ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington men's basketball hits the road this week for a pair of conference matchups. The 'Cats travel to face Seattle Pacific on Thursday and then head to Montana, to play the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA
"The team finished the first half of conference strong. Now we need to go prove we are capable of playing that way on the road. SPU and MSUB are tough places to win. We are excited for the challenge."

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
This is the second time these teams have met this season. Central Washington won the first matchup 73-66 in Nicholson Arena. Camron McNeil had a great game scoring a season high 21 points shooting 8-12 from the field.

The Falcons are 11-11 overall and 4-5 in GNAC play, putting them seventh in the conference one game behind Western Washington. Seattle Pacific suffered two setbacks last week losing to #3 Saint Martin's 89-71 and Montana State Billings 81-75. Shaw Anderson had the best week for the Falcons. He averaged 20 points and didn't miss a free throw, making five against the Saints and nine straight in Billings.

Anderson isn't just about scoring; he leads the Falcons with 53 assists this season and on the defensive end has 14 blocks. Three other players are averaging double digits for Seattle Pacific: Julian Mora 11.8 ppg, Owen Moriarty 10.8 ppg, and Trace Evans 10.5 ppg.

Kyle Luttinen is the Falcon's deep threat. Luttinen has made 49 threes this season. The second closest player is Anderson, who made 39.

Seattle Pacific is averaging 74.4 points and 33.2 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS
Montana State Billings is the best team in the GNAC boasting an 8-1 conference record. The Yellowjackets beat Western Oregon 69-60 two weeks ago and picked up a six point victory over Seattle Pacific last Saturday. Jalen Tot had a phenomenal game against Seattle Pacific scoring 27 points and connecting on four threes.

Tot leads MSUB averaging 14.8 ppg and is shooting over 47% from the floor. Three other Yellowjackets are averaging double digits: Daniel Moody 13.5 ppg, Zharon Richmond 12.1 ppg, and Famous Lefthand 11.1 ppg.

Moody is the Yellowjackets best rebounder and shot blocker. Moody averages 8.3 boards per contest and has 19 denials this season.
The Yellowjackets average 75.4 ppg and 8.6 threes per contest.

LAST TIME OUT
Central Washington extended their winning streak to four with two wins last week. The 'Cats dismantled rivals Western Washington 97-75 on Thursday and defended Nicholson again on Saturday, beating Simon Fraser 92-68.

Samaad Hector had a fantastic week that earned him GNAC Player of the Week Honors. He had a season-high 23 points to go along with 13 rebounds against Western Washington, before adding 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' victory over Simon Fraser. Hector leads the GNAC in rebounds averaging 8.6 boards per game.

Anjaylo Lloyd leads the 'Cats in scoring averaging 14.3 points per game and has made 42 threes. Jello went on a hot streak from the free throw line where he made 36 straight. He made all three of his free throws in November against Cal State LA and didn't miss his next 33 attempts over 14 games. The streak ended when Jello missed a free throw against Simon Fraser.  

Camron McNeil, Bradley Swillie, and Maverick Sanders are all key scorers for the 'Cats. When they are scoring along with Jello and Hector, the 'Cats are a tough team to beat.

UP NEXT
The crimson and black return home next week to play Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage.