ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team hosts the University of Alaska Fairbanks in a GNAC matchup.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, January 18
Vs Alaska
7:15 p.m.
Nicholson Pavilion
Ellensburg, WA
 
QUOTABLE
"Hopefully last night was something we can build on," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.  "We have found out this conference is a game of possessions.  There aren't many games where it doesn't come down to the last few minutes.  You have to go into every game with that mindset and hopefully we can carry last night with us into Saturday."
 
SCOUTING ALASKA FAIRBANKS | SCHEDULE | ROSTER | 2018-19 STATS | 2019-20 STATS
Alaska is 5-10 overall and 4-3 in GNAC play thus far on the season.  They have lost back-to-back games against Western Washington University and Northwest Nazarene University.
 
Prior to that, the Nanooks had won three of their last four games.  They defeated Concordia University at home, 116-111, after taking down Western Oregon University 72-66.  Following Concordia, Alaska knocked off Saint Martin's University 98-88.  Their three-game winning streak was snapped in an 86-68 loss to Seattle Pacific University.  Away from home this season, Alaska is just 1-4. 
 
Leading Alaska's offensive output is Shadeed Shabazz, averaging 22.7 points per game.  Shabazz is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, but only 28.8 percent from beyond the arc despite taking 80 attempts.  In conference play Shabazz is averaging 28 points per game, over 25 percent of the Nanooks' nightly total.
 
Spencer Sweet rounds out the double-digit scorers for the Nanooks.  He is recording 13.3 points per night.  IN GNAC play, Sweet has averaged 15.1 points per game.  Alaska averages 74 points per game while allowing 84.33.  The Nanooks are shooting 42.1 percent on the season, while their opponents are converting at a clip of 50.4 percent.
 
Mawich Kachjaani has recorded a team-high 105 rebounds on the year, averaging seven per game.  Sweet sits in second, but the gap between Kachjaani and Sweet is 46 rebounds, averaging just 3.9 rebounds per game.  The Nanooks are being out rebounded 37-30 by their opponents.
 
One area where the Nanooks have held an advantage against their opponents is how often they've pickpocketed opposing players.  Alaska has recorded 112 steals, while their opponents have just 97. Shabazz has swiped opponents 44 times, while Markel Banks has recorded 19 steals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Five different Wildcats scored in double figures as the Crimson and Black shot 48.3 percent from the floor, including knocking down 56 percent of their shots in the second half, and capturing an 84-50 victory over Alaska Anchorage. 
 
Central opened the contest on an 8-0 run with a pair of treys from Davon Bolton.  Anchorage's first basket came nearly two minutes into the opening stanza.  The Seawolves moved quickly to shorten the Wildcats' early advantage, cutting the lead to 10-8.  Anchorage kept the game within five until the Wildcats went on another 8-0 run, going up 23-10.  David Riley put a stop to Anchorage's scoreless streak with a layup.
 
The Wildcats kept their double-digit lead for the remainder of the half.  Anchorage cut the deficit down to 10 a pair of times, but the Seawolves did not force the Wildcats back to a single-digit lead in the first half. 
 
Tariq Woody, Bolton, and Amari Stafford each had six points after 20 minutes of play.  The Crimson and Black shot 42.4 percent from the floor, including a 43.8 mark from beyond the arc.  Central was also perfect at the charity stripe in the opening stanza, knocking down all four of their free throws.  The Wildcats held Anchorage to a shooting percentage of just 32.4 percent and forced five turnovers, three off of steals.
 
Anchorage scored just one point under the 3:00 mark, a free throw from Osuigwe.  His free throw briefly dropped the Wildcats' lead to 29, but a three from Lucas pushed Central's lead back to 32.  A pair of free throws from Woody capped the scoring, putting the Crimson and Black ahead, 84-50.
 
Central made 10 threes and finished 18-for-23 at the charity stripe.  They scored 11 second chance points, nine fast break points, 34 points in the paint, 10 points off turnovers, and the reserves chipped in 39 points.  Anchorage, meanwhile, scored only 15 points off the bench and 20 points in the paint.  The Wildcats led for an impressive 39:47, leaving only 13 seconds of 0-0 basketball.
 
CWU v UAF HiSTORY
Central Washington is 23-11 against the University of Alaska since 2003.  In their last meeting, the Crimson and Black claimed an 84-65 victory and swept the season series with a 68-59 victory in Fairbanks on January 19, 2019.  The Wildcats have won the last three meetings.
 
In the last 10 games between CWU and UAF, the Wildcats hold a 7-3 record.  At home in Nicholson Pavilion, Central is 12-5.
 
Matt Poquette led the Wildcats' offense with 17 points the last time Central squared off with Alaska.  Gamaun Boykin added 14 points.  Central's bench chipped in 40 points in the win.