ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington men's basketball (5-10, 1-5 GNAC) looks to build on their win against Alaska Fairbanks heading into a conference road matchup against Northwest Nazarene (6-8, 3-3 GNAC) Saturday, January 14^th at 6 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Jan. 14th
6:00 PM
At. Northwest Nazarene University
Johnson Sports Center
Nampa, Idaho
WATCH
LIVE STATS
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"NNU is a very physical team that plays tough defense. They are also one of the best rebounding teams in the conference."

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats earned their first Conference victory last Saturday 78-66 over Alaska Fairbanks. CWU dominated the first half. The 'Cats opened the game with a 12-4 run and backed that up with a 13-0 run which included two threes from Colby Gennett and a slam from Matt Poquette extending the lead to 28-6. Brock Gilbert hit a three in the final minutes punctuating a sensational first half. At the break the 'Cats led 41-23.

The Second half was a battle as the 'Cats saw their lead shrink to only two. Poise, smart plays, and execution in the last seven minutes secured Central Washington's first GNAC victory.

Brock Gilbert led the 'Cats putting up a season-high 18 points to go with 8 assists. Gilbert went 5-7 from the field nailing three from behind the arc. Additionally, McNeil scored 16, Gennett had 12, and Samaad Hector contributed 10.
 
SCOUTING THE NIGHTHAWKS
Northwest Nazarene is 6-8 overall and 3-3 in GNAC play. The Nighthawks are coming off a two-game win streak, beating Alaska Fairbanks (72-62) and Alaska Anchorage (48-47).

In their most recent win against Alaska Anchorage, Northwest Nazarene struggled in the first half. NNU shot 34.7 % from the field and UAA shot 36%. The subpar offense from both squads led to a 28-24 advantage for Anchorage at the break. The Nighthawks battled back in the second half and finally took the 38-37 lead courtesy of a Tru Allen and one. UAA got back within striking distance, but a missed three in the final minute and a turnover gave Northwest Nazarene the 48-47 victory.

Tru Allen led the Nighthawks scoring 11 points and converting 4-6 from the charity stripe. Ryzin Bergersen put up 9 points and Gabriel Murphy chipped in 7. Murphy led the team in rebounds securing 11 boards.

Northwest Nazarene Shot 36.7% from the field, made 5 threes, and converted 7-10 free throws.
 
WILDCAT STATS
Central Washington has three players averaging over 10 points a game: McNeil 15.5, Poquette 12.4, and Hector 11.1. On the glass, Poquette and Hector haul in 6.8 and 6.2 boards per game respectively. Freddy Brown III leads CWU in free throw percentage shooting 92.3%.

From Beyond the arc, Camron McNeil shoots 43.8% and has made 32 threes so far this season. Brock Gilbert leads the GNAC in assists (83) dishing out 6.4 per game.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Wildcats travel to face rivals Western Washington (9-6, 2-3 GNAC) on January 19^th at 7:00 p.m. CWU then travels to play Simon Fraser (5-10, 0-5 GNAC) on Saturday, January 21^st at 7:00 p.m.