Thursday, March 7, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – A Central Washington men’s basketball team motivated by a raucous Nicholson Pavilion crowd pulled away from No. 5 seed Seattle Pacific 90-76 in quarterfinal play at the 2024 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships presented by Under Armour.

On a night where he scored the most points of his Central Washington career with 24, Samaad Hector brought the house down with a pair of breakaway dunks that capped a pull-away victory for the Wildcats. Central Washington improved to 19-9 with the victory, and earned a semifinal matchup against No. 1 seed Montana State Billings (20-8) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. CWU also improved to 14-1 on its home floor this season, with its lone loss being a 74-59 setback at the hands of Friday night’s opponent on Jan. 4.

Hector came up just shy of his GNAC-leading ninth double-double of the season, finishing with eight rebounds to go along with his 10-for-18 shooting line. His performance also included a season-high four 3-pointers across 31 minutes on the hardwood.

Anjaylo Lloyd hit perhaps CWU’s most important shot of the night with 8:59 to go, as he followed a Maui Sze three that tied the score at 62-62 with a triple of his own. The Wildcats built off the momentum from the immediate response, and never relinquished the lead the rest of the night. Lloyd finished with 13 points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds while battling through a minor injury in 23 minutes. Cavin Holden supplied his team with 13 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds in 24 efficient minutes off the bench, and Maverick Sanders also reached double figures with 17 points on 8-for-10 accuracy.

Central Washington shot 57.8% (37-for-64) marking its third-best shooting performance in a game this season. The Wildcats also protected the ball well, matching their second-lowest turnover total of the season with seven.

In the final game of his illustrious five-year career, SPU’s Shaw Anderson led all players with 28 points on 10-for-25 accuracy including four 3-pointers. Anderson finished one shy of his career high with nine rebounds to lead the team. Anderson finished his historic career as the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer, with 1,987 points. The total ranked him fifth in GNAC history.

Sze and Trace Evans chipped in 11 points apiece for the Falcons, with the former leading all players with six assists. Kyle Luttinen hauled in eight rebounds to go with eight points in 26 minutes off the bench. SPU shot 42.9% (27-for-63) including a mark of 35.3% (12-for-34) from long distance. The Falcons held a narrow 34-33 edge in rebounding, but were hampered by 14 turnovers that resulted in 13 points for the hosts.

In a game that featured 10 ties and a dozen lead changes, the opening 20 minutes unfolded in fairly balanced fashion. The Falcons endured a cold stretch that lasted for four minutes, going 0-for-3 with three turnovers in a span midway through the first half. Lloyd came up with a steal and a fast-break jumper, and a driving layup by Holden extended CWU’s run to 7-0 and made the score 27-23 with seven minutes to go before the break.

Luttinen helped the Falcons snap out of the skid, scoring five straight points to sway momentum back in their favor as halftime approached. The Wildcats made a strong push towards the break however, and carried a 44-36 advantage into the locker room.

The Wildcats sustained their advantage coming out of the break, building a 56-48 lead five minutes into the second half. Neither team hit a shot over the next two minutes, before back-to-back threes by Anderson pulled the Falcons within four points down 58-54. Jonas La Tour followed with a corner three, and Sze created a turnover that resulted in a pair of free throws to pull his team within a single point with 10 minutes left.

Lloyd’s game-changing shot spurred an 11-0 run that SPU never recovered from, as the Wildcats led by double digits the rest of the night.

GAME NOTES: Thursday marked the fourth all-time meeting between the teams at the GNAC Championships…the duo split their regular-season meetings, with CWU winning 73-66 on Jan. 6 in Ellensburg and the Falcons responding with a 77-75 triumph on Feb. 1 in Seattle…CWU is now 9-7 all-time at the conference tournament and SPU is now 11-8.