Marshall, Mo. - The Central Methodist Men's Basketball team fell to Missouri Valley College in a nail biter, 82-81, Wednesday night in Marshall, Mo.
Central sees its two game win streak come to an end, and now stand at 12-10 and 9-9 in the Heart of America. MVC improves to 9-12 and 8-9 in conference action.
The Eagles opened the game on an 8-0 scoring run. With 12:36 left in the first half, Marcus Anthony knocked down a jumper to give Central a 17-10 lead.
The Vikings started crawling back in the game shortly after, cutting CMU's lead to just two right before the 10 minute mark.
With Central up 26-25, Brandon Tchouya drilled a three to give the Eagles breathing room.
Valley responded with a layup followed by a three-point basket to take their first lead, 30-29, with 3:19 remaining.
The game remained tight, with Central holding a 37-35 lead at the halftime break.
Missouri Valley tied the game in the first 21 seconds of the second before quickly taking a 40-37 lead.
Both teams continued to trade leads, before MVC went out in front by 10 points with 8:21 remaining.
Central clawed their way back, with Anthony draining a three to cut MVC's lead to three with a minute left.
Thomas Sowoolu followed with a hard earned layup to cut the deficit to 82-81 with 14 seconds remaining.
The Vikings failed to convert from the free throw line, giving CMU an opportunity at the game winner with nine seconds left.
However, CMU was unable to get a shot off on their final possession, as Missouri Valley escaped with a one-point win.
Anthony led Central with 24 points, the fourth time he has reached 20-plus points in the past five games. The senior guard also tallied nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Sowoolu was just shy of a double-double, posting 10 points, eight boards, and going a perfect six-for-six from the charity stripe.
Brandon Tchouya grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and scored 11 points to complete a double-double.
Central dominated the glass, outrebounding MVC 45-28.
The Eagles return to action Saturday, Feb. 1 against Graceland University. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. inside Puckett Field House.
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