NAMPA, Idaho. – A heavily-battled contest saw the Central Washington University men's basketball team (8-5, 2-1 GNAC) fall in overtime 78-85 to the GNAC-leading Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks (10-1, 3-0 GNAC) on Saturday evening at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho.

Quoting Head Coach Brandon Rinta
"We had our chances to beat a very good NNU team tonight despite giving up too many offensive rebounds. There were a few key stops we needed to get down the stretch. This is the way it's going to be every night in conference."

Notable Stats

• Jordan Clark led the 'Cats in scoring, recording 20 points.
• Maverick Sanders led the team in rebounds with 11 total boards.
• Three Wildcats hit double figures in points with Clark (20 points), Garrett Anderson (16 points), and Cavin Holden (15 points).
• Every player for Central scored at least once for a team effort in the match.

First Half

• Both teams battled for the first few minutes before Northwest Nazarene got an edge and built an 11-4 lead.
• Central responded with an 8-point streak to take a 12-11 lead as both teams traded points throughout the first half.
• CWU trailed the Nighthawks closely until the 1:11 mark of the first half when Anderson hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 29-29.
• Ryzin Bergersen answered with a three-pointer of his own to finish the first half with Northwest Nazarene leading 32-29.

Second Half

• The second half continued the neck-and-neck battle between the teams.
• Neither team led by more than three points for the first 13 minutes of the second half.
• The Wildcats got an edge with 6:22 remaining as Anderson hit a three-pointer to take a 63-57 lead.
• Central held the lead for a minute before Kye Dickson hit a game-tying layup at 64-64.
• The 'Cats retook the lead and held it until there was 0:06 remaining as Sullivan Menard hit one free throw to tie it at 69-69.
• Clark had one last chance to heave a shot from half-court that fell short as the teams would need overtime to find a winner tied at 69-69.

Overtime

• Northwest Nazarene opened overtime with a pair of free throws but were answered by a three-pointer from Holden to put CWU up 72-71.
• The Nighthawks responded by scoring seven unanswered points to take a 78-72 lead with 1:53 remaining.
• Central fought to chip away at the lead, but NNU continued to score off free throws as they held to win 85-78, giving the 'Cats their first conference loss.

Up Next
The Wildcats continue their road trip as they travel north to Alaska to take on the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Thursday, Jan 9. Tip-off from the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PST.