MONMOUTH, Ore. – Central Washington men's basketball won their GNAC opener 81-67 on Thursday night against Western Oregon. The Wildcats outhustled the Wolves from start to finish.
Samaad Hector secured his second double-double of the season, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"I really liked the way we came out at the beginning of the game tonight. That set the tone for the entire night. Mitch and Samaad were great inside and Seth did a really good job of creating for his teammates. Brad and Cam came up with some big baskets for us."
NOTABLE STATS
- CWU shot 51% from the floor, made seven from beyond the arc, and converted 16 from the free throw line.
- Bradley Swillie scored 18 points, Camron McNeil put up 16 points, and Mitch Brizee had 10.
- Seth Dawson accounted for six of the Wildcat's 16 assists. The crimson and black had eight blocks and 12 fast break points.
- For Western Oregon, Qiant Myers scored 21 points and Jason Gallant chipped in 16.
FIRST HALF
- Central Washington started out hot. Bradley Swillie hit a three and the 'Cats went on an early 9-0 run. Mekhi McIntyre made a layup with 11:42 left to cap off the Wolves 13-7 run that brought them within three.
- Swillie found his rhythm and hit back-to-back jumpers, which gave him nine points on the night and extended Central Washington's lead to nine, 26-17.
- The final eight minutes of the half was the Samaad Hector show. Hector cashed in two layups and battled hard inside. His effort in the paint earned him two trips to the free-throw line where he went 4-4. Hector finished the half with 19 points.
- Central Washington led 41-31 at the half.
SECOND HALF
- Both teams traded baskets in the opening five minutes. A layup from Qiant Myers cut Central Washington's lead to seven.
- Swillie found cashed two in a row from distance, which gave Central Washington momentum going into the under-12 media timeout.
- The threes continued as Camron McNeil hit two and followed that up with a jumper. McNeil's offense sparked the 'Cats and kept the Wolves at bay.
- Samaad Hector slammed the door shut with a baseline three late in the game, that put Central Washington up ten. Seth Dawson, Bradley Swillie, and Jordan Clark all converted their late free throws to secure the Wildcat's first GNAC win.
UP NEXT
- Central Washington stays on the road traveling to Lacey, Washington to face #6 Saint Martin's on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
