Springfield, Mo. The Central Methodist University men's basketball team dropped their seventh straight game on Wednesday evening by a final of 78-66 to Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri.
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With the loss, the Central Methodist University Eagles fall to 10-11 overall and 4-9 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the victory, the Evangel Crusaders improve to 5-16 overall and 4-9 in The Heart.
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Central Methodist came out with a strong game plan and saw their lead get to as large as 17 points in the first half. After shooting 45% from the field and holding Evangel to just 38% shooting from the field, the Eagles would head into halftime with a 35-28 lead.
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The second half was rough for the Eagles. Central Methodist shot just 28% from the field, they shot 2-for-16 from beyond the three-point arc, and attempted just six free-throws; converting on three of them.
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Evangel on the other hand, improved their shooting percentage to 54% in the second half, and after not attempting a single free-throw in the first half; the Crusaders would shoot 14-for-18 from the charity stripe in the second half.
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In the loss, four players scored in double-figures for the Eagles, led by Ron Lee's 20 point performance. Scott Stegeman finished with a team high 10 rebounds, and Jay Jones finished with four assists.
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The Eagles return home Saturday to host Avila University, who are currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA D1 Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The 16^th ranked Lady Eagles will get things underway on Saturday at 2pm, followed by the men at 4pm. It will be the annual "Coaches vs Cancer" games inside of Puckett Field House.
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For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles. �������
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