ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (8-4, 2-0 GNAC) finished the first half of the season with a blowout win over Lincoln University (1-8) Thursday night, defeating the Oaklanders 102-61 in Nicholson Arena.

Quoting Head Coach Brandon Rinta
"We did a good job on Lincoln defensively in the first half. We have to continue to take steps on that end of the floor. The team did a great job of moving the ball all night. They played very well together with 28 assists on 63 percent shooting."

Notable Stats

• Garrett Anderson led the team in scoring, recording 22 points.
• Jamari Harris had a strong performance on defense, leading the 'Cats with a career-high six steals.
• Calvin Sisk led in rebounds with seven total boards.
• Bradley Swillie showed up in the assists department, leading the team with six assists.
• Anderson and Mitch Brizee led the team in blocks with two swats each.

First Half

• The Wildcats didn't take long to get ahead, going on a 9-2 run to start the game.
• Joshua Russ hit a three to make things interesting as the Oaklanders trailed 5-9.
• The 'Cats responded with an eight-point run to lead 17-5.
• The Crimson and Black continued to apply pressure and build on its lead to close the first half leading 48-22.

Second Half

• The second half opened with the same momentum from Central, getting a three-pointer from Anderson fifteen seconds into the half.
• The Wildcats maintained momentum, building their lead to 72-39.
• The Oaklanders showed spurts of good play as Laolu Kalejaiye continued to find scoring opportunities.
• CWU found itself in foul trouble early in the half, leading to the Oaklanders being in the bonus for most of the second half.
• The 'Cats were able to keep the foul trouble from hurting too much as they kept scoring to ultimately win the game 102-61.

Up Next
The Wildcats will return from Winter Break on Saturday, Jan 4 when they travel to Nampa, Idaho to take on the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks to continue the GNAC season. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. MST from the Johnson Sports Center.