Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Guard Dom Williams hit a 28-foot 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left, lifting Central Washington University to a 74-71 triumph over arch-rival Western Washington University on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball contest at Nicholson Pavilion on the CWU campus. The game was telecast live on ROOT Sports.

Forward Jeffrey Parker (So., Richmond, CA/Salisian) had a game-high 21 points for WWU, which fell to 9-7 overall and 2-4 in the GNAC, with the four GNAC losses being by a total of 13 points. The Vikings are 1-7 away from home this season, including 0-5 in games on an opponent's home floor.

Central improved to 9-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Center Joseph Stroud had 20 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots. Joey Roppo added 17 points for the Wildcats, 13 in the second half.

The Vikings held a 70-69 lead after two Ricardo Maxwell (Jr., Cincinnati, OH/Withrow) free throws with 2:26 to go, but Central regained the lead on a Stroud dunk, his fifth of the night. Maxwell then hit a free throw to tie the game at 71-71 with 35.6 seconds left.

Following a time out, Williams came off a high screen, dribbled to his left and hit a long three pointer for the winning points. Maxwell, who hit a game-winning layup at the buzzer last Saturday against Seattle Pacific, got the last chance again, but his 3-pointer from 30 feet fell off the front rim at the buzzer.

WWU held an 11-point lead at halftime, but the Wildcats opened the second half with an 11-2 charge and there were no leads of more than five points after that. There were 12 lead changes in the game and six ties.

Maxwell finished with 16 points and eight assists for WWU and Joey Schreiber (So., Renton/Eastside Catholic) had 12 points. The Vikings shot 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from the field in the first half, but just 24.1 percent (7-of-29) in the second.

WWU trailed by six, 15-10, seven minutes into the game, but used an 18-6 charge to take a 28-21 lead with 7:38 left in the first half. Parker, who scored 15 points in the period, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings a 45-34 advantage at the intermission.

WWU played the second half without starting forward Anye Turner (Sr., Tumwater/Black Hills), who sprained an Achilles late in the first period.

The loss snapped a four-game series winning streak for WWU and was the Vikings' first loss in six regionally televised contests with the Wildcats.

WWU is at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Jan. 17 (7 p.m.), for a GNAC contest.