The Central Methodist University men's basketball team saw its 12-game regular-season Heart of America Athletic Conference home win streak come to an end Saturday evening as Avila University held on for an 80-71 win over the Runnin' Eagles.
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CMU held a 21-20 lead after a free throw by senior Tyler Bredehoeft (Alma, Mo.) with 5:25 left in the first half, but Avila made three straight three-pointers to take a 29-21 lead. CMU closed the gap with a pair of baskets by senior Jake Clark (St. Charles, Mo.) and a pair of free throws by Bredehoeft to bring the Runnin' Eagles to within 27-29 at halftime.
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Central Methodist tied the score twice early in the second half, but Avila regained the lead for good with a three-pointer with 14:41 left in the game. Avila then went on a 10-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 49-37 lead with 11:13 remaining. CMU battled back to cut the deficit to 60-58 on a three-pointer by junior Mike Regan (Knob Noster, Mo.) with 5:45 left, but Avila answered with back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to 66-58. The Runnin' Eagles again battled back to get to within 74-71 on a three-pointer by Bredehoeft with 40 seconds left, but Avila made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
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CMU shot 44.6 percent from the field in the game, while Avila was 45.5 percent from the field. Avila made 11 three-pointers to Central Methodist's nine in the game. Avila also converted 19-of-26 free-throw attempts, while CMU made 12-of-20 free throws in the contest.
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Regan equaled his career-high with 19 points, including five three-pointers. Senior Clint Hamilton (Pflugerville, Texas) recorded his first double-double of the season with season-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Clark and Bredehoeft added 13 points each, and Bredehoeft also finished with five rebounds. Senior Curtis Smith (LaBelle, Mo.) tallied a career-high eight assists.
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The loss was the first HAAC regular-season home loss for the Runnin' Eagles since Feb. 16, 2009. Central Methodist dropped to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in the HAAC with the loss, while Avila improved to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the HAAC. The Runnin' Eagles will return to action Thursday in a HAAC road game at Baker University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Baldwin City, Kan.