ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team notched a 90-72 exhibition win over Lincoln University (CA).
 
Four Wildcats finished with a double-digit scoring effort. Shaden Knight and David Thompson led the Crimson and Black with 18 points each. Xavier Smith finished with 17, while Micah Pollard added 15. Smith finished 7-for-10 from the field, while Pollard finished 6-for-9 from the field. As a unit, the Wildcats were 31-for-54 from the field. They converted at a 50 percent clip from beyond the arc, knocking down 14 of their 28 attempts. Central was near perfect at the charity stripe, going 14-for-16. 
 
"We played with a good pace tonight offensively," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "We shot it well and were able to put together some good runs. We shared the ball having 17 assists on 31 field goals and were aggressive enough to get to the line 16 times."
 
Central recorded 10 steals, including four from Pollard. Marqus Gilson, Matt Poquette, and Pollard each recorded a block.
 
"Defensively we had some great stretches too," Rinta added. "We were able to force them into a lot of tough shots."
 
The Oaklanders had a pair of players reach double digit points. Kaden Bradley led Lincoln with 23 points, while Landon Garcia-Floyd added 15. Central held the Oaklanders to a 26-for-66 line from the field, including a 3-for-16 mark from long range. Lincoln edged Central in the rebounding battle, 40-48. They picked up 13 offensive rebounds, while the Crimson and Black managed nine. Lewis Hays was the leading rebounder for Gary  Payton's squad, hauling in eight. Both Ricky Clark and Bradley accumulated seven. 
 
Central recorded 16 points from 14 Lincoln turnovers. They held the Oaklanders to just seven points off of turnovers. Lincoln outscored Central in the paint, 32-26. The Wildcats' bench scored just over half of CWU's points, finishing with 46. 
 
Lincoln scored the game's first bucket, a second chance effort from Bradley, but it was their only lead of the night. Poquette scored a second effort basket of his own on the ensuing possession, before he knocked down a shot from deep for a 5-2 lead. The 'Cats went on an 11-0 run after Lincoln scored the opening bucket. A f=pair of free throws from Thompson with 14:45 on the clock gave CWU an 11-2 lead. The run was ended with a three from Bradley.
 
The Wildcats reached their first double digit lead of the night on a three from Stafford with 11:09 left in the opening stanza. They eclipsed 20 for the first time with 5:50 remaining on a three from Knight. Their largest lead came one possession later when Knight drained his second consecutive three.
 
Lincoln was able to chip away at Central's advantage and knock it down to 14 at the end of the half, 47-33.
 
The second half was similar to the first. Lincoln scored the opening basket, but Central responded immediately, scoring the next five points. The Oaklanders cut the 'Cats' lead to just 10 with 10:58 remaining in regulation. A three from Thompson and a fast break layup from Pollard brought the lead back to 15, 64-49.
 
A 7-0 run from the Crimson and Black extended their lead to 21 with 4:12 left in regulation. A layup from Bradley kept the Oaklanders under a 20-point deficit, but the two sides traded field goals and a layup in the game's next few possessions as the Wildcats held on for the victory.
 
"It felt good to see our guys playing at home in front of fans again," Rinta concluded. "Seems like it's been a lifetime since we were in this environment."
 
Central Washington travels to the University of Washington for an exhibition matchup on Thursday, November 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.