ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Western Oregon University's men's basketball team overcame a 10-point deficit early in the second half en route to picking up its ninth straight win thanks to a 78-71 victory over Central Washington University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Thursday inside Nicholson Pavilion.

"Central Washington is really difficult to stop," said Head Coach Brady Bergeson. "They never let down with their attack. Our guys spent everything they had to get this one done."

Western Oregon (19-3, 11-1 GNAC), who is ranked No. 20 in the latest NABC Coaches' Poll, was led offensively by junior Andy Avgi with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, while junior Devon Alexander and senior Adam Hastings also scored in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Avgi also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while junior Julian Nichols put together an all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds, and a game-high eight assists before leaving the game in the final minute with an apparent injury.

Central Washington (12-6, 7-4 GNAC) would get a 30-point performance from Dom Williams on 12-of-21 shooting from the field that included a 6-for-11 night from beyond the three-point line, while Joseph Stroud and Gary Jacobs also scored in double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Williams and Terry Dawn pulled down a team-high five rebounds each for the Wildcats, while three other CWU players – Joey Roppo, Marc Rodgers, and Williams – handed out three assists apiece in the loss.

The visiting Wolves would begin the game by jumping out to an 8-4 lead after the opening four minutes with Avgi connecting on a jumper that gave Western Oregon the early four-point lead. WOU would continue to hold the lead until the 9:52 mark when Central Washington closed out a 12-7 run with a jumper by Devin Matthews that handed the home team a 16-15 lead midway through the first half. Over the next nine-plus minutes, Central Washington used a 22-13 run that extended the Wildcats' lead to 10 points (38-28) before Alexander hit a buzzer-beating 30-foot jump shot to cut CWU's lead to 38-31 at halftime.

Central Washington began the second half by extending its lead back to double digits (43-33) on a three-pointer by Roppo with just under 19 minutes left in the game. Over a two-minute span, Western Oregon quickly cut the Wildcats' lead to a single point (43-42) via a 9-0 run that concluded with a three-pointer by Avgi with 16:50 on the clock. Central Washington pushed its lead back to seven points (53-46) via a 10-3 run over a span of three-plus minutes before Western Oregon tied the game for the sixth time at 58-58 on a lay-in by Hastings with just under eight minutes left. After a back-and-forth battle over the next three minutes, Western Oregon turned a 63-62 lead into a 10-point lead (73-63) thanks to a 10-1 run over a span of four minutes with Nichols knocking down a pair of free throws with 1:07 left to cap the Wolves' run. Central Washington would pull within five points (76-71) on an old-fashion three-point play by Jacobs, but the Wolves' free throw shooting down the stretch (5-for-8) coupled with an Avgi fast break dunk sealed the win for Western Oregon (78-71) as WOU continues to hold a two-game lead in the current GNAC standings over Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene.

"We took care of the boards much better in the second half and we were more deliberate offensively," added Bergeson. "It was a very hard fought game on the road."

As a team, Western Oregon combined to shoot 28-for-60 (46.7%) from the field that included a 50.0% (15-for-30) performance in the second half. The Wolves were also a combined 7-for-10 (70.0%) from beyond the three-point line and 15-for-21 (71.4%) at the free throw line. Central Washington, on the other hand, shot a combined 27-for-64 (42.2%) from the field, 9-of-22 (40.9%) from long distance, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) at the charity stripe.

Western Oregon returns to the hardwood on Saturday, February 7, when the Wolves continue their three-game road trip in Nampa, Idaho against Northwest Nazarene University beginning at 7 p.m. (MT) inside the Johnson Sports Center.