BILLINGS, Mont. — The Central Washington University men's basketball team (8-6, 1-5 GNAC) fell on an overtime buzzer beater to Montana State Billings University (7-7, 2-4 GNAC), 92-91.

Tariq Woody had a monster night, putting up 29 points and six rebounds.  Three of his boards were offensive.

"Tariq was a monster down low for us tonight and we rode him offensively," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.

Central shot 56.7 percent from the field in the opening stanza, including a 3-for-4 mark beyond the arc.  The Wildcats led 7-2 in the opening five minutes of play, before Billings went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead.

With 9:29 left in the first half, the 'Jackets pushed their lead to nine, 26-17.  They reached their largest lead five minutes later, extending the lead to 11 with 4:45 on the clock.  

A layup from Woody dropped the 'Jackets' advantage to a single-digit, before a trey from Kevin Baker made it 35-26.  A jumper from. MSUB's Brendan Howard was quickly washed away with another layup from Woody.  Baker then picked Chrishon Dixon's pocket and was fouled.  He converted both of his free throws, pull the Yellowjackets' lead to four, 37-33.

After a bucket from Clarence Daniels, Woody knocked down a pair at the charity stripe and Amari Stafford drained a three putting Central ahead 40-39.  A 30-second timeout from Billings gave way to a three from Howard to briefly reclaim the lead.  Woody ensured the contest would be even after halftime, tying the score at 42-42 with a layup.  

The second half started in favor of Montana State Billings.  The Yellowjackets ran up an eight-point lead in the first six and a half minutes, before the Wildcats began chipping away again.  A layup from Woody with 10:11 left in regulation cut the deficit to two, 59-57.  He then tied the game 30 seconds later with another layup, 59-59.  

Once again, the 'Jackets' offense found momentum and ran off to another eight-point lead at 72-64.  Woody went back to work on offense, jump starting the Wildcats.  He picked up a layup, before Baker drained a three, putting CWU just three points behind at 72-69.

A layup and one free throw made it a six-point advantage for Billings, but Smith recorded a pair of layups and a free throw in quick succession, forcing a one-point game.  Smith then picked up a defensive rebound and a layup, putting the Crimson and Black ahead 76-75.

The lead was quickly erased by a three from Tyler Green, but Smith tied the contest at 78 with a layup on Central's next possession with just 1:41 left in regulation.  Billings received a pair of free throws from Tyler Green, giving the Yellowjackets a two-point lead, 82-80.  Trailing by two, with just 10 seconds to go, Jeryn Lucas drove the lane and converted a close-range jumper to force overtime.  

"Jeryn came up big for us down the stretch to force it into overtime," Rinta added.

Forty-seven seconds went by in the first overtime period before either team claimed the period's first points.  Zharon Richmond put Billings ahead with a pair of free throws.  Smith responded with a pair of free throws of his own.  Not to be outdone, Baker stepped to the line on the Wildcats' next possession and converted both of his chances from the charity stripe.  

The first actual basket of the overtime period was scored by Woody, a layup with 37 seconds remaining, putting the Wildcats ahead 89-85 after the and-one. A free throw from Matt Poquette made Central's lead six, 90-84.  

With 15 seconds left, Dixon made a layup for Billings to cut their deficit to four.  A free throw from Davon Bolton pushed it back to five. Psalm Maduakor drained a trey with six seconds remaining, making it 91-89.  A missed free throw gave the 'Jackets one final chance at victory and Green didn't miss, making a long-distance three at time expired for the win.

"We played hard and stuck together all night tonight," Rinta said afterward.  "We were down for most of the game and battled back to force overtime.  I was proud of who we were as a team.  Obviously how those last 20 seconds of overtime played out were as painful as it gets.  The thing we have to focus on is continuing to be the team we were tonight."

The Crimson and Black scored 58 points in the paint, while their reserves chipped in 54 points. Central scored 21 points off of turnovers and shot 54.5 percent from the field.  Smith and Baker both finished with 13 points, while Poquette recorded 11.  

Central Washington is back in action on Thursday (Jan. 16) as the Wildcats host Alaska Anchorage at 7:30 p.m.