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ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Joseph Stroud put 20 in the scoring column Saturday, including seven straight late points for Central Washington which surged past 22nd-ranked Seattle Pacific, 71-68, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Nicholson Pavilion.
 
The Falcons (18-6) fell for just the second time in their last 11 games, dropping their league ledger to 11-5. They lost despite the eighth straight 20-point performance from senior Mitch Penner, who finished with 21.
 
A 6-foot-5 forward, Penner has been extremely productive during the last four weeks. He is scoring at a 25.1-point clip over the last eight outings. Penner increased his career total to 1,153 points to claim the No. 19 position among all-time SPU scorers.
 
Central (15-6) improved to 10-6 in GNAC play behind Stroud, who hit 9 of 15 shots from the floor.
 
SPU claimed a 57-54 lead Penner's runner in the lane with 7:03 left to play. Stroud followed with a layup, his first of three consecutive answers to Falcons' baskets. The third, coming on a three-point play by Stroud, forged the game's final tie, 61-61, with 3:16 remaining.
 
Terry Dawn nailed a 3-pointer at 2:31 that put the Wildcats ahead for good and they converted 7 of 8 free throws inside the final minute to secure the victory.
 
The visitors hit just 5 off 11 second-half free throws, including three trips to the line that failed to produce points. Two of those came on the front end of one-and-one situations.

 

Penner (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy HS) made 9 of 14 shots and tallied 15 of his points after halftime. Gilles Dierickx and Bryce Leavitt each netted 14 points. Gilles grabbed eight rebounds to lead SPU's 35-26 command of the boards.
 
Gary Jacobs joined Stroud in double-digits for the Wildcats with 10 points.
 
The hard-fought contest featured eight lead changes and 14 ties.
 
Both teams were accurate with the Falcons shooting 53 percent (28 of 53) and CWU 51 percent (29 of 57).
 
In the first half, five early points from Stroud helped Central build a 12-4 lead.
 
SPU stormed back with a 15-2 run, getting baskets from six different players during that five-minute stretch. The defense forced six Wildcats misses in seven attempts and Brendan Carroll's 3-pointer provided a 19-14 advantage with 10:34 left in the first half.
 
The CWU defense responded by inducing their guests into six straight errant shots that enabled a seven-point spree and a 25-23 edge with 5:31 on the clock.
 
The teams were tied 31-31 at halftime.
 
The SPU men play their last scheduled road game on Tuesday at Saint Martin's. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash.
 
They have compiled a 9-2 record away from home and a win at SMU would tie the current team for the finest road mark in school history. The 2013 team was 10-2 in road results as part of a 27-4 overall record.
 
The Falcons complete their regular-season slate with three home games, beginning on Saturday, Feb. 20 against Montana State Billings. That GNAC clash will be televised live at 9 p.m. Pacific Time on ROOT Sports.


NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.

at Central Washington 71, (#22) Seattle Pacific 68

SEATTLE PACIFIC (18-6, 11-5 GNAC)
Penner 9-14 2-3 21, Swanson 0-2 0-0 0, Dierickx 7-10 0-4 14, Leavitt 6-9 2-3 14, Carroll 3-10 1-2 9, Rasmussen 2-5 2-2 6, Wooten 1-3 2-2 4, Colosimo 0-0 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 0-0 0, Simpson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-53 9-16 68.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON (15-6, 10-6 GNAC)
Stroud 9-15 1-2 20, Jacobs 3-8 4-4 10, Roppo 1-5 0-0 2, Dawn 3-5 1-2 9, Matthews 3-5 2-2 8, Garret 5-6 0-1 10, Rademacher 4-6 0-0 9, Ladd 1-6 0-0 3, Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Bryant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-57 8-11 71.

Seattle Pacific...............   31   37    -   68
Central Washington............   31   40    -   71

3-point goals--SPU 3-10 (Carroll 2-4, Penner 1-2, Rasmussen 0-1, Wooten 0-1, Swanson 0-1, Leavitt 0-1), CWU 5-15 (Dawn 2-4, Ladd 1-3, Rademacher 1-1, Stroud 1-4, Roppo 0-1, Ross 0-1, Jacobs 0-1). Fouled out--SPU-None, CWU-None. Rebounds--SPU 35 (Dierickx 8), CWU 26 (Matthews, Stroud 5). Assists--SPU 13 (Penner 4), CWU 16 (Matthews,Devin 9). Total fouls--SPU 16, CWU 18. Technical fouls--SPU-None, CWU-None. Att-715.


Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 7:00 p.m. PST
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.