�Game Notes�|��HAAC Tournament Bracket

FAYETTE, Mo. - No. 3-seed Central Methodist travels to two-seed and No. 12 nationally ranked Benedictine (Kan.) on Saturday in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinals. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.

The game can be seen and heard live online at cmueagles.com.

Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinals
No. 3-seed Central Methodist (24-6) at No. 2-seed Benedictine (27-4)
Saturday, March 2 - 7 p.m. CT
Atchison, Kan.�-�Ralph Nolan Gymnasium
Live Video and Radio:�cmueagles.com
Radio Talent:�Tyler Winn
Live Stats:�cmueagles.com
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Series Information:
Last Meeting:�No. 13 Benedictine defeated�Central Methodist, 62-56, on Feb. 16, 2013.
Streak:�Streak:�Benedictine has won four straight meetings between the two teams. Central Methodist has defeated Benedictine only once on the road (77-74 on Feb. 19, 2011) and twice overall since the 2003-04 season.
Coach James Arnold�vs. Opponent:�Coach Arnold is 0-4 vs. Benedictine, the only conference team the second year coach has yet to defeat.

About Central Methodist:
Central Methodist enters Saturday's game with a 24-6 overall record after three straight wins. The Eagles are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Raylyn Nuss�leads the team and ranks 12th in the HAAC in scoring with 10.97 points per game, while�Britney Joseph�ranks second in the league in rebounds per game with a 9.53 average.

The Eagles are 9-4 in away games this season, third best in the HAAC.

About Benedictine:
Benedictine enters Saturday's semifinal with a 27-4 overall record after five straight wins. The Lady Ravens are 14-1 in their last 15 games.�

In NAIA Division I, Benedictine:


Justice Payne leads the team and ranks ninth in the HAAC in scoring with 12.58 points per game. Kelsey Anselmi leads the league and ranks seventh in the country in assists (5.55 per game).

Benedictine is 14-2 in home games this season, which includes a 67-57 win over then-ranked No. 17 Central Methodist on Jan. 12.

Central Methodist Vying for Highest Winning Percentage

Central Methodist is on pace to establish the highest winning percentage in a season in school history. The Eagles' winning percentage in 2012-13 is .800, and the record of .778 was set by the 1996-97 unit that went 28-8 and reached the NAIA Division II Sweet 16.

Eagles Trying to Make NAIA National Championship

Not since the 1999-2000 season has Central Methodist advanced to the national tournament, and that was as a Division II member of the NAIA. The Eagles are ranked 30th in the latest national�Top 25 Poll, while Baker (Kan.) comes in at No. 32. Thirty-two teams qualify for the National Championship. A win in the second round of the HAAC Tournament against the Lady Ravens would go a long way in helping to secure at least an at-large bid to the big dance in Frankfort, Ky.

All-HAAC

Saturday's showdown features seven players that were named to the�2013 All-Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Teams.

Benedictine had four players recognized.�Guard Justice Payne was named to the first team. Guard Kelsey Anselmi was named to the second team. Forward Erin Murphy and post Liz Stinson both earned honorable mention all-conference honors.

Central Methodist guard�Raylyn Nuss�and�forwards�Towanda Sutton�and�Britney Joseph�were voted to the teams by the league's coaches. Nuss was selected to the second team. Sutton was named to the third team, while Joseph was an honorable mention selection.

Winner Advances to HAAC Tournament Championship

�HAAC Tournament Bracket

The winner of Saturday's game in Atchison will face the winner of No. 1-seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)/No. 4-seed Baker (Kan.) in the HAAC Women's Basketball Tournament Championship on Tuesday, March 5. The highest seed left remaining will host the championship game.

The Eagles are 1-1 against both MidAmerica Nazarene and Baker this season. The Lady Ravens are 0-2 against the Pioneers and 2-0 against the Wildcats.

Free Throws

The Eagles attempted a season-high 39 free throws in Thursday's Quarterfinal win against Culver-Stockton (Mo.) and made 25. The Wildcats were only 3-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Nuss vs. Payne

Saturday's showdown will feature the two-best 3-point shooters in the HAAC this season in Central Methodist's�Raylyn Nuss�and Benedictine's Justice Payne. Nuss (2.7) and Payne (2.6) are one-two in 3-pointers made per game, while Payne (82) and Nuss (81) are the top two in treys made.

65.1 percent (82-of-126) of Payne's made buckets have come from 3-point range.

In the first battle between the two teams, Payne hit 5-of-9 from deep, while Nuss was 0-of-5.

On Feb. 16,�Nuss opened the second half scoring�nine straight points for Central Methodist and drilled four treys in the first 4:10 of the period en route to a�game-high 18 on 6-of-12 shooting from behind the arc. Payne finished with eight points but was held scoreless in the final 20 minutes.

A Payne for Central Methodist

Benedictine guard Justice Payne scored 21 points against the Green and Black in the first matchup in Atchison, Kan. She has averaged 14.5 points in two career games versus the Eagles.

Three-Point Shooting Key to Victory

In Benedictine's 10-point win against Central Methodist in Atchison, the Lady Ravens were 10-of-22 from three. The Eagles were 0-of-15, marking the only time this campaign Central Methodist has failed to make a shot from beyone the arc.

In the rematch, Central Methodist was 10-of-27 from deep. The Lady Ravens shot 7-of-23, led by Jayde Reid's 4-of-5 effort.

Central Methodist is 19-2 when connecting on at least five three-pointers this season, but 5-4 when making fewer than five from beyond the arc.

Breaking Down Benedictine's Perimeter Shooting

The Ravens love to pull from near the top of the arc against Central Methodist. In the Feb. 16 battle inside Puckett Fieldhouse, five of Benedictine's seven made threes were from within six feet of the top of the arc. In the game, the Ravens were 0-of-6 from the left side of the arc and 2-of-8 from the right side.

Four of the five makes that came from near the center of the 3-point line came from Jayde Reid.�Four of Reid's five-made shots in the game came from beyond the arc.

In the first matchup, six of Benedictine's 10 made treys came from within six feet of the top of the arc.

Top Two HAAC Defenses Square Off Saturday

Central Methodist has ranked as one of the best defensive clubs in the conference and nation this season, but Benedictine also boasts one of the top defenses. The Eagles lead the league in per-game averages for scoring defense (56.5 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.352).

The Lady Ravens are second in the HAAC in scoring defense, giving up only 58.2 points per game.�

D:60

The Green and Black are 18-0 when yielding 60 or fewer points but just 6-6 when giving up 61 or more. The Eagles allowed an average of 64.5 points in two regular-season contests against Benedictine.

Making the Extra Pass

Led by�Kelsey Anselmi,�Benedictine is the best team in the HAAC at piling up assists. The Lady Ravens average 16.52 per contest and posted 19 per game against the Green and Black.

Central Methodist Ranks in Multiple NAIA Division I Categories

In NAIA Division I, Central Methodist: