ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Gamaun Boykin recorded a triple-double as the Central Washington University men's basketball team rolled past Multnomah University, 106-88.
 
"Multnomah definitely has a different style," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.  "You're never going to play against a team that takes that many threes.  Justin [Martin] is an All-American and extremely tough to guard when they have five shooters on the floor.  They can make you feel like you're at their mercy with how they play offensively.  I thought our guys did a good job of adjusting as the game went along, especially there in the second half, I thought our guys made some good adjustments defensively.  It allowed us to create a little distance.  Having a size advantage on the offensive end allowed us to score consistently. 
 
Boykin finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.  He shot 8-for-13 from the field and recorded four offensive boards.
 
"I thought Gamaun had a good game tonight," Rinta added.  "I honestly can't remember coaching somebody who got a triple-double. I thought he did as good a job as anyone guarding Justin.  He did a good job of setting the tone and getting the ball inside like we needed to."
 
Multnomah took an early 5-0 lead with a jumper in the paint from Stepan Zavydovskyy and a three from Zach Richardson. Kevin Baker put the Wildcats on the board with a layup before Davon Bolton tied the score at 5-5 with a trey of his own.  Momentum seesawed back and forth across both benches throughout the opening stanza.  The first half saw the score tied six times and there were 20 lead changes.
 
Bolton finished with 19 points, three rebounds, and three assists. 
 
A jumper from Matt Poquette gave the Wildcats a 40-39 lead with 3:06 to play in the first half.  Xavier Smith knocked down a trey on the Crimson and Black's next possession, pulling ahead 43-39.  The Lions responded with a three of their own from Richardson, cutting the 'Cats lead back to one.  Boykin drove the lane on the next possession for Central and converted a layup.  A defensive rebound from Poquette led to a layup from Baker, giving CWU a 47-42 advantage.  Boykin made the last bucket of the half, after Justin Martin buried a three for Multnomah, as the Wildcats took a 49-45 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Wildcats' bench outscored the Lions' reserves, 12-2, in the first half.  Central also recorded nine second chance points and held Multnomah to zero.
 
Central wasted no time extending its lead in the second half.  Baker converted a layup 10 seconds into the second half.  After a three from Multnomah's Forrest Smith, the Wildcats recorded a 6-0 run, with jumpers from Baker and Boykin, a free throw from Boykin and Xavier Smith, as well as a layup from Poquette, extending their advantage to double digits for the first time on the night at 59-48.
 
Richardson knocked down a three from the Lions, reverting the Wildcats' advantage to single digits, but a three from Baker pushed it back to 11.  Richardson made another trey on the Lions' next possession, but it was negated by Bolton with 15:45 remaining in regulation.
 
Baker finished with 16 points and went 7-for-8 from the field, including a 2-for-3 mark behind the arc.  He also recorded four rebounds and had one steal.
 
The Wildcats' lead dipped to single digits for the final time with 7:23 to play on a jumper from Martin.  Boykin responded with a jumper of his own and the Wildcats did not look back, pushing their lead to 16 on a three from Smith two minutes later.  A pair of free throws from Bolton with 3:24 remaining gave the Wildcats their first 20-point lead of the night.
 
Zellie Hudson converted a layup with 2:48 remaining to put Central Washington at the century mark, 100-79.  Hudson had six of the Crimson and Black's last eight points.
 
Central finished with 24 second chance points, 35 points from the bench, and 56 points in the paint.
 
The Crimson and Black are back in action on Tuesday (Dec. 17) as they play host to Linfield College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.