ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (14-13, 8-8 GNAC) prepares for its final two games of the regular season with big playoff implications for the GNAC tournament looming. The Wildcats will host their rival Western Washington (12-15, 6-10 GNAC) on Thursday, Feb. 26, and Simon Fraser (7-19, 4-12 GNAC) on Saturday, Feb. 28 for Senior Day when the Wildcats honor Xavier Kamalu-Vargas and Calvin Sisk.
 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
   
 
LAST WEEKEND:

Central split its road swing last week, rolling past Western Oregon 66-46 on Feb. 19 at the Wolves Athletic Center before falling to Saint Martin's 88-74 on Feb. 21 at Marcus Pavilion. The Wildcats used a 7-0 run late in the first half to seize control against WOU and carried a 36-29 lead into the break. Central shot 51.9% from the field and dominated the paint with 46 points while holding the Wolves to 28.1% shooting, including 22.9% in the second half, to secure the 20-point win. Two nights later, CWU battled GNAC-leading Saint Martin's but could not overcome a 53.3% shooting effort by the Saints, who built a 12-point halftime lead and never trailed. The Wildcats trimmed the margin to eight early in the second half, but Saint Martin's answered with timely runs to keep the cushion in double figures down the stretch.
 
Bradley Swillie led CWU in both contests, scoring 13 points with five assists against Western Oregon before erupting for 24 points on 8-13 shooting against Saint Martin's. Jordan Clark added 10 points in the win over the Wolves and followed with 23 points, while knocking down four three-pointers. Calvin Sisk contributed 10 points in 15 minutes in the victory, while Chae Haynes posted nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Against Saint Martin's, Haynes finished with 14 points and four rebounds, and Jamari Harris added five assists and five boards. The Saints were led by Kaden Hansen's 30 points and Patrick Kilfoil's 19 points.
 
 
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS:
 
Since defeating Central on Dec. 6, Western Washington has gone 7-10, opening with three straight wins over Langara, Colorado Mesa and Missouri S&T before dropping back-to-back road games to Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage. The Vikings then went 1-3, beating Seattle Pacific but falling to Montana State Billings, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon, before responding with a three-game home winning streak against Simon Fraser, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. WWU closed the stretch with tight road losses at Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific, a home setback to Western Oregon, a 90-81 home win over Saint Martin's, and a narrow 77-74 loss at Simon Fraser on Feb. 21.
 
The Vikings are led, offensively, by Aidan Rice with 490 points for 18.1 per game, while also recording 104 assists, 86 rebounds, 29 steals, and seven blocks. Nehemiah Pollard is second in scoring with 411 points for 15.8 per game. Pollard also has logged 142 rebounds, 49 assists, and 24 steals. Garrett Levesque leads in rebounds with 170 boards, while also leading in steals with 46 takeaways, and Trevor White leads the net defense with 31, with Levesque right behind at 29 swats.
 
The Wildcats and Vikings hit the court on Thursday, Feb. 26. Tip-off from Nicholson Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
 
SCOUTING THE RED LEAFS:

Since defeating CWU on Dec. 4, Simon Fraser has endured a difficult stretch, going 3-14 overall. The Red Leafs dropped their next five games to Northwest Nazarene, Missouri S&T, Colorado Mesa, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks before snapping the skid with an 87-82 home win over Montana State Billings. SFU then lost eight straight contests against Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon, Saint Martin's, Western Washington, Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings before closing the stretch with a 79-62 home victory over Western Oregon and a 77-74 win over Western Washington on Feb. 21 in Burnaby.
 
Zach Stone has been the offensive catalyst for SFU, leading the team in scoring at 336 points and 12.9 per game, leading the Leafs on the glass with 150 rebounds and adding 33 blocks. Mikyle Malabuyoc closely follows at 329 points for 13.2 per game, while dishing out a team-high 129 assists. Tate Christiansen ranks third in scoring at 9.6 points per game and is the club's most accurate three-point shooter at 42.9%, while Sartaj Bhangu provides 9.1 points per game and shoots a team-best 47.2% from beyond the arc. Ajani Jamison has knocked down a team-high 44 three-pointers, averaging 7.3 points per contest, and Daniel Augusto Smith chips in 6.3 points per game, with Roko Maric contributing 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing in reserve.
 
The Wildcats take on the Red Leafs on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. from Nicholson Arena following the conclusion of the CWU women's basketball team's game against Northwest Nazarene.