ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Northwest Nazarene men's basketball couldn't overcome a hot shooting night from Central Washington on Friday, falling to the Wildcats 94-84.

CWU (2-3) shot 56.1% from the field and a blistering 60.9% (14-23) from beyond the arc, including 7-10 in the second half. NNU (10-4) converted on 47.8% of their shot attempts and 39.1% (9-23) from deep, as well as going a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.

The Nighthawks held a three-point lead at halftime, 41-38, and built it up to eight with just over 12 minutes to play. However, the Wildcats then went on a 14-4 run to take a two-point lead, 63-61, with 8:40 to play.

From there, CWU extended their advantage to as much as 16 in the final moments before NNU hit a couple of last-minute triples to end the game at 94-84.

Ezekiel Alley had another upper 20s scoring output, tallying 29 points on 13-20 shooting ant 3-4 from deep. Kobe Terashima added 15 points and six rebounds, while James Nelson had 12 points and five boards. Gabriel Murphy finished with six points, five rebounds, and three blocks for NNU.

Ranked fourth in last week's NCAA West Region rankings, the Nighthawks still have a shot at a postseason berth, but almost certainly would need a win in their final regular-season game on Saturday for that chance to remain available. To get that win, NNU will have to bounce back and take down these same Wildcats in Ellensburg, with opening tip set for 7:00 p.m. Pacific. The NCAA's postseason selections of the top six teams in each region will be announced on Sunday.