The Central Methodist University women's basketball team was outscored 18-5 in the final seven minutes of the game, as Missouri Valley College earned a 67-56 win over the Lady Eagles in the Heart of America Athletic Conference opener for both teams Thursday night.
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CMU led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Missouri Valley rallied to cut the CMU lead to 32-30 at halftime. The teams battled back-and-forth in the second half, playing within four points of one another for much of the period. A basket by freshman Nakia Robinson (St. Louis, Mo.) tied the game for the eighth time at 51-51 with 6:39 remaining, but the Lady Vikings went on a 7-0 run to take a 58-51 lead with 4:09 left in the game. A three-pointer by sophomore Raylyn Nuss (O'Fallon, Mo.) brought CMU to within 56-60 with 2:51 remaining, but Missouri Valley scored the final seven points of the game to seal the 11-point win.
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Central Methodist shot 44.7 percent from the field in the game, while Missouri Valley finished with 58.3 percent shooting. The Lady Eagles were out-rebounded 30-19 in the contest.
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Junior Sami Dunger (Wildwood, Mo.) scored 14 points to lead CMU, while also recording a team-high three steals. Nuss finished with 11 points, while junior Catherine Kyle (Fayette, Mo.) added nine points and three assists. Junior Alexa Fox (Columbia, Mo.) had a team-high six rebounds.
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CMU dropped to 1-8 overall and 0-1 in the HAAC, while Missouri Valley improved to 3-7 and 1-0. The Lady Eagles will be back in action Saturday when they host Avila University in the final home game of 2010. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Puckett Field House.