Fayette, Mo. - In a thrilling back and forth contest, the Central Methodist men's basketball team defeated Mount Mercy by a score of 74-71, Monday afternoon inside Puckett Fieldhouse. 

With the win, Central improves to 8-11 and 5-9 in the Heart, while the Mustangs fall to 5-6 and 3-4 in conference action. Today's game also served as a reschedule from the original date of Jan. 13. 

Central jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first minute and a half on baskets from Jonathan Brown and Trent Lyles. The Eagles would lead the sharpshooting Mustangs by as many as nine points before Mount Mercy battled back to tie the game at 38-38 entering the halftime break. 

Neither team led by more than six points in the second half and remained near deadlocked in the closing two minutes. Tied at 69-69 with 1:39 left, junior forward Chandler Bevans put Central out in front on a basket in the paint. Mount Mercy responded on the next possession with a basket of their own, tying the game at 71-71.

On the ensuing offensive possession for Central, senior forward Fode Camara was fouled and converted one-of-two free throws to give CMU a 72-71 lead with under a minute left. Back-to-back defensive stops from Central forced Mount Mercy to foul with under 10 seconds remaining. This time, Camara knocked down both free throws to give Central a 74-71 lead. The Mustangs had a chance to tie with the last possession, but their shot fell short as Central came away with the three-point victory. 

Four Eagles reached double figures, as Camara led CMU with 14 points and 12 rebounds, good enough to earn a double-double. Eight of Camara's points came from the charity stripe, as he converted on 75-percent of his free throw attempts. 

Lyles added 12 points followed by Brown with 11 and Bevans with 10. Bevans nearly earned a double-double with nine rebounds. Four out of five of Central's starters reached double figures, with Austin Fisher narrowly joining them with eight points. 

Both squads were identical from the field, each shooting 40-percent. Central was also extremely efficient from the charity stripe, knocking down 15-of-19 attempts, good enough for 78.9-percent. CMU controlled the battle of the boards, grabbing 45 rebounds compared to 34 for the Mustangs. 

The defense also forced 15 turnovers on six steals. 

Central will next host Clarke University in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. inside Puckett Fieldhouse. 

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