YAKIMA, Washington – Central Men's Basketball claimed the 87-59 victory over Walla Walla University on Monday night at Yakima Valley Community College.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"I felt like we started off a little bit tight, a little slow tonight, but about five minutes in we were able to knock some shots down. I thought Cam got us going a little bit and then the rest of the starters followed. I thought for the most part our starters carried us tonight. Brock and Isaiah did a great job getting everyone involved combining for 13 assists. Matt and Samaad did a great job rebounding and scoring when the opportunity presented itself and then Cam was really good offensively tonight making shots for us."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams started slowly with missed shots and turnovers. Camron McNeil got the game started with a layup. McNeil got hot, scoring 7 points in one minute and 30 seconds. Walla Walla hit jumpers to stay within striking distance. The Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run capped off by an alley-oop from Isaiah Banks to Samaad Hector who slammed it home. With 13:14 left in the first half CWU led 18-8. McNeil converted a layup to put the 'Cats up 11, 28-17 with 5:19 left. The Wolves came alive in the last five minutes with an 8-2 run ending with a Britt Murray layup. At the break, the Wildcats led 38-31.  

After a foul, Hector opened the second half with two made three throws. Jumpers from Caleb Golden and Jordyn Perez cut the deficit to 5, 50-45 with 18:24 left in the 2^nd. The 'Cats would add four more free throws extending the lead. Next, CWU found an offensive rhythm going on a 14-2 run which included a slam from Matt Poquette. CWU kept up the defensive pressure, which led to a scoreless 4:09 span for the Wolves. McNeil converted a jumper to give the 'Cats a 59-41 advantage with 11:50 remaining. Rebounds, fast breaks, and free throw shooting earned CWU the 87-59 win.

Camron McNeil led the offense scoring 23 points on 10-15 from the field and hitting three from deep. Samaad Hector recorded a double-double scoring 15 to go with a game-high, 10 rebounds. The Wildcats used the charity stripe to help pull away in the second half going 17-23. The 'Cats had 41 fast break points, 56 points in the paint, and 28 bench points.

In the loss, Ethan Ford led Walla Walla scoring 15 points. Britt Murray led the Wolves on the boards with 6 rebounds. Walla Walla shot 36.9% from the field, 22% from beyond the arc, and shot 71% from the line making five free throws.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Wildcats travel to Billings Montana to take on Montana State Billings on Thursday, December 29^th, at 4:15 p.m. This starts the slate of GNAC games for CWU. In addition to MSUB, the 'Cats will face Seattle Pacific, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Fairbanks.