ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team hosts Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday, December 11, in a non-conference contest.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. against the Lutes.
 
QUOTABLE
"We are looking forward to getting the chance to play in our gym again," Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "PLU has proven themselves as one of the best teams in the Northwest Conference. They are solid defensively and are capable of putting up a lot of points on the offensive end."
 
SCOUTING PACIFIC LUTHERAN
The Lutes are 6-2 after an 84-47 win over Portland Bible on Tuesday. PLU is 2-0 in Northwest Conference play.
 
Three players scored 10 or more points against Portland Bible. Bandin Riedel led PLU with 20 points, while Sean McCurdy scored 17. Brett Williams tallied 11 points. McCurdy led the Lutes' rebounding effort, hauling in a dozen boards.
 
On the season, Seth Hall leads Pacific Lutheran in scoring. He averages 20.5 points and five rebounds per game. He's shooting just over 50-percent at 42-for-83 (50.6). From beyond the arc, Hall is shooting 36.4 percent and has taken 33 shots.
 
McCurdy (12.8) is second in scoring. He leads the rebounding for PLU pulling in 7.8 rebounds per game. He has also recorded six steals and 10 assists. From the floor, McCurdy is 40-for-69 (58.0).
 
The Lutes are shooting 50.6 percent as a team, while holding opponents to 38.7 percent. They average 79 points per game and allow just 65.88. They also out rebound opponents 42-30.9 on average. Pacific Lutheran has struggled at the free throw line, however, converting just 62.6 percent of their attempts.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats split last week's contests with Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. The Crimson and Black upended Falcons, who were the preseason pick to win the GNAC, before falling to the Yellowjackets.
 
The Falcons led by as many as 13 in the first half; a lead they put in place just six and a half minutes into the contest. The Crimson and Black chipped away at the Falcons' lead, dropping the deficit to five at the end of the half, 32-27.
 
A pair of big runs cemented the Wildcats' second half against the Falcons (4-4, 0-1 GNAC). They opened the back half with a 14-2 run, before a 15-2 run later in the half.
 
Xavier Smith tallied 10 points over the two runs. He finished with a team-leading 23 points on the evening. Smith went 8-for-17 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He also turned in four rebounds and one block.
 
Against the Yellowjackets, 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.
 
MASK MANDATE
Masks must be worn at all times while inside Nicholson Pavilion.