PORTLAND, Ore. — The Central Washington University men's basketball team outlasted Concordia University (Ore.), 65-56, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup.

The Wildcats (10-7, 3-6 GNAC) picked up a late surge in the first half to establish an eight-point lead heading into the second stanza over the Cavaliers (2-15, 1-8 GNAC).  

Both offenses struggled to find a rhythm early with a total of 22 points scored in the first eight minutes of play.  After eight minutes, the Crimson and Black held a slim 12-10 advantage thanks to a layup from Gamaun Boykin.

Three and a half minutes later, Kevin Baker knocked down a jumper to extend Central's lead to four.  Two minutes after that, the Cavaliers went on a brief run to level the score at 14-14.  Momentum swung like a pendulum through the first half as neither team could establish dominance.  A layup from Concordia's Russell Tillery tied the game at 20-20 with 3:44 left before halftime.  

Central Washington strung together an 8-0 run in the final 3:44 of the first half, staking out a 28-20 lead at halftime.  The Wildcats shot 40 percent from the floor in the opening stanza, but only two of their buckets came from beyond the arc.  

Marqus Gilson nearly out rebounded the entirety of Concordia's roster in the first half alone.  The Cavaliers managed 11 boards as team, while Gilson hauled in eight.  Three of his eight first half rebounds came on offense.

"Marqus and Gamaun came up big for us tonight to get this road win," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.  "Both them played hard tonight and grabbed some big rebounds."

Concordia opened the second half with back-to-back jumpers before Davon Bolton notched a trey for CWU and a 31-24 lead.  The Cavaliers cut the deficit down to just two four minutes into the second, but a three-point play from Bolton and a three from Lucas extended the lead to eight.

Gilson gave the Wildcats their first double digit lead of the evening at 12:25, 42-31.  Concordia managed to force the deficit under 10, but another three-point play from the Wildcats, this time from Boykin, made it 49-39.

Undeterred, Concordia set to work eliminating the Crimson and Black's lead, cutting the advantage to three.  Bolton responded with a jumper, before knocking down a fast break trey for a 54-46 lead.

For the final five minutes of the contest, the smallest deficit the Cavaliers faced was five, allowing the Wildcats to nab their third win in GNAC play.

Boykin led the Wildcats with 16 points, while Gilson and Bolton both recorded 11.  The final double digit scorer for CWU was Jeryn Lucas, who finished with 10 points. Central scored 32 points in the paint, 20 points off turnovers, 14 second chance points, and the reserves combined for 33 points.

The Wildcats are back in action on Saturday as they travel to Monmouth, Oregon to take on the Wolves.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.