Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist University Eagles' men's basketball team suffered their second straight last second defeat on Saturday evening, as they fell to the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers by a final of 84-83 inside of Puckett Field House on Safety Appreciation Night.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 8-6 overall and 5-5 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the victory, the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers improve to 7-7 overall and 6-4 in The Heart.
Saturday's contest between the Pioneers and Eagles featured a tight back-and-forth battle all evening long. In the first half, the Pioneers outshot the Eagles from the field, but Central was able to attack and score more points at the free-throw line. At halftime, MidAmerica Nazarene held a slim 32-30 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles would lead by as much as eight points. Central finished the second half shooting 20-for-30 from the field, 6-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc, and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. The Eagles even outscored the Pioneers 53-52 in the second half, but fell in the waning seconds. Central held an 83-81 victory after a Vashawn Ruffin (JR/Sikeston, Mo.) free-throw with 16 seconds remaining. When the Pioneers came down the floor at the other end, David Nelson fired up a deep three-pointer with four seconds left and was hit on the arm by Eagle guard Brian Egejuru (JR/Lawrenceville, Ga.). Nelson would miss the shot, but headed to the free-throw line for three shots. Nelson converted on all three free-throws. Bo Burkhart (JR/Evansville, Ind.) would get off a last second three for the Eagles, but it missed the iron and the Pioneers claimed the one point come from behind win.
In the loss, three Eagles scored in double-figures, led by guard Ron Lee (SR/Oak Park, Calif.)'s 30 points.
The Eagles will look to bounce back quickly, as they return to the court on Monday evening to host Peru State College. The men's game is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm, with the women's game to precede the men's contest at 5:30pm inside of Puckett Field House.
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.
