NAMPA, IDAHO – Donovan Plunkett (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas) scored 20 points and led four Dixie State College players in double figures as the Red Storm defeated Central Washington University 78-75 in day one action of the Northwest Nazarene Thanksgiving Classic at the Johnson Sports Center.
Plunkett was 6-of-11 from the floor with four three-pointers in 31 minutes for Dixie State (2-0). Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) and Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) each chipped in 15 points while Andy Palmer (St. George. UT/Pine View) scored 14 in his first start of the season. Robbins paced the Red Storm with nine rebounds and Adam Ross (Torrance. CA/North Torrance ) dished out a game-high five assists.
Toussaint Tyler led the Wildcats with 16 points. J.C. Cook (15) and Humberto Perez (14) were the other two Central Washington (1-1) players in double figures.
The teams shuffled the lead six times in the first half. Plunkett hit a three with 50 seconds left in the half to put Dixie State up by four at 32-38. After a pair of Palmer free throws, CWU's Cook drained a late triple to even the score at the break 34-34.
Roby Clyde, a transfer from Snow College, sparked an opening 14-9 run for the Wildcats with a jumper and three free throws for CWU's biggest lead of the night at five points, 48-43.
Plunkett tied the game again at 52-52 with a three-ball and DSC turned to the free throw line to build a lead. Robbins hit six freebies in-a-row while Palmer, Whitehead and Plunkett drained a pair over two minutes span. The lead ballooned to eight points with 4:54 left in the game after back to back jumpers from Ross and Whitehead.
Central cut the DSC lead to two on a Tyler jumper and had the chance to tie the game on a Perez steal of the inbound pass. Plunkett preserved the lead with a final minute steal. Whitehead hit a pair of fouls shots and Kacen Smith (Saint George, UT/Dixie) hit a two with 15 seconds left to hold off the Wildcats.
Dixie State shot 23-of-52 from the field (43.4%) and made 76% of their foul shots in the second half. Central won the close battle on the boards 38-37.
The Red Storm face tournament-host Northwest Nazarene on Saturday night at 7:30pm inside the Johnson Sports Center. Join John Potter with all of the live coverage from Nampa with the Warm-Up Show beginning at 7:15pm on the Red Storm Basketball Radio Network (91.3FM KXDS and Network1Sports.com).
