OSKALOOSA, Iowa — The Central Methodist men's basketball team held a second-half lead on the road against William Penn (Iowa), but errant shooting down the stretch doomed the Eagles' upset hopes, as they fell, 84-78, to the Statesmen in the Heart Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.

William Penn rode a hot shooting hand in the first half to an 11-point lead at the intermission, but Central Methodist clawed all the way back, taking a narrow lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game. The lead went back-and-forth in the middle portion of the second half, until the Statesmen took control in the final three minutes with solid defense and clutch shooting.

Christian Soderholm (JR/Peru, Ill.) led the way offensively with 22 points and nine rebounds on 10-of-18 shooting. Isaiah Thurmond (SR/Alton, Ill.) followed suit with a 20-point performance, adding four rebounds and six assists to his stat line.

Terrance Bush (SR/Des Moines, Iowa) scored 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, mixing in eight rebounds and six steals. Josh Robinson (JR/Normal, Ill.) played an integral part in cutting the William Penn lead during the second half, scoring 14 points while going 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.

William Penn shot 54% from the field, compared to just 41% for Central Methodist. The Statesmen struggled from the free-throw line, making just 52% of its attempts from the charity stripe, while Central Methodist went 72% from the free-throw line. The Eagles forced 16 William Penn turnovers, picking up 10 steals on defense.

Central Methodist finishes its season with a 17-14 record, including 12-12 in Heart play.