ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University basketball team fell to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 78-60, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup.
 
"That was a tough one," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said afterward.  "It's tough to go from playing like we did on Thursday to going and playing like that.  The thing that separates the teams in this conference is consistency.  We had been taking steps for three games in a row and just didn't have that level of energy tonight.  Fairbanks is a good team, I give them credit.  Shabazz is a tough guard and they have pieces around him that compliment him well.  We have to be able to follow up Thursday's effort with a better effort than that."
 
Both the Wildcats (9-7, 2-6 GNAC) and the Nanooks (6-10, 5-3 GNAC) sputtered offensively to open up the first half. With 16:40 to go before the break, the two teams were tied at five. Shadeed Shabazz knocked down a three-pointer for Alaska, sparking a 13-3 run which gave the Nanooks a 17-8 lead.
 
Tariq Woody aided the Wildcats in cutting into the Nanook lead. After a layup from Gamaun Boykin, the Wildcats trailed 17-10 with 12:56 left in the first half. From there, Woody scored six consecutive points for the Wildcats. At the end of Woody's solo run, the Wildcats trailed 20-16 with 9:48 on the clock.
 
Micah Pollard splashed home a three-pointer from the corner, moving the score to 22-19. Later, Boykin sank a pair of free throws that put the Wildcats to within a point of the lead. From there, the Nanooks put together another run. This time, it was an 8-2 run that gave them a 30-23 lead.
 
Xavier Smith and Davon Bolton would shrink the Nanook lead for the Wildcats. The pair scored four points each as the Wildcats pulled to within two of the Nanooks. The visitors led 34-32 with 2:27 left in the first half. The Nanooks closed out the first half on a 5-0 run. It was capped by a three-pointer from Spencer Sweet.
 
Three-point shooting hindered the Wildcats throughout the first half. They shot 4-15 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc. The Crimson and Black were able to stay in the contest due in part to contributions from the bench. Central's bench outscored the Nanooks bench 18-8 in the first half. The Crimson and Black found themselves trailing by just seven at halftime. The score sat at 39-32 in favor of the Nanooks going into the break.
 
Back-to-back baskets from Smith cut the Nanooks' lead to three, however a trey from Specner Sweet pushed Alaska's lead to six.  A layup from Marqus Gilson, followed by a three from Boykin made it just a one-point game at 42-41.  A steal by Bolton on the Nanooks' next possession led to a layup from Woody, giving the Wildcats their final lead of the game at 43-42.
 
Alaska responded with a 9-0 run, staking out an eight-point advantage with 11:15 left to play.  A layup from Matt Poquette ended the Nanooks' run.
 
With 4:39 left to play in the second stanza Alaska gained their first double digit lead of the evening, 63-53.  The Nanooks extended their lead to 17 with 2:22 remaining in regulation and they did not look back.
 
Central scored 38 points in the paint, but managed only four points off turnovers.  Both Bolton and Smith finished with 10 points.  Bolton added four assists, one block, and two steals.  Gilson, Baker, and Poquette each recorded six rebounds.  The Wildcats shot 45.6 percent from the field.
 
The Crimson and Black hit the road next weekend. They'll take on Concordia (Ore.) on Thursday, (Jan. 23) at 7:30 p.m. in Portland, Oregon.