FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Two Wildcats tallied career-high scoring efforts but it wasn't enough as the Central Washington University (8-3, 2-2 GNAC) men's basketball team fell to the University of Alaska (4-7, 1-4 GNAC), 97-95.
Xavier Smith and David Thompson recorded career highs with 29 points each. They represented over half of the Wildcats' scoring.
The Wildcats shot 44.6 percent from the floor and 23-for-26 at the charity stripe. The rebounding battle finished deadlocked at 38-38.
A slow start to the Wildcats' offense saw the Crimson and Black trail by as many as a dozen in the first half. An 11-4 run for the Nanooks put them ahead 21-9 with just under nine minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Three minutes later, the Wildcats put together a 11-0 run of their own to bring the game back level.
A layup from Marqus Gilson open the run in which the Wildcats went 4-for-4 from the field and was capped by a pair of free throws by Smith to level the game at 26-26. He tallied six of CWU's 11 points in the run. Alaska and Central traded buckets for the remainder of the half, closing with Fairbanks taking a 34-32 lead into the locker room.
Smith finished with a career-high 29 points, eclipsing the 26 he scored against Bushnell on December 20.
Central took their second lead of the contest with a pair of free throws from Smith, 47-45, with over 13 minutes left in regulation. Smith's free throws came after the Wildcats had found themselves down by nine in the first six minutes of the second. The Crimson and Black used another 11-0 run to go ahead by two. Smith scored nine of Central's 11 points.
The Wildcats' lead held until a three from Kolby Huerta brought it back to level, 59-59. The Nanooks used a 14-9 run, including a 2-for-4 mark from beyond the arc. They went 4-for-7 overall in the run and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Trading buckets through the second half, the final five minutes started with a 70-70 tie. The Nanooks made the next two buckets, taking a 75-70 lead. The Wildcats' bench became a player shorter, as Gilson fouled out with 4:37 left in play.
Despite fouling out, Gilson finished third in scoring for Central with 16 points.
A jumper from Matt Poquette brought the 'Cats within three, before a long-range two from Smith made it 75-74 under three minutes left in the contest. The Crimson and Black claimed a one-point lead on a jumper from Thompson, but a pair of free throws from Shadeed Shabazz tied the game again. Regulation wasn't enough, after 40 minutes the score sat level 78-78.
The back and forth continued into the early moments of the overtime period. The Nanooks staked out a six-point lead with two minutes remaining. The Wildcats were sent to the line twice and went 4-for-4, before a dunk from Colby Gennett made it 94-92.
With 20 seconds left, Poquette went to the line and knocked down one, cutting the deficit to one, 94-93. A free throw from Shabazz put the Nanooks ahead by two, by Thompson knocked down a jumper to square the game, 95-95.
Alaska took possession with with just seconds remaining. Shabazz drove the lane and converted a layup, putting the Nanooks ahead for the victory.
Central Washington is back in action on Thursday (Jan. 20) when they host Saint Martin's at 7:30 p.m.
