ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington men's basketball trounced Western Washington on Thursday night in Nicholson Arena taking the 97-75 rivalry victory. The 'Cats used a 16-4 run in the second half to stretch their lead to 24 and out of Western Washington's reach. Samaad Hector put up a double-double in the win, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Seth Dawson had a great night. He scored a season-high 17 points and added six assists.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"Thank you to all the students and fans that came out tonight to create an electric environment in the PAV. The team really fed off their energy. The team did a great job of coming out and setting the tone defensively. WWU is one of the best offensive teams in the country. Holding them to 42% from the floor and 27% from three was a big step for this team."

Rinta added, "Offensively Samaad did a great job of coming out and making his presence felt inside. We had a handful of guys play well offensively. A big part of that was our ball movement. Seth, Jello, and Jordan led us combining for 12 assists."  

NOTABLE STATS

• Jello scored 18 points, made four threes, and collected six rebounds. Dawson put up 17 points to go with six assists and Camron McNeil added 12 points.
• The 'Cats shot 57% from the floor and held Western to 42%.
• Central Washington dominated physically the whole game and scored 56 points in the paint.

FIRST HALF

• Samaad Hector scored the first two baskets for the 'Cats as Central opened the game on a 12-9 run. Maverick Sanders got the crowd going with a thunderous dunk.
• Western Washington pushed back and got the score within three, but Central Washington responded with a 10-0 run, which put them up 30-17 with 10:04 left. The run was highlighted by Jello's shot fake that sent his defender flying past him before he knocked down the triple.
• Hector's ferocious dunk put an exclamation point on the half as the Wildcats took the 52-36 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF

• Western Washington started the half on an 8-4 run. Will Wilson made a hustle play, capitalizing on an offensive rebound and made the layup.
• Colby Gennett got the crowd back in it when he drove the lane and finished through contact.
• Just when it looked like WWU was going to climb back into the game, Central Washington went on a 16-4 run to extend the lead to 24, with 11:38 remaining.
• Camron McNeil and Jordan Clark put the cherry on top of the 'Cats home win sinking back-to-back threes to sink the Vikings.

UP NEXT

• Central Washington takes this momentum into Saturday's game against Simon Fraser in Nicholson Arena at 6 p.m.