ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team prepares for a single game this week as the Wildcats head out to Nampa, Idaho to take on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks to begin a two-week roadtrip.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026
Central Washington at Northwest Nazarene
3:00 p.m. PST
Johnson Sports Center
Nampa, Idaho
WATCH:
HERE
LIVE STATS:
HERE
TICKETS:
HERE
LAST WEEKEND:
Central Washington split its two-game GNAC homestand at Nicholson Arena, falling 78-66 to No. 12 Saint Martin's on Thursday before bouncing back with a dominant 92-75 win over Western Oregon on Saturday night. The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with the unbeaten Saints early, ending the first half tied at 33-33, but Saint Martin's pulled away in the second half behind efficient shooting and strong interior play to remain perfect in conference action. Two nights later, CWU responded with one of its most complete performances of the season, jumping out to a 48-31 halftime lead against Western Oregon and never looking back. The Wildcats shot better than 63 percent from the field, controlled the tempo from start to finish, and led wire-to-wire to secure a convincing conference victory.
Individually,
Jordan Clark led the Wildcats across the weekend, averaging 16.5 points while adding eight assists against Saint Martin's and knocking down four three-pointers in the win over Western Oregon.
Bradley Swillie was another steady contributor, scoring 15 points versus the Saints and finishing with 12 points and seven assists against the Wolves.
Calvin Sisk provided a strong presence inside, totaling 17 points and 11 rebounds across the two games while adding multiple blocks on the defensive end.
Jamari Harris delivered a breakout effort off the bench against Western Oregon, pouring in a career-high 23 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field, while
Chae Haynes added 11 points and five rebounds to help fuel CWU's balanced offensive attack.
SCOUTING THE NIGHTHAWKS:
Since its loss to Central Washington on Jan. 3, Northwest Nazarene has gone 4-2 in GNAC play, putting together a strong stretch that included back-to-back home wins over Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. The Nighthawks split a challenging two-game road swing, falling 87-82 at Montana State Billings before edging Seattle Pacific 72-71 in Seattle, then returned home to defeat Western Oregon 83-71. However, NNU's run was halted on Jan. 24 with a 79-63 loss to Saint Martin's.
Northwest Nazarene is led by senior forward Easton Reagan, who has been one of the GNAC's most productive players, leading the Nighthawks with 397 total points for an average of 22.1 per game while shooting an efficient 55.4 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three, adding 5.8 rebounds per game as well. Jaden Byers is the team's second-leading scorer at 11.9 points per game and shoots nearly 80 percent from the free-throw line. On the glass, Briggs Ranstrom leads NNU with 109 total boards for 6.1 rebounds per game, while Reagan and Michael Day also contribute strongly on the boards. Garrett Hawkes leads the team in assists with 39, Ranstrom tops the squad in steals with 31, and Day anchors the interior defensively with a team-high 28 blocks.
The 'Cats and 'Hawks hit the court on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off from the Johnson Sports Center is set for 3:00 p.m. PST
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will continue their road trip as they head up to the Last Frontier to take on the Alaska schools, starting on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8:00 p.m. PST against Alaska Anchorage.
