LACEY, Wash. – Appearing in their first GNAC Championship game since 2011, Central Washington University men's basketball fell to No. 10 Alaska 72-57.
"Fairbanks was on a roll this whole tournament," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "We've been one of the best rebounding teams in the conference all year. Tonight they really hurt us in that category. Matt carried us toinght offensively."
Matt Poquette led the Wildcats' (17-9) offense, tallying 25 points. He scored 15 in the first half and accounted for over 50 percent of Central's offense in the opening 20 minutes of play. He was the only Wildcat to finish in double digits.
Central was out rebounded 45-28, including a 13-5 margin in offensive boards.
Both Alaska (12-14) and Central sputtered offensively in the first half. The first six minutes of play resulted in just 14 combined points with UAF claiming a 10-4 lead.
The first nine points scored by the Crimson and Black all came from Poquette.
Marqus Gilson had the first non-Poquette basket for the 'Cats, bringing the score to 18-11 UAF with 7:51 remaining.
Trailing 22-14, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 to cut the Nanooks' lead to 22-20. A three from Coleman Sparling in response pushed Alaska's lead to five, 25-20.
Amari Stafford drained a three of his own before Poquette tied the game at 25-25 with 1:34 left before halftime. A layup from Willie Thomas III put UAF ahead 27-25 with under a minute to play.
A defensive rebound from Stafford with just a few seconds remaining gave the Wildcats one last chance for points. He found Smith, who unleashed a 65-footer to give the 'Cats their first and only lead of the half. Central went into the locker room with a 28-27 lead.
The first four minutes of the second half was a see-saw affair, the lead changing hands as the Nanooks and Wildcats traded baskets. A layup from Gilson tied the game at 34-34 with 15:36 left in regulation.
Alaska went on a 7-0 run, staking out a 41-34 lead. A three from
Micah Pollard ended the unanswered run but four additional points from Alaska made it 45-37.
Poquette, Gilson, and
David Thompson combined to cut the Nanooks' lead to three, 45-42, with just under 11 minutes to go in regulation. Alaska used another 7-0 to push their lead to double digits for the time in the half, 52-42.
In the final seven minutes of the contest, the Wildcats shot just 4-for-14. Three of their baskets came from beyond the arc as they were outscored 19-13.
Xavier Smith recorded six points in the final seven minutes, while Stafford tallied three. Poquette and
Colby Gennett both scored two points during the same timeframe.
After committing just five fouls in the first half, the Wildcats accumulated their seventh foul with 5:21 to play. Just over a minute later, they hit their 10
th foul of the half. Alaska shot 10-for-11 from the free throw line in the final five and a half minutes of the contest.
The Wildcats' postseason fate hangs in the balance with the DII Selection Show scheduled for 7:30 pm PT tomorrow (March 6).
