Fayette, Mo. The Central Methodist University men's basketball team returned home for the first time in the month of February on Saturday afternoon to host the Grand View University Vikings. CMU came out strong and held on for the 71-59 victory inside of Puckett Field House.
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With the win, the Eagles have now won four straight games and improve to 14-12 overall and 8-10 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the loss, Grand View University falls to 12-13 overall and 6-12 in The Heart.


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Central Methodist controlled Saturday's game from the opening tip, jumping out to a quick 16-6 lead in the first five minutes of the game. CMU shot 48% from the floor in the first half and shot an impressive 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. At halftime, the Eagles led the Vikings 42-23. The Eagles defense held Grand View to 7-of-25 (28%) shooting in the first half from the field.
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In the second half, Grand View would hit their stride, while CMU struggled to hit their shots. The Vikings shot 50% (13-for-26) from the floor and capitalized on nine of their 12 free-throw attempts. Central Methodist on the other hand, after shooting 48% from the field in the first half, saw their shooting percentage dip to 29% in the second half. The Eagles remained in the game because of their consistent free-throw shooting. Grand View committed a lot of fouls in the second half, with the Eagles making 13 of their 14 attempts. The Vikings outscored CMU 36-29 in the second half, but could not fully overcome the deficit they put themselves in after the first half.
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In the win, the Eagles had a balanced scoring effort, with just two players scoring in double-figures. Ron Lee (Oak Park, Calif.) had a game high 26 points on 7-of-14 shooting, with a team high nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action. Mitchell Wendling (Athens, Ill.) finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
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The Eagles hit the road this Wednesday, to face 17^th ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University at 7:30pm, before returning home next Saturday to face Graceland University. It will be Senior Night inside of Puckett, with the Lady Eagles getting things started at 2pm, followed by the men at 4pm.
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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. � ��