held off the Idaho advance. The Vandals struggled from the line, knocking down 13 of their 22 attempts.
The Crimson and Black shot an even 50 percent on the evening, finishing 31-for-62 from the field. Their largest lead came at a 16-point margin with 6:10 remaining in the second half.
Former Vandal
Xavier Smith finished with 16 points. He shot 3-for-6 from the field and had a monster day at the charity strip, knocking down 10 of his 11 attempts. He also hauled in five rebounds and recorded two assists.
Jeryn Lucas finished third in scoring for the Wildcats with 15 points. He finished 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, added one free throw, and mid-range bucket. He also recorded a team-high eight rebounds.
Central's bench outscored the Vandals' reserves, 27-13. The Wildcats also had less turnovers (12) than Idaho (15).
The last time a Great Northwest Athletic Conference team defeated a Division I opponent in a regular season game, exhibition, or otherwise came on November 23, 2017 when the University of Alaska Anchorage defeated Santa Clara in overtime, 78-73.
CWU HISTORY AGAINST CSUMB & CSUSB
Central Washington is 3-0 against Monterey Bay since 2016. Their last meeting came on November 9, 2018, when the Wildcats captured a 96-86 victory in San Bernardino. The Wildcats had previously defeated the Otters, 73-67, on November 11, 2017 in Portland, Oregon and on November 12, 2016 in a 93-87 victory in Seaside, California.
Against the Coyotes, Central Washington holds a 2-3 record since 2006. Central lost its last meeting with San Bernardino, 87-83, in San Bernardino on November 10, 2018. The Wildcats won back-to-back games by scores of 89-84 and 71-65. The 89-84 victory came on November 11, 2016 in Seaside, while the 71-65 victory came back on December 17, 2010 in Las Vegas.
