By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

SAN DIEGO – Bradley Swillie scored four points in the final minute of overtime on Friday afternoon at Golden Gym, helping lift No. 6 seed Central Washington to an 82-79 triumph over No. 3 seed Chico State in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championships.
 
The CWU Wildcats built a 20-point lead with 11:51 to go in the game but watched as the Chico State Wildcats chipped away and out-scored them 29-9 the rest of regulation to force the extra period. CWU’s Maverick Sanders hit a trey at the outset of overtime and it never trailed in the additional five minutes, which were capped off by a Swillie layup and pair of free throws.
 
“Credit to Chico – we got them down 20 but they had absolutely no quit,” said Brandon Rinta, the GNAC Coach of the Year. “They were able to get back (into it) because we slipped a little defensively – against a team like that, you can’t. Any defensive breakdown they’re going to make you pay.”
 
The victory sends Central Washington into the second round of the tournament, where it will face No. 2 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills which beat No. 7 seed Northwest Nazarene 66-59 on Friday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific) on Saturday evening. CWU, the 2024-25 GNAC regular-season champion, improved to 22-9 on the season with the win, while Chico State saw its campaign come to a close with a record of 24-7.
 
Each team had chances to win before overtime but neither scored after a game-tying layup by Chico State’s Caden Harris with 1:07 to go in regulation. Central Washington went 0-for-2 with a turnover while Chico State went 0-for-2 in the nervy final minute of the second half. “That could’ve went either way there after they were able to tie it up,” Rinta said. “I give a lot of credit to our guys. I was really impressed with how our guys came out there in overtime and were able to elevate our level defensively.”
 
GNAC Player of the Year Cavin Holden led his team with 22 points, making 7 of 14 shots including 4 of 7 threes. First-team all-GNAC selection Garrett Anderson notched an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double and Mitch Brizee had a game-high 11 rebounds as the duo helped CWU to a 35-33 advantage on the glass. Swillie wound up with 16 points – including a 9-for-9 line on free throws – in 26 invaluable minutes off the bench. “We could be down 20-0 and I still trust my teammates with all my heart,” said Holden after his squad overcame an early 7-0 deficit thanks in large part to him scoring the Wildcats’ first 12 points of the game. “It was one of those moments where I was on a heat check, and I saw a few shots go in.”
 
After shooting a solid 46.9% (15-for-32) in the first half and building a 38-30 lead, CWU cooled off to just 34.6% (9-for-26) in the second – a key factor in Chico State’s comeback effort. The CCAA foe meanwhile shot a blazing hot 58.3% (14-for-24) over the final 20 minutes of regulation with its back against the wall to force the extra period. “All week we have been preaching ball movement,” said Brizee, CWU’s lone senior on the roster. “We just need to keep it moving, and we are really hard to guard and really good offensively. That was the biggest difference in the first half.”
 
Jojo Murphy led Chico State with 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting and added five boards, four steals and three assists. Caden Harris scored 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, and Trae Taylor also reached double digits with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Cortevious Taylor led Chico State with nine rebounds and added nine points in 27 minutes off the bench. Overall in the game Chico State shot 50.9% (28-for-55), 23.1% (3-for-13) from 3-point range and 83.3% (20-for-24) from the foul line. Chico State’s three made 3-pointers were its fewest of the season and its percentage was its fourth-worst mark of the campaign.
 
Central Washington shot 42.2% (27-for-64) overall in the game, 38.7% from long range (12-for-31) and made 16 of 20 free throws (80.0%). Each team protected the ball well with just seven turnovers apiece, and CWU had 19 assists while Chico State totaled 11.