ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington men's basketball 11-5, 4-3 GNAC faces archrival Western Washington 12-6, 4-3 GNAC in Nicholson Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. The 'Cats then host GNAC rival Simon Fraser 3-15, 1-6 GNAC on Saturday at 6 p.m.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"This week caps off the first half of conference play. The crowds have been great at home so far. We are looking forward to building on that home court environment with the two big games in the PAV. People are catching on that this is a fun and exciting team to watch." 

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Western Washington picked up two wins last week over the Alaska Schools. The Vikings took the 92-83 win over Anchorage on Thursday and then put up 119 in their 27-point victory against Fairbanks. Western Washington is 12-6 overall and 4-6 in GNAC play, which has them ranked 5^th in the conference.

WWU is leading the GNAC in scoring, putting up 94.6 points per game. The Vikings offense runs through Kai Johnson, who is averaging 22.1 points per game and is shooting 55% from the floor. Johnson had back-to-back 29-point nights last week against the Alaska Schools.

The Vikings have five other players averaging double digit scoring this season. Nic Welp is the team's best rebounder hauling in 7.4 per game. Jonathan Ned and Will Wilson are the sharpshooters for The Vikings. In 17 games, Ned has sunk 39 from deep and Wilson has made 33.

SCOUTING THE RED LEAFS
Simon Fraser split games last week. The Red Leaf's beat Alaska Fairbanks 89-61 on Thursday before falling 71-49 to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Simon Fraser is 3-15 overall, 1-6 in conference play, and 10^th in the GNAC.

The Red Leafs offensive spark comes from Elliot Dimaculangan. He averages 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In his 17 starts, Dimaculangan has made 29 threes and leads the team from beyond the arc.

Senior Guard David Penny is averaging 10.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Penny is the floor general for the Red Leafs and has 56 assists this season.

Simon Fraser has three players with double digit blocks: Sasha Vujisic (13), Zach Stone (17), and Georges Lefebvre (17).

MATCHUP HISTORY
The Wildcats swept the Vikings last year picking up a win in Bellingham before earning an electric 86-81 overtime victory in Nicholson Arena. CWU is 96-71 all time against WWU.

Central Washington has won five in a row against Simon Fraser. The 'Cats are 64-21 all time against the Red Leafs. The crimson and black prevailed in the latest matchup last February where they won 77-75.

LAST TIME OUT
Central Washington is on a two-game win streak. The 'Cats won last week defeating the defending GNAC Champions Northwest Nazarene 82-58. Anjaylo Lloyd and Jordan Clark combined for 52 points. Lloyd scored 32 and went a staggering 7-8 from beyond the arc. Clark scored 20 points and went 7-10 from the free throw line.

Camron McNeil scored 12 points and had two steals and two assists. Samaad Hector made a defensive impact. He grabbed nine rebounds and had four blocks.

Central Washington had 17 assists and made 12 free throws in the win. The 'Cats will work to continue sharing the ball and finding was to get to the charity stripe as they gear up for a showdown with their rivals on Thursday.

UP NEXT
Central Washington hits the road for a pair of GNAC matchups next week. The 'Cats face Seattle Pacific on Thursday and then travel to Billings, Montana to take on MSUB on Saturday.