ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team lost 64-59 to Central Washington on Tuesday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The loss ends NNU's seven-game winning streak, the longest for the Nighthawks since the 2010-11 season.

The Nighthawks went on a 7-0 run to take a 57-52 lead with 3 minutes, 34 seconds remaining, but the Wildcats rallied for the victory.

"I was really impressed with how we played defensively," NNU coach Paul Rush said. "It was just one of our worst offensive games. We never got into a rhythm."

Free throw shooting, which has been an Achilles' heel for the Nighthawks this season, wasn't a problem Tuesday as NNU attempted just seven free throws while Central shot 24.

The Nighthawks (11-7 overall, 8-5 GNAC) defense held the Wildcats to just 18 field goals and 36.7 percent shooting from the field. NNU outscored Central 48-32 on points in the paint, but it wasn't enough to overcome the extreme free throw disparity.

"The way we started the game and the way we played throughout on the defensive side was solid," Rush said. "We had some lapses in the second half and gave them some open 3s."

Jayden Bezzant's 15 points and six rebounds led the Nighthawks, while George Reidy and Ezekiel Alley had 13 points and three rebounds each.

The loss knocks the Nighthawks out of second place for the time being. NNU hosts Montana State Billings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday as part of a doubleheader with the women's team.

Jeryn Lucas scored a game-high 28 points for the Wildcats, who have won three in a row.