Peru, Neb. - The Central Methodist men's basketball team started their conference run with a 78-71 win over Peru State College Wednesday night in Peru, Nebraska.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while the Bobcats fall to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Heart action.

The first half was evenly balanced as neither team led by more than four points. CMU took the lead with six minutes remaining in the first half and entered the locker room with a 36-35 lead over the Bobcats.

After the break, the Bobcats jumped out to a five-point lead in the first six minutes. However, Central regained the lead at the 12:47 mark and never relinquished it, ultimately winning by a score of 78-71.

Kyle McDermed led the Eagles with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Fode Camara and Chandler Bevans also reached the double digits with 16 and 11 points respectively. On the defensive side, Camara also added two blocks and five rebounds.

Marcus Anthony finished with seven points, one assist, and one steal. Jayden McGrew and Chris Orozco collected six points each, while McGrew also added four assists and three defensive rebounds. Trent Lyles had a game-high six assists to go along with two points and four rebounds.

Both teams were nearly identical from the field, as CMU shot a 46.6-percent compared to 46.3-percent for Peru State. The Eagles also shot 78.3-percent from the free-throw while Peru State converted on 65-percent of its free-throw attempts.

The Eagles will be back on the road for their second conference matchup as they face MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Olathe, Kan. 

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