ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (14-6, 8-2 GNAC) defeated Northwest Nazarene University (14-4, 7-3 GNAC) off a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Maverick Sanders, beating the Nighthawks 91-88 in front of a rowdy Nicholson Arena crowd Saturday night.

Quoting Head Coach Brandon Rinta
"I would say that game delivered with the two teams playing for first. NNU is a very good team. It took everything we had to beat them tonight. Our guys were incredible from three tonight. Obviously, those last shots were big, but everyone stepped up and made shots all night long. Mavericks seven rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks were big. Jamari gave us a big boost off the bench with his four threes."

Notable Stats

• Garrett Anderson led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 total points.
• Central's offense was very proficient with seven Wildcats scoring double-digits. They include Anderson, Cavin Holden (14), Sanders (13), Jordan Clark (12), Mitch Brizee (12), Jamari Harris (12), and Bradley Swillie (11).
• Sanders also led in rebounds with seven boards and blocks with four.

First Half

• Northwest Nazarene gets out to an early jump, scoring seven straight points to open the game.
• Holden hit a three-pointer to get the 'Cats on the board, but NNU answered with a three-pointer to make it 10-3.
• Both teams traded points as the Nighthawks held a steady lead to make the score 25-13 with 11:36 remaining in the half.
• Central caught a stride and scored eight straight points to cut the lead to four.
• NNU answered with four straight points but were answered with six points as the Wildcats trailed 27-29.
• The Nighthawks hit a layup, and Anderson responded with a three-pointer to make it a one-point game. Anderson took a fastbreak off a Swillie steal and got a layup to take the 32-31 lead.
• The teams traded the lead for the next few minutes as the game became a heated competition.
• Then with four seconds left in the half, Jordan Clark hit a pair of free throws to take a 44-43 lead for the 'Cats to take into halftime.

Second Half

• CWU opens the second half with a 12-point run to lead 56-43.
• The Nighthawks responded with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to six.
• The Wildcats held a steady lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
• NNU began to chip away at the lead, as Central tried to keep the lead out of reach as the score remained within five points.
• Kye Dickson then scored six straight points to tie the game at 78-78. Dickson scored 30 points total in the game.
• The teams then traded the lead for the remainder of the game and Jordan Clark hit a layup with 0:31 remaining to tie it at 83-83 as the teams would go to overtime.

Overtime

• Overtime started with both teams going cold for the first 2:46 before Dickson hit a free-throw to lead 84-83.
• Both teams traded free throws and the lead down to the final minute.
• With 0:24 remaining and trailing by one, Anderson hit a contested three-pointer to take the 88-86 lead.
• Dickson answered for NNU with a putback dunk to tie it at 88-88 with 0:12 remaining.
• The Wildcats then raced back up the court, but Northwest Nazarene played a strong defensive performance. Sanders got the ball on the corner of the key with two seconds left and with heavy defensive pressure, he took a three-point shot that sunk as the buzzer hit as Nicholson Arena erupted, and everyone mobbed Sanders.

Up Next
The Wildcats look to keep sole possession of first place in the GNAC when they welcome Alaska Anchorage to Nicholson Arena on Thursday, Feb 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.