[Box score]

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington went 10 of 24 from three-point range as it defeated Western Oregon 90-66, Saturday, Feb. 7, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown.

 

With the loss, the Wolves fell to 2-7 in the GNAC and to 8-12 on the season. The win lifts the NCAA west region's No. 4 team, CWU, to a 7-2 mark in the conference and to 13-4 overall.

 

Travis Kuhns led Western Oregon with 20 points as he went nine of 17 from the field and two of five from behind the arc. Kuhns also had five assists to just one turnover in the contest. Point guard Blair Wheadon put up 15 points on six of nine shooting. Mike McLaughlin also notched double-figures with 12 points on five of seven shooting and matched Kuhns with a team-best five assists.

 

Brandon Foote led all scorers and four Wildcats in double-figures with 21 points on nine of 16 shooting.

 

In the game, CWU outscored WOU by seven points at the free throw line (14-7) and by 21 from beyond the arc (30-9). WOU did not attempt its first free throw until the 9:45 mark in the second half. The Wildcats were also able to win the rebounding battle, as it hauled in 37 boards to the Wolves 29.

 

Central Washington jumped out to a 12-2 lead to start the game before Western Oregon then came back with a 15-5 run to tie it at 17-17 at the 10:00 mark. The Wildcats then answered with a 16-4 spurt to go on top 33-21 with 4:12 remaining in the half, before taking a 36-27 lead into the locker room.

 

CWU would continue this momentum into the second half, as it would go on another 16-4 run over the next four minutes to go up 52-31. The Wolves would cut the lead to 72-58 on a Stanley Ratcliff layup with 5:15 remaining but that is as close as they would get.

 

The Western Oregon men's basketball team will be at Seattle Pacific for its next game, Thursday, Feb. 12, as it takes on the Falcons beginning at 7:30 p.m.