The Northwest Eagles battled through a slow start to earn an 82–76 victory over the Central Washington Wildcats. NU struggled early, not scoring their first basket until four-and-a-half minutes into the first half. With seven minutes remaining in the half, the Eagles found themselves trailing by as many as 12 points.
Over the final seven minutes of the first half, Northwest tightened up defensively and found a rhythm offensively, closing the gap to just four points by halftime and putting themselves back in the game.
The Eagles came out of the locker room on fire in the second half, scoring five points in the opening 90 seconds and taking their first lead of the game at the 18:38 mark. Over the next 10 minutes, both teams traded baskets, but NU maintained a slim lead of around four points.
Central Washington tied the game at 44 with 14:14 remaining and briefly took a three-point lead shortly after. Northwest responded, regaining the lead with 12 minutes to play. The Wildcats tied the game again at 55 with nine minutes remaining, but NU took control down the stretch. With seven minutes left, the Eagles reclaimed the lead and closed out the game to secure the 82–76 win.
Northwest shot the ball well from deep, knocking down 13-of-29 three-pointers (45%), and was efficient at the free-throw line, hitting 17-of-21 (81%).
The Eagles had five players score in double figures, led by Christian Watkins with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Logan Stempniak added 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while Ethan Martin chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Trent Williams contributed 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Coach Skeen had this to say about the game "Great win for our program. Proud of the way so many guys stepped up and contributed. After struggling to shoot it last weekend we had guys show up and shoot it tonight. We competed on the backboards and made enough plays down the stretch. Excited for our guys and proud of the work they are doing."
Northwest carries a one-game winning streak into their next matchup at home against conference opponent Eastern Oregon University.
