Torrid First Half is Enough for Wildcats

Central Washington hits 18 of their first 19 shots in route to easy win over Concordia.

Salem-News.com

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Central Washington eliminated any potential drama very early during a 97-52 men’s basketball victory over Concordia on Saturday at the Phoenix Inn & Suites WOU Classic at the Physical Education Building.

The Wildcats hit 18 of their first 19 shots in the game and went on a 32-2 run before intermission to seal the verdict before halftime. The victory moved CWU’s record to 6-3 on the season and guaranteed them at least a share of the tournament title. Western Oregon (1-0) and Sonoma State (0-1) play at 6:00 PM in the final game of the classic.

Concordia dropped to 5-7 on the year with the loss.

CWU shot 74 percent from the field in the torrid first half, including 8 of 13 from three-point range. They also out-boarded the Cavaliers 25-4 in the first 20 minutes, and nine different players entered the scoring column. They led 59-23 at the break.

The Wildcats cooled a bit in the second half, but still outscored the NAIA Cavaliers 39-28 after the break. The team from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference had seven players in double figures, but no one scored more than 15 points in the balanced effort. Nate Sadewasser came off the bench to lead the way with 15 points, while Tyler Monk and Johnny Spevak and had a dozen points apiece. Giovonne Woods, Nate Jackson and Nate Sadewasser added 11 each and Jake Beitinger added 10 to finish the double figure scorers.

Central Washington out-rebounded the Cavaliers 50-21, and the Wildcats shot 59 percent from the field. They hit 11 of 29 shots from three-point range (.41%).

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Concordia was led by Ryan Johnson’s 11 points and Desmond Meray’s 10. The Cavaliers were a cold 32 percent from the field on the afternoon, including just three of 16 from trey range.

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