ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Xavier Smith's 26 points led the Central Washington University men's basketball team to a 107-88 victory over Bushnell University.
Smith finished 9-for-17 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. He also recorded a team-high seven rebounds.
David Thompson finished with 23 points.
Matt Poquette chipped in 19, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 at the charity stripe. Poquette also recorded six rebounds, two of which came on the offensive glass. The Crimson and Black scored 58 points in the paint, 24 points off turnovers, 21 fast break points, and 14 second chance points. Central's reserves combined for 26 points.
The Wildcats (7-2) utilized a strong second half to regain control of the contest and eclipse 100 points. Central held the Beacons to just 34 points in the back end to establish a 19-point differential. The Crimson and Black recorded a 24-for-28 mark at the free throw line, while also shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
Bushnell's three-point shooting dominated the first half. The Beacons went 9-for-13 from deep in the opening stanza and shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes overall. They led for 10:28 of the first and went into the locker room with a one-point lead, 54-53.
"I was very impressed with them [Bushnell], especially offensively," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "I knew they were capable of having a night like that and they were good tonight, they were on. We were lucky to be down one at half with their three-point shooting. We were able to go on a 12-0 run that was the difference defensively.
Central outperformed the Beacons at the free throw line in the first half, knocking down 13 of their 14 attempts. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the floor in the first and led the rebounding battle 15-14, including a 5-0 advantage in offensive boards.
Early threes from the Beacons kept the game within striking distance early. The Beacons seized a three-point play opportunity to bring the back to a deadlock with 12:34 left in regulation. After trading buckets, the Beacons pushed their advantage to seven with 8:15 on the clock.
The Wildcats battled back, tying the contest at 41-41 with a pair of free throws from Smith. Bushnell continued to use their three-point shooting, pulling ahead 52-45. Central utilized an 8-2 run in the final 2:22 to go into halftime down by one.
A strong showing from the Crimson and Black opened a 78-63 lead with 11 minutes left in regulation, posting a 25-11 run in the first nine minutes of the second. The 'Cats went 11-for-17 during the run with just one three.
"Our guys have done a good job of adjusting," Rinta added. "Not very often this year have we settled for three pointers. We have done a good job of staying in attack mode, trying to get to the rim, and get to the foul line. That's what we did early in the second half."
With just five minutes to play Central held a 10-point, 92-82 lead. A 15-6 run salted away the Wildcats' victory.
Central Washington returns to GNAC play on December 30, as they host rival Western Washington University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Nicholson Pavilion.
