SPOKANE (Mar. 18) -- The Central Washington University men's basketball team finished the 2009-10 season as one of the most successful teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference -- both on the court and in the stands -- according to attendance figures released by the conference office.
Central finished the season averaging 1,272 fans per home game in its eight conference home games at Nicholson Pavilion. The Wildcats' largest draw on their home schedule was their annual game against rival Western Washington University on Jan. 23, when a near-capacity crowd of 2,417 packed Nicholson, and Central had 1,000 or more fans for seven of its eight league home games. The conference leader for home attendance was Western Washington, which averaged 1,409 fans in its eight home GNAC contests.
Away from home, attendance figures for games involving the Wildcats ranked higher than any other school in the nine-team conference. Conference games played by Central on the road brought in an average of 906 fans per game, including a crowd of 2,672 for the Wildcats' regionally-televised game at Western Washington in Bellingham on Feb. 28.
On the court, the Wildcats finished third in the GNAC standings with a 10-6 record and were one of three conference teams to earn a NCAA Division II postseason berth. Central qualified for the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in the past five years with a 16-10 regular-season record (16-11 overall).
2009-10 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE TOTALS (GNAC GAMES ONLY)
| HOME ATTENDANCE (8 GNAC GAMES) |
| SCHOOL |
TOTAL |
AVERAGE |
CAPACITY |
| 1. Western Washington |
11,271 |
1,409 |
2,534 |
| 2. CENTRAL WASHINGTON |
10,180 |
1,273 |
2,519 |
| 3. Seattle Pacific |
7,074 |
884 |
2,650 |
| 4. Northwest Nazarene |
6,211 |
776 |
3,500 |
| 5. Alaska Anchorage |
5,765 |
721 |
1,250 |
| 6. Montana State Billings |
5,060 |
633 |
3,500 |
| 7. Saint Martin's |
4,197 |
525 |
4,300 |
| 8. Western Oregon |
3,300 |
413 |
2,473 |
| 9. Alaska Fairbanks |
2,627 |
328 |
2,000 |
| AWAY ATTENDANCE (8 GNAC GAMES) |
| SCHOOL |
TOTAL |
AVERAGE |
| 1. CENTRAL WASHINGTON |
7,247 |
906 |
| 2. Western Washington |
6,928 |
866 |
| 3. Alaska Fairbanks |
6,616 |
827 |
| 4. Alaska Anchorage |
6,573 |
822 |
| 5. Seattle Pacific |
6,494 |
812 |
| 6. Saint Martin's |
6,168 |
771 |
| 7. Western Oregon |
5,541 |
693 |
| 8. Northwest Nazarene |
5,335 |
667 |
| 9. Montana State Billings |
4,783 |
598 |
