ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (11-5, 5-1 GNAC) returned home to Nicholson Arena for the first time in 2025 and defeated Seattle Pacific University (7-10, 3-3 GNAC) 82-61 Thursday night.
Quoting Head Coach Brandon Rinta
"Our guys did a great job of making adjustments on both sides of the ball tonight. We were able to get the momentum in the second half once it clicked. They did a great job of taking care of the basketball fighting for great shots."
Notable Stats
- Cavin Holden led the 'Cats in scoring with 23 total points.
- Four players scored in double-digits for the Wildcats including Holden, Jordan Clark (16), Bradley Swillie (13), and Maverick Sanders (11).
- Central was playing a strong rebounding game with eight players recording multiple boards led by Sanders with eight total rebounds.
First Half
- Both teams started the game evenly for the first ten minutes as the score would be tied multiple times.
- CWU got the first edge and built a 22-18 lead.
- SPU retied the game at 26-26 after trading points for about three minutes.
- The Wildcats pulled away once more to lead 31-26.
- The Falcons answered with an 8-4 run to close the first half with a 35-34 lead for Central.
Second Half
- The 'Cats came out strong to start the second half, going on an 11-2 run to lead 46-36.
- Seattle Pacific responded with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to three.
- CWU stopped the run and flipped the momentum, scoring 11 unanswered points to keep the lead out of reach.
- SPU attempted to cut down the lead and got within eight points before Central scored seven more points to lead 66-51.
- The Falcons fought to try and come back, but the damage had been done as the Crimson and Black closed it out with a Mitch Brizee block and a three-pointer from Swillie to put the icing on the cake with the Wildcats winning the game 82-61.
Up Next
The Wildcats are back this Saturday, Jan 18 when they take on the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets. Tip-off from Nicholson is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
