NAMPA, Idaho- Central Washington men's basketball's comeback against Midwestern State fell short, resulting in a 67-69 loss on Friday.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA

"Hard to beat a zone defense when you go 3/20 from the three-point line. Thankfully Cam was able to hit three of them in a row late to get us in position to win. We got the stops we needed to take the lead, then we had two turnovers and fouled a three-point shooter," Rinta added "It was good to see Isaiah and Matt play like they are capable of, but we need more guys to step up."

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Wildcats came out the gates quickly in this one thanks to an opening steal and layup from Isaiah Banks. Central went on a 6-2 run early in the game. After that Midwestern State started to heat up from the field and kept the score close. Preseason All-GNAC honoree, Matt Poquette, took control of the half scoring 6 points in a row and finishing with 13. Central had a 12-11 lead with 9:25 left in the half. An offensive display from both sides would define the half. Noah Pepper hit a three and Banks finished a layup to push CWU's lead to 17-11. Jared Washington led the Mustang's response with two layups. Poquette hit another jumper and Marquis Davison responded with a thunderous jam to tie it at 21 with 5:23 to play. The final five minutes were back and forth but a jumper from Mason Gibson gave the Mustangs a 29-30 lead at the break. In the half, both teams shot 44.8% from the field on 13-29 shooting.

Midwestern State opened the second half with a 7-0 run including a three from Pierre Sanders. The Mustangs shot lights out from beyond the arc 5-11 in the second half. The 'Cats clawed back to keep it close. With 2:32 left the Wildcats were down 56-65, that's when Camron McNeil channeled his inner Reggie Miller, scoring 3 three-pointers in 90 seconds to cut it to 64-66 with 45 seconds remaining. McNeil then sunk a fourth trey to cut the deficit to one, 67-68, with six seconds remaining. The Mustangs made a free throw and Poquette's full-court heave missed, ending the game. In the loss, the 'Cats shot 45.9% from the field, led by Matt Poquette with 21 points. The Mustangs shot 46.4% from the floor, led by 15 points from Jermane Carter.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats take on Azusa Pacific tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. wrapping up their time in Idaho.