ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington men's basketball beat Seattle Pacific 90-76 in the first round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference on Thursday night.
Samaad Hector scored a CWU career-high 24 points and collected eight rebounds, and
Maverick Sanders put up 17 points. The 'Cats shut down defense in the final 10 minutes of the game helped secure the first round victory.
QUOTABLE
"We had three close battles with those guys early in the season. The game at their place came down to the final possession, and it looked like that was going to happen again here tonight with ten minutes left when they tied it up. Defensively, our guys found another level down the stretch which enabled us to get separation and the win" said Head Coach
Brandon Rinta.
Rinta added, "I want to credit
Cavin Holden and the energy he brought tonight he really sparked us. Maverick came up with some big buckets, and we were able to go inside to him. For Brad, Jello, Cavin, and Cam to come up with 13 assists and only three turnovers, their ability to help us move the basketball was big tonight."
When asked about the three he hit to break the 62-62 tie Jello said, "It was a pivotal moment in the game I work on that shot every day and Cam hit me right in my pocket and I felt like it was a great shot to shoot."
Hector spoke about the great atmosphere in Nicholson Arena. "It was super fun, I just want to credit the fans because they have shown support through 15 home games this year and we wouldn't be able to be here, do this, and perform at this level without them so I just want to thank them."
NOTABLE STATS
- Samaad Hector scored 24 points and led four Wildcats in double figures. Sanders scored 17 points, and Anjaylo Lloyd and Cavin Holden each put up 13 points.
- The Wildcats shot 57.8% from the floor compared to the Falcons 42.9%.
- The Cats were +14 in points in the paint, scoring 46.
- Shaw Anderson wrapped up his prolific career at Seattle Pacific by scoring a game-high 28 points on 10-25 from the field, four threes, and four free throws.
FIRST HALF
- Seattle Pacific controlled the pace of the game for the opening 4 minutes. The Falcons nailed back-to-back threes; Shaw Anderson's straight away triple put the Falcons up 20-12 with 14:54 to go in the half.
- Central Washington answered with three straight layups that cut the deficit to two. Then, Camron McNeil drove the baseline elevated and threw down a ferocious dunk. McNeil's slam ignited the crowd and swung the momentum in favor of the 'Cats.
- The crimson and black strung together a pair of runs to close out the half. The 'Cats started with a 7-0 run that gave them the lead. Central Washington followed up that scoring stretch with a 10-0 run. Clark, Lloyd, and Swillie all contributed and nailed jumpers, which put CWU up 39-30 with 2:32 remaining.
- McNeil threaded a pass to Sanders and Maverick scored a three, giving the 'Cats a 44-36 lead at halftime.
SECOND HALF
- Hector hit an early three from the elbow to keep the 'Cats lead at eight and a few possessions later, Jordan Clark followed that up with a fadeaway jumper.
- The Falcons didn't go away and used an 11-4 run to claw back and tie the game up at 62. The deep ball highlighted Seattle Pacific's rally, as they made three from beyond the arc. Maui Sze's triple tied the game at 62 with 9:15 left in the half.
- This was a key moment in the game. The momentum was in Seattle Pacific's favor, but if the 'Cats could score and get the crowd back in it, that could halt the comeback. This is exactly what happened. On the next possession, McNeil passed it to Jello who buried the three, which squashed Seattle Pacific's momentum and got the crowd back into it.
- Sanders scored on three straight trips down the floor. His 17th point of the night, kick started the 'Cats 13-2 run, which put CWU in control with 16-point advantage in the late stages of the game.
- Hector's back-to-back dunks sent the crowd into a frenzy and sealed the first round victory for the Wildcats.
UP NEXT
- Central Washington faces the #1 seed and regular season champs Montana State Billings in the semifinals tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.
