SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Central Washington University men's basketball team held off Fort Lewis in an 89-87 affair.
David Thompson scored the game's final bucket with less than 10 seconds remaining to push the Wildcats (3-1) over the SkyHawks (4-2).
Marqus Gilson led Central's offense in scoring for the second night in a row. He tallied 22 points, six rebounds, and shot 9-for-13 from the floor. Xavier Smith (17), Matt Poquette (14), and Thompson (11) all eclipsed double digits in points. Gilson led the Wildcats in rebounding, followed closely by Poquette with five.
The Wildcats finished with a shooting percentage of 56.1 and shot better than 50 percent in bot halves. They held the SkyHawks to a shooing percentage of 48.4, including a 7-for-23 mark from beyond the arc. Central scored 58 of their 89 points in the paint.
After fighting off Westminster last night with a strong second half, the Wildcats held off the SkyHawks in a contest where the largest lead throughout the game was a seven-point differential early in the second half.
The lead bounced from bench to bench in the first half, neither team able to claim momentum. The Wildcats and SkyHawks traded buckets for the majority of the opening period. The contest saw 15 lead changes per team, each side gaining the lead nine times in the first.
Fort Lewis held the early advantage, thanks to consecutive layups, but were unable to force a lead greater than five. A dunk from Smith with 12:29 left in the first brought the score line even, 16-16. Back-to-back buckets from the SkyHawks made it 21-16. Fort Lewis held the lead until a layup from Smith made it 26-26.
With two minutes left before halftime, a jumper from Fort Lewis' Dunnell Stafford gave the SkyHawks a 38-37 lead. A pair of jumpers in the final minute of the first half from Thompson gave Central a three-point, 41-38 edge heading into the locker room.
The second stanza continued much the same as the first. This time, however, it was the Wildcats who opened with the advantage. The 'Cats lead ebbed and flowed through the first seven minutes of the period. A jumper from Riley Farris put the two sides back on level footing with 12:33 left in regulation.
Again the SkyHawks assumed the lead, but they were unable to give themselves breathing room as Central stayed close on their heels. With just over five minutes to play, Gilson knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 76-76.
After trading buckets and free throws, a three from Stafford as the clock dipped under two minutes put the Crimson and Black ahead, 87-85. Fort Lewis responded with a layup from Jacques Hobbs with 21 seconds to play, giving the Wildcats one final possession.
Thompson took control in the offensive end and drove the lane to nab a layup with six seconds on the clock, sealing the victory for the Wildcats.
That was a quality win for us," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "Fort Lewis is a really good team. It was good to see us find a rhythm and play like we are capable of. Road sweeps are hard to come by. This team showed a lot of toughness this weekend. Marqus was a dominant all weekend and Matt and Xavier came up big tonight as well. Amari hit a huge three late to give us the lead. Then David Thompson was clutch with the last bucket to win it."
Three of the Wildcats' starters played at least 30 minutes in the victory, while all five played a minimum of 25 minutes. Gennett and Smith combined to go 6-for-7 at the free throw line, including a perfect 3-for-3 from Gennett.
The Wildcats open GNAC play next week at Seattle Pacific University on Thursday (Dec. 2). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
