MOSES LAKE – After a promising first half, the Central Washington men’s basketball team was outscored 50-34 in the second half by Alaska Anchorage, losing 90-72 in Moses Lake Thursday night.

“It was close in the first half, even though I thought we had some defensive breakdowns,” Rinta said. “We were still able to keep it close, but in the second half they caught fire – it seemed like they hit 10 mid-range jumpers on us, and we had a little trouble keeping the basketball in front there in the second half. That’s ultimately what bit us.”

Central started off hot, commanding a 13-6 lead thanks to two three-pointers by guard Camron McNeil and another three by guard Isaiah Banks. From there, the Seawolves went on a run that eventually took a 17-15 after a four-point play.

“We had to do a little bit better of guarding the three-point line, which we did do in the second half,” Rinta said. “We had to limit our defensive breakdowns. There was stuff that we had control of that we weren’t controlling.”

The Wildcats and Seawolves swapped leads 11 times in the first 20 minutes, with the final lead change coming late in the first half to give Alaska Anchorage a 40-38 lead at halftime.

Matt Poquette tied the game at 40 early in the second half on a put-back, but a three-pointer gave the Seawolves a three-point lead that they wouldn’t surrender. The three sparked an early second-quarter run that gave the Seawolves a 10-point lead at the under-12 timeout.

“We needed to keep the ball in front better,” Rinta said. “We struggled to do that for the first seven-eight minutes, and that allowed them to get in rhythm.”

What helped keep the Wildcats in the game in the first half was limiting turnovers, something that changed in the second half according to Rinta.

“Anchorage is a very good pressure defense team, we did a great job with only six turnovers in the first half, but then we had nine in the second half,” Rinta said. “We’ve just got to be smarter and stronger with the basketball.”

Alaska Anchorage’s lead ballooned to as much as 21 points in the second half, and a late Central run closed the final gap to 18 points. With the loss, the Wildcats drop to 4-10 on the year and 0-5 in conference play.

“We’ve just got to be more prepared to play,” Rinta said. “We came out okay, but there was some stuff in the first half breakdown-wise that is uncharacteristic of us defensively. We can’t allow that, we’re in no position to be having defensive breakdowns like we did.”

Central returns to the Big Bend Community College court on Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks. Tipoff is at 6:15 p.m.

“I appreciate everybody coming out here in Moses Lake, and I appreciate Big Bend letting us use their gym,” Rinta said.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box Score

Central Washington 38-34 72

Alaska Anchorage 40-50 90