Fayette, Mo. – The Central Methodist University men's basketball team struggled to shoot the ball from the free-throw line and from deep, and in the end fell to the 4th ranked William Penn University Statesmen on Saturday afternoon by a final of 74-71.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 11-8 overall and 8-7 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the victory, 4th ranked William Penn University improves to 16-2 overall and 12-2 in The Heart.
Saturday's match-up between the Statesmen and Eagles had a different feeling in each half. In the first half, William Penn controlled the Eagles. CMU was held to 10-for-33 shooting from the field, while making just one of their 13 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. CMU also shot just 11-for-19 from the charity stripe. William Penn shot 50% (15-for-30) from the floor in the first half, and converted on eight of their 12 free-throw attempts. Going into halftime, the Statesmen led the Eagles 41-32.
In the second half, the Eagles offense came to life, shooting 14-for-31 from the floor. However the struggles continued from deep and from the free-throw line. The Eagles shot 1-for-10 from deep, while also finishing the second half just 10-for-15 from the free-throw line. William Penn struggled to shoot the ball in the second half, finishing 10-for-25 from the field. The Statesmen won the ballgame at the free-throw line, finishing 12-for-16 from the stripe.
In the loss, three players scored in double-figures for Central Methodist. Ron Lee (SR/Oak Park, Calif.) led the way for CMU, with 22 points, three rebounds, and three steals. Charles Harris III (SR/Antioch, Ill.) finished with 13 points and a team high seven rebounds. Although Cole Adair (SR/Fishers, Ind.) got into early foul trouble; and eventually fouled out of the game, he was able to finish with 11 points, two steals and a rebound.
The Eagles continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday evening, when they welcome Benedictine College; whom are currently receiving votes in the latest Coaches' Top 25 Poll, to Puckett Field House. The men will tip-off at 7:30pm, with the women's game to precede at 5:30pm.
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.
