ELLENSBURG, WASH.- Central Washington Men's basketball returns to Ellensburg, opening GNAC play against Western Oregon (3-2 overall) and 19^th-ranked Saint Martin's (5-1 overall) this week at Ellensburg High School.

GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, Dec. 1st
8:30 PM
Vs. Western Oregon University
Ellensburg High School
Ellensburg, Wash.
                                      
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Dec. 3
7:30 PM
Vs. Saint Martin's University
Ellensburg High School
Ellensburg, Wash.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"We are opening conference play with two good teams who have played really well in the preseason. Both these teams have a lot of returners from last year. Western Oregon is big and athletic, while St. Martins is extremely skilled."
 
SCOUTING WESTERN OREGON
Western Oregon is currently 3-2 overall. Most recently the Wolves picked up two wins at the Ron Logsdon Basketball Challenge: 83-72 against Stanislaus State and 93-70 against Sonoma State. The wolves are coming off a 58-64 loss to Western New Mexico University. Western Oregon's leading scorers are Cameron Cranston 15 PPG, John Morrill Keeler 13.6 ppg, Cameron Benzel 13 ppg, and Yosani Clay 12 ppg. Cameron Benzel leads the team in boards with 33, while Qiant Myers orchestrates the offense and has 30 assists so far this season.
In their win against Sonoma State, Cranston, and Morrill Keeler both scored 20 points and were perfect from the charity stripe. Clay added 16 and Myers scored 13. Benzel did great work on the glass hauling in 10 boards. The Wolves used a dominant second half, scoring 52 points, to secure the victory.
 
SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S
Saint Martin's is currently ranked 19^th with a 5-1 record. The Saints had their four-game win streak snapped last Friday 73-78 by Academy of Art. Saint Martin's leading scorers are Branden Bunn and Kyle Greeley, both averaging 14.3 points per game. Tyke Thompson leads the team on the glass with 38 rebounds. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner leads the team with 26 assists.

In their most recent 70-49 victory against Evergreen State, Kyle Greeley and Champ Spencer scored 11 and 10 points respectively. Tyke Thompson corralled 9 boards for the Saints. Saint Martin's used large runs, 30 second chance points, and 42 points in the paint to get the win.
 
YOUR WILDCATS
The Wildcats fell in both contests at the NNU Thanksgiving Classic this past weekend. Late heroics from Camron McNeil wasn't enough to complete the comeback against Midwestern State. Lights-out shooting and sustained offense in the second half led to the victory for Azusa Pacific on Saturday. The 'Cats leading scorers are Camron McNeil averaging 15.2 ppg, Matt Poquette averaging 11.3 ppg, and Samaad Hector averaging 9.2 ppg. Poquette leads the team in rebounds with 7.2 per game. Isaiah Banks and Brock Gilbert are orchestrating the Wildcat's offense, Banks and Gilbert have 2.5 and 3 assists per game respectively.

The 'Cats will work to open up GNAC play with a pair of wins.