ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team upset the West Region fourth-ranked Northwest Nazarene University with a strong second half showing.
 
The Wildcats (2-3) fell behind 6-0 in the first two minutes of play, before knocking down their first basket on a Matt Poquette jumper. The Nighthawks (10-4) held their initial advantage until Xavier Smith sunk a shot from deep, tying the score at 10-10 just 5:16 into the contest.
 
Northwest Nazarene pushed its offense, staking out an eight-point 22-14 lead midway through the half. Twenty seconds later, Jalai O'Keith's jumper started an 8-0 run for Central to level the score at 22-22. Kobe Terashima finally ended NNU's scoring drought on a layup with 7:48 left in the half.
 
The Nighthawks' offense clicked back into rhythm and edged away from the Wildcats, re-taking an eight-point differential with 3:08 left in the opening stanza. Another 8-0 followed from the Crimson and Black, this time ignited on a three from CJ Hyder. The half's final bucket came NNU's George Reidy, slipping the Nighthawks ahead of Central as the teams broke for intermission.
 
Despite trailing at the halfway point, the Wildcats outshot NNU from beyond the arc and in overall percentage. Central knocked down seven of their 13 attempts, while the Nighthawks managed just five. Overall, the Wildcats were 12-for-26 compared to NNU's 17-for-38.
 
Central and Northwest Nazarene each reeled in 14 defensive rebounds, but it was the offensive boards in the first half which made the difference. The Nighthawks claimed seven first half offensive boards, while the 'Cats managed just one.
 
For the first time this season the Wildcats' offense less than half of their first half points from inside the paint. Central scored 16 in the key.
 
The Crimson and Black found the right gear in the second half, outscoring the Nighthawks 56-43.
 
As if there weren't enough eight-points lead in the first half, Northwest Nazarene spent the first seven and a half minutes of the second half re-establishing that very lead, 57-49. This time, however, there was not an 8-0 run in the deck for the 'Cats. The Nighthawks' lead held, but Central was determined to chip away. Back-to-back buckets from O'Keith tied the game with 9:18 left, 61-61.
 
Poquette followed suit with a layup for the Crimson and Black's first lead of the game. A quick response from Reidy levelled the score at 63-63, the final time the contest would see a deadlock.
 
A three from Micah Pollard gave the Wildcats a 66-63 edge. From then on, Central forced the Nighthawks to chase the lead.
 
The Crimson and Black notched their largest lead of the night, with 45 seconds remaining, 92-76 on an emphatic dunk from Marqus Gilson.
 
Central shot 64.5 percent from the floor in the second stanza, including a 7-for-10 mark from deep and a 9-for-11 mark at the charity stripe. They outrebounded Northwest Nazarene 15-11, including a 4-3 edge in offensive rebounds. The Wildcat reserves scored 38 points in just the second half.
 
"That was a good win for our team," CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said afterward. "NNU is a very good team with a ton of depth. I was impressed with the poise our team showed and the adjustments they were able to make throughout the game. We got down eight twice in the first half and three times in the second half and they kept fighting."
 
Five players reached double digit scoring for Central Washington, as Hyder led the way with 18 points. Gilson and Colby Gennett each recorded 14, while Pquette notched a dozen, and Smith recorded 11. Both Gennett and Poquette finished the contest not missing from the floor, going 4-for-4 and 5-for-5 respectively. Three of Gennett's four baskets came from three-point land.
 
"It helps when you shoot it that well from three, but we did a better job of finding our shooters in the half court and in transition," Rinta added. "Everyone that played tonight stepped up and made plays at one point or another."
 
Central and Northwest Nazarene play again tomorrow (March 6) in Nicholson Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
"It's challenging playing good teams on back to back days," Rinta noted. "Hopefully we can bring that same energy and end our season on a positive note tomorrow."