MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Central Washington University men's basketball fell to Western Oregon University, 83-66, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup.
 
The Wildcats (10-8, 3-7 GNAC) stormed out to a 12-2 lead in the opening four minutes of play, but the Wolves (11-5, 5-5 GNAC) chipped away at Central's lead before taking the lead with just under five minutes to play in the first half, 24-23, on a layup from Jaylyn Richardson. 
 
"We knew they would pressure us and we would have to make good decisions," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said.  "We gave them too many points off turnovers tonight."
 
A layup from Davon Bolton on the Wildcats' next possession gave CWU a brief 25-24 advantage, but Riley Hamilton hit a jumper for Western Oregon shortly thereafter, nabbing a 26-25 lead.  The Wolves ended the first half on an 11-4 run, staking out an eight-point lead at halftime, 37-29.
 
Ninety seconds into the second stanza, the Wolves edged their advantage to double digits with a layup from John Morrill-Keeler at 42-31.  Jumpers from Kevin Baker and Xavier Smith, as well as a trey from Smith, cut Western Oregon's advantage to seven just 60 seconds later.  After a missed jumper from the Wolves, Amari Stafford drained a three to pull Central Washington within four, 42-38.
 
With 15:35 to play in regulation, Western Oregon had once again gained a 10-point lead.  A pair of free throws from Dalven Brushier made it 48-38.  A jumper from Baker cut the deficit to eight, but the Wolves responded with a three from Richardson for an 11-point advantage.
 
Western Oregon's lead hung around 10, until back-to-back treys from the Wolves gave them a 63-49 lead.  They hit a 20-point lead with 6:18 remaining and did not look back. 
 
Zellie Hudson scored nine points off the bench in the second half.  He finished 4-for-6 from the floor and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc.  Marqus Gilson led the Wildcats' scoring effort with 12 points.  Matt Poquette compiled 10 points and six rebounds.  Central Washington allowed 28 points off 18 turnovers.  The Crimson and Black shot 52.17 percent in the second half and 43.6 percent for the game.  Central's reserves chipped in 28 points.  CWU scored 30 points in the paint, while WOU 42.
 
The Wildcats are back in action on Thursday (Jan. 30) as they host Simon Fraser University at 7:00 p.m.