ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (6-7, 0-2 GNAC) opens the second half of the season on Saturday, Jan. 3 as the Wildcats take on Northwest Nazarene (8-3, 2-0 GNAC) as the GNAC rolls into conference play.
GAME INFORMATION
SATURDAY, 1/3/2026 vs RV NORTHWEST NAZARENE
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HISTORY
PREVIOUSLY FOR THE 'CATS
Central enters the new year going 6-4 in its nonconference slate, while dropping the first two conference matchups to Simon Fraser 73-89, and Western Washington 95-97. In the Wildcats' last two games of the first half of the season, they defeated Evergreen State 92-72 on Dec. 13, before falling to Northwest 76-82. The Eagles found success from beyond the arc to produce a second-half run that took the lead and held on to defeat the 'Cats.
Bradley Swillie led the 'Cats, offensively, with 44 total points in the last two games, followed by
Jalen Childs with 29, and
Garrett Marrs with 27. Childs in shooting percentage, going 13-23 for .565 from the field.
Chae Haynes dominated the glass with 21 total rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, while also recording two blocks. Swillie led the passing game with nine total assists, while Childs rounded out the stats with five steals.
ABOUT THE NIGHTHAWKS
Northwest Nazarene opened the season strong, posting an 8-3 overall record, while going 2-0 in GNAC play early on. The Nighthawks' three losses came in competitive games. NNU suffered a one-point loss to Cal Poly Humboldt 64-65 on Nov. 21. The Nighthawks then dropped a home game to Western New Mexico 79-84 on Dec. 15, followed by their third loss at Adams State, falling to the Grizzlies 90-100 on Dec. 19.
The Nighthawks are led by Easton Reagan with 232 points for an average of 21.1 per game, while also shooting .558 from the field. Briggs Ranstrom has a strong awareness on the court, leading the team in rebounds with 65, assists with 24, and steals with 21. Michael Day guards the net well, recording 19 blocks to lead the Nighthawks.
The Wildcats and Nighthawks hit the court on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tip-off from Nicholson Arena is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
