Seattle – Central Washington University men's basketball needed to knock off Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season champs Seattle Pacific in order to appear in next weekend's conference tournament. In a game that featured eight ties and 12 lead changes, the Wildcats dropped their regular season finale 63-56 to the Falcons on Saturday. 
 
The matchup between the Wildcats (17-11, 10-10 GNAC) and the Falcons (22-6, 17-2 GNAC) came down to the wire. SPU's Shaw Anderson scored four points in the final 1:41 to give his team a 59-56 lead over the Wildcats. The Wildcats needed one stop to earn a chance to tie the game. A long rebound off of a Braden Olsen miss landed in the hands of Anderson. The Wildcats had no choice but to send Divant'e Moffitt to the free line. The Falcons would cash in and take a hard-fought game on their home court. 
 
The Wildcat offense was quiet for the opening four minutes of the first half against the Falcons. The home team pulled out to a 9-2 lead before CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta called a timeout. The timeout proved useful, as the Wildcats exploded with a 19-8 run. Marqus Gilson was excellent during that span. The big fella added eight points and three rebounds. The Wildcats led 21-17 with 9:05 left in the first half. 
 
SPU's Moffit lifted his team during the middle part of the first half. With his team trailing, Moffit poured in six straight points. The short spurt of offense gave the Falcons a 23-21 lead with 7:10 to go in the half. 
 
Micah Pollard put the Wildcats back into the lead with a long three-point shot off of an assist from Xavier Smith. Both offenses sputtered. At the final media timeout of the first half, the Wildcats led 24-23. 
 
With just under three minutes to play in the first half, Boykin drove the lane and finished a tough layup against a bigger defender. Both offenses started to flow as time left the first half. Davon Bolton knocked down a shot that gave the Wildcats a 28-27 lead. Defensively, the Wildcats forced a shot clock violation. A three-pointer from Bolton gave the Wildcats a 31-27 lead. A late three-pointer from the Falcon's Harry Cavell pushed the home squad into a 32-31 lead at halftime. 
 
Two ties and eight lead changes littered a loaded first half of action. The Wildcats were only able to extend their largest lead to four after erasing an early seven-point deficit. The Falcons earned on distinct advantage, out rebounded the Wildcats 20-11 and had nine offensive rebounds to just three for the Wildcats. Despite the rebounding advantage, the Wildcats only allowed five second chance points for the Falcons in the first half. 
 
The Wildcats opened the second half with a bucket. Smith drove the lane and hung in the air just long enough to bank in a layup. A Falcons offensive foul turned the ball over to the Wildcats. On that possession, Kevin Baker found a cutting Gilson who converted a layup to give the team a 35-32 lead. Later, Bolton would rise up to knock down a jumper. The Wildcats led 37-34. 
 
A pair of baskets gave the Falcons the lead with 13:39 remaining in the game. Pollard was able to draw a foul, but would split the free throws. The game was tied at 38 with 12:40 left to go. 
 
Both teams struggled a tad offensively in the middle stages of the second half. The Wildcats trailed 40-38 when Pollard was able to blow past his defender for a layup. The score sat tied at 40 with 9:54 left to go in the game. 
 
Matt Poquette was able to finish a tough bank shot that once again tied the game. Moffit was able to convert a three-point play on the next possession. The shot and free throw gave the Falcons a 45-42 lead. When the Wildcats got the ball back, Bolton answered with the exact same play. His three-point play knotted the game at 45. A few possessions later, Bolton attacked the rim once more. He was hammered on a layup attempt. The shot went down and Bolton had a chance to add one more. He converted the chance, and gave the Wildcats a 48-47 lead with 7:07 left in the game. 
 
Seattle Pacific hoped to set up a pay to retake the lead. Pollard was able to nab a steal and explode down the court for a layup. The shot gave the Wildcats a 50-47 lead. 
 
With five minutes left to play, the pace of the game slowed down. Pollard sank a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats a 52-49 lead. SPU's Moffitt answered with a tough step back three-pointer to tie game at 52 with 4:00 to go. 
 
Coming out of the final media timeout of regulation, Bolton buried a step-back jumper to give the Wildcats a 54-52 lead. SPU's Braden Olsen answered with a three-pointer that gave the home squad a narrow one-point lead. From there, Anderson aided the Falcons in earning the separation they needed to come out on top. 
 
Bolton led the Wildcats with 19 points on 8-13 shooting. He pulled down four rebounds and blocked one shot. Pollard added 12 points of his own while going 4-6 from the field. Gilson had a strong first half and finished the game with 10 points and led the team with eight rebounds. 
 
The Wildcats struggled from three-point range as a team. They shot just 16.7% (3-18) from beyond the arc. Crimson and Black reserves outscored Falcon reserves 25-15.  The Wildcats forced 10 turnovers and turned them into 13 points. 
 
With the loss, the season ended for the Wildcats. They finished with a 17-11 overall record, and went 10-10 in GNAC play.