Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist Men's Basketball team fell to the Missouri Baptist in a key conference matchup, 79-68, on Wednesday evening inside Puckett Field House.

Central drops to 17-10 and 11-8 in the Heart of America, while MBU improves to 18-9 and 12-7 in conference action. 

Missouri Baptist used a strong opening half to seize control, taking a 43-35 lead into the break, and narrowly outscored the Eagles 36-33 over the final 20 minutes to secure the win.

Despite the setback, Central Methodist was powered by a dominant performance from Raphael Gay. The senior forward turned in a game-high 32 points on an efficient 14-of-17 shooting from the field. He also controlled the glass with 13 rebounds, including three on the offensive end for a double double. Gay added three blocks and a steal to his statline. 

Tyson Oghene finished with 11 points, connecting on four free throws and adding a three-pointer. Isaiah Reams tallied 10 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists.

Isaiah Bonaparte added nine points and dished out a team-high five assists. Austin Prater contributed six points and five assists. 

As a team, the Eagles shot 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the floor and converted 15-of-20 attempts (75 percent) at the free-throw line. The difference proved to be from long range, where Central Methodist connected on just one-of-16 attempts. The Eagles finished with 31 total rebounds, six steals, and five blocked shots while committing 10 turnovers.

MBU shot 47.5 percent (29-of-61) from the field and knocked down five-of-15 attempts (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. The Spartans were efficient at the stripe as well, going 14-of-20 (70 percent), and held a 39-31 advantage on the boards.

Central closes out the regular season with a road matchup against Peru State College Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Peru, Neb. 

#TakeFlight