BILLINGS, Mont. — The Central Washington University men's basketball team fell at the buzzer, 66-64, to Montana State Billings.
David Thompson scored 15 points in the final 7:14, keeping the Wildcats (4-2, 1-1) within striking distance of taking the lead. Thompson led the Wildcats with 22 points and finished 8-for-17 from the field, while Micah Pollard and Xavier Smith chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively.
"This is always a tough place to play well and that held true in tonight's game," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "Defensively we had two guys we needed to slow down on their team and we let them get into too much of a rhythm. David Thompson hit some big shots to get us back in the game late, but we couldn't quite capitalize on it."
A layup from Malik Brikat gave Montana State Billings (3-5, 1-1) the slim lead they needed. Matt Poquette's half-court attempt, as the buzzer signaled the end of the contest, rang off the rim to seal the 'Jackets win.
Foul trouble kept both the Wildcats' and Yellowjackets' big men contained in the second half. Jimmy Brown and Emmanuel Ajanaku both racked up their fourth fouls early in the second stanza. Similarly, Poquette was called for his fourth foul with 15:57 left. The three centers combined for just seven points all game.
Both teams were sent to the free throw line often. The Wildcats finished 13-for-21 at the charity stripe, while the Yellowjackets finished 7-for-19.
Billings led for 62.6-percent of the contest, allowing the 'Cats just 6:59 of game time with the lead.
After attempting just four shots from beyond the arc in Thursday's upset of Seattle Pacific, the Crimson and Black threw up 24 attempts against Billings. Nine of their attempts fell, four of which came from Thompson. The Wildcats scored just 14 points in the paint.
Until a run from the Yellowjackets in the second half pushed their lead to nine, the game had remained within two possessions.
After a fast-paced start, with neither team able to cement a lead, the Yellowjackets found themselves leading by two at the halftime buzzer, 30-28.
A big three from Thompson gave Central a 41-39 lead with just under 15 minutes to play. A 7-1 run from the 'Jackets gave the advantage back to Billings four minutes later.
Montana State Billings extended their lead to seven before a timeout quelled the momentum with just over nine minutes left. Four minutes later, the Wildcats trailed 56-52.
Another three from Thompson tied the contest with three minutes remaining.
After a jumper from Brikat, Thompson responded with a jumper of his own to keep the score tied. Damen Thacker dropped a layup to put Billings back ahead, but a three from Thompson made it 61-60 in favor of CWU.
A pair of free throws from Thacker and a jumper from Carrington Wiggins gave Billings a 64-61 lead with 57 seconds. On the ensuing possession Thompson was fouled and went to the line, knocking down both free throws. Another free throw from Pollard tied the contest at 64-64 with 19 seconds remaining.
The Yellowjackets took 18 of the final 19 seconds and took the lead with a layup from Brikat, denying the Wildcats a full possession.
Central Washington is back in action on Saturday, December 11. They host Pacific Lutheran in Nicholson Pavilion at 4:00 pm.
