Greg Jackson's postgame report, Benedictine

FAYETTE, Mo. - Scott Stegeman posted his third double-double Saturday, scoring a career-high 16 points while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to give Central Methodist its second win over No. 7 Benedictine (Kan.), 61-57, this season. The Eagles improve to 4-0 in the last two seasons against Heart of America Athletic Conference opponents ranked in the Top 10 and become the first conference team to sweep the Ravens in the last two regular seasons. The Ravens also see their conference-leading nine-game road win streak end.

A Mitchell Farr 3-pointer from the top of the arc keyed a 9-0 run for Central Methodist (16-7, 7-5) deep in the second half. Farr's only made bucket from distance knotted the contest at 52 with 3:32 to play. On the Eagles' next offensive possession, Greg Williams drew Jalen Messersmith into a blocking foul, his fifth on the night, forcing the sixth-leading shot blocker in NAIA Division I to the bench. Williams converted two free throws, giving the Eagles the lead for good with 2:52 to go. A Stegeman offensive rebound and putback followed by a 1-of-2 trip at the free throw line gave coach Jeff Sherman's squad a 57-52 edge with 34 seconds left. The Eagles made 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 22 seconds to hold off Benedictine (19-5, 8-4), which has lost consecutive games for the first time in over a calendar year.

Saturday's game featured nine ties and seven lead changes, and neither team had an advantage larger than six points (Central Methodist with 13 seconds left in the second half). The Eagles led by four points twice in the first half, with the last coming midway through the period after a Stegeman steal and fastbreak layup. The Ravens answered, using a 5-0 run in 34 seconds to grab a 28-23 advantage with 1:53 left before intermission.�

Stegeman nailed a jumper from the corner with 35 second left in the opening period to trim Benedictine's edge at the break to just three at 30-27. Stegeman led all scorers (11) and rebounders (6) in the first 20 minutes, going 5-of-8 from the field to go along with four offensive boards.

Central Methodist's first lead of the second half didn't come until the 13:19 mark when Farr drained a stepback jumper. A Rafail Tsourakis bucket gave the Ravens a 50-45 upper hand with 6:26 on the clock before the Eagles mounted their late charge.

Stegeman finished 7-of-11 from the field and also had two steals. Farr pumped in a team-high 17 points with two steals. Mike McCode added 11 points and six rebounds. Williams and Quinten Hunter each scored seven points. Williams also pulled down five rebounds.

John Harris Jr. tallied a game-high 18 points in the loss. Messersmith finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

The Ravens shot 50 percent in the game but committed 17 turnovers, leading to 14 Eagles' points. Sherman's unit committed a season-low six turnovers Saturday and had eight second change points. Central Methodist held an 11-2 edge on the offensive glass and 34-30 upper hand overall. The Eagles also made nine more free throws (14-of-24) than Benedictine attempted (4-of-5).

Central Methodist hosts Concordia Seminary (Mo.), a NCCAA school, on Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. CT. The Eagles already defeated the Preachers 108-56 in the season-opener Nov. 1, 2014.