ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 20) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team takes to the road for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups in the penultimate week of the season.
GAME INFORMATION
Thursday at 7:00 PM
at Concordia (Ore.)
LCEF Court
LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO
Saturday at 7:00 PM
at Western Oregon
New PE Building
LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO
QUOTABLE
"I thought we played with good energy as a team this past weekend," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "It's going to be important to take that same energy on the road this weekend."
SCOUTING CONCORDIA
Concordia is 9-15 overall and 4-12 in the GNAC after losing both of its games on the road this past week in the Puget Sound to No. 14 Saint Martin's (73-41) and Seattle Pacific (78-50). The Cavs are tied for ninth place with Central Washington, two games out of seventh place (Western Washington and Simon Fraser) and four out of fifth place (Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings). The top six teams at the end of the regular season will receive a berth to the GNAC Basketball Championships, March 7-9 in Bellingham, Wash.
The Cavs are averaging 72.6 points per game while giving up 76.4 points per game. They are being out-rebounded 36.2 to 34.2. Two players are averaging double digits in scoring in
Jarrett Gray (15.0 ppg) and
Hunter Sweet (10.6 ppg).
Dom Bradley leads the team with his 16 blocked shots and 6.1 rebounding average. Gray leads the Cavs with his 29 steals, 88.4% shooting from the line, 46% shooting from three's and 44 three's made.
Cody Starr has dished out a team leading 95 assists while
Dakota Ayala is shooting a team high 552% from the field.
The Cavaliers defeated Central Washington 65-63 on January 26 in Ellensburg, Wash., behind
Hunter Sweet's 18 points and
Jarrett Gray's 11 points.
Dom Bradley had 12 rebounds for the Cavs. Gamuan Boykin paced CWU with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Wildcats lead the all-time series with CU 5-2.
SCOUTING WESTERN OREGON
Western Oregon is coming off a pair of road losses last week, falling 66-57 to Seattle Pacific before a 64-56 loss at Saint Martin's. The 0-2 week dropped WOU out of the D2SIDA regional rankings for the first time this season and has placed them in 4th, two games back of 3rd, in the GNAC standings with four games left to play.
The Wolves are currently 5th in TO margin (+6.0), 20th in scoring margin (+12.7) and 13th in scoring defense (65.7 ppg) in NCAA DII. In the conference, the Wolves rank 1st in scoring defense (65.7 ppg), scoring margin (+12.7), steals per game (8.2), assist/turnover ratio (1.40) and turnover margin (+6.0). Western Oregon opponent has not scored 80 or more points since Jan. 5 when they beat UAF 97-80. The most points allowed by the Wolves this season was 88 to WWU Dec. 1 in three overtimes.
Western Oregon's 22 offensive rebounds Jan. 26 at Northwest Nazarene was their most in a game since Dec. 16, 2014 in a 110-61 win over Multnomah when they pulled in 25. The Wolves set a school NCAA-era record that night with 64 total rebounds, breaking the previous record by 10. WOU's 91-65 win over Concordia Jan. 8 was the second time this season they found themselves stamping the program's record books for 3-pointers. Making 14 team 3-pointers in the game, it was the 9th-highest single-game total in the school's NCAA-era history as well as 4th-highest percentage from three (.636). Riley Hawken's 6-for-7 night from deep tied for the 4th-best single-game 3-point percentage as well.
Four separate Wolves are averaging 10 or more points per game while seven players are averaging more than five points per game.
With two weeks left in the regular season, WOU still has some work to do to ensure a place in the GNAC tournament, but could have their ticket stamped as early as Thursday night with a win coupled with an MSUB and Alaska Anchorage loss.
THE WILDCATS
Central Washington is 10-14 overall and 4-12 in the GNAC and has lost eight of its last 10 games. The Wildcats went 1-1 last week defeating Alaska 84-65 and losing 92-85 to Alaska Anchorage. They are tied for ninth place with Concordia.
CWU is averaging 82.0 points per game while giving up 81.0 points per game. The Wildcats are being out-rebounded 37.2 to 33.6. Four players averaging double digits in scoring in
Gamaun Boykin (12.8 ppg),
Jeryn Lucas (11.0 ppg),
Malcolm Cola (10.1 ppg) and
Matt Poquette (10.0 ppg). Boykin leads the team with his 80 assists, 5.2 rebounding average and 82% shooting from the line. Cola is shooting a team high 56% from the field while Lucas has made a team high 42 three's and
Naim Ladd has connected on a team high 45% from three's. Cola leads the team with his 16 blocked shots and
Malik Montoya has a team leading 33 steals.
