The Central Methodist University women's basketball team rallied after making just 6-of-24 shots in the first half, but was unable to overcome the 13-point halftime deficit as the Lady Eagles lost to Evangel University 38-54 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Thursday night.
���
The Lady Eagles fell behind early in the game, but a three-pointer by junior Sarah Foster (Anna, Ill.) tied the score at 9-9 with 12:06 left in the first half. CMU was held scoreless as Evangel went on a 10-0 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a 19-9 lead. The Lady Crusaders extended their lead to as many as 16, but a three-pointer from near half court by sophomore Raylyn Nuss (O'Fallon, Mo.) banked in at the buzzer to make the halftime score 29-16 in favor of Evangel.
���
In the second half, Evangel stretched its lead to 18 points in the first five minutes of the period. CMU rallied to make it 37-47 with 6:54 remaining in the game after a pair of free throws by junior Catherine Kyle (Fayette, Mo.). CMU was held without a basket the remainder of the game as Evangel scored the next seven points before a free throw by Nuss with 25 seconds left made the final score 54-38.
���
CMU finished with 28.9 percent shooting from the field, including 35.3 percent from three-point range. Evangel shot 34.6 percent from the field, and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Crusaders out-rebounded Central Methodist 41-33 in the contest. The Lady Eagles had 23 turnovers in the game, which led to 11 points for Evangel.
���
Nuss led CMU with nine points, while Kyle added eight. Junior Sami Dunger (Wildwood, Mo.) pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Sophomore Kristin Willer (Fulton, Mo.) and junior Alexa Fox (Columbia, Mo.) each finished with five rebounds and two blocked shots.
���
Central Methodist dropped to 3-12 on the season and 1-4 in the HAAC with the loss, while Evangel improved to 5-7 and 3-1. The Lady Eagles return to action Saturday when they host William Jewell College in a 2 p.m. game in Puckett Field House.