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FAYETTE, Mo. - A second-half comeback fueled by Taylor Larson fell short as No. 20 Central Methodist saw its four-game Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) win streak end with a 67-63 loss to Evangel (Mo.) in Puckett Fieldhouse.

Evangel (8-17, 5-10) led by as many as 14 points in the first half on the strength of Allison Swanson on both ends of the court. The center totaled eight of her 11 points and all four blocks in the first 20 minutes before Central Methodist (19-6, 10-5) got her to pick up a fourth personal foul with 13:52 to play, forcing Swanson to the bench for a near 10-minute stretch.

Meanwhile, Larson gave the Eagles a spark off the bench with eight points all after the break. Central Methodist, which shot only 10-of-30 in the first half, converted its first 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 4-of-4 within the paint. The Eagles outscored the Crusaders 22-12 in the paint after halftime and 36-32 overall.

Central Methodist was also helped by Burgandie Lewis' four second-half offensive rebounds and eight total, leading to 17 second-chance points.

Swanson's fourth personal foul put Lewis at the line, where she converted two bonus attempts to give the Eagles their first lead Thursday, 41-40.

Evangel regained the upper hand and eventually built a five-point lead at the 5:28 mark following a Bailey Irvine old-fashioned three-point play, making the score 55-50.

The Eagles would eventually cut the deficit to one possession, 65-63, after two Nakia Robinson makes at the charity stripe and got the ball back with a chance to tie with five seconds remaining.

Evangel's Jessica Lessmann missed a breakaway layup attempt that was rebounded by Larson and resulted in a Lessmann foul. However, Larson's first free throw attempt rimmed in and out, and a lane violation on the second attempt gave the ball back to the Crusaders. Tiaunshe Brown made two free throws to make it a two-possession game and seal the upset bid.

Irvine led all scorers with 28 on 9-of-12 shooting overall and a 9-of-9 effort at the foul line. She also had six rebounds. Brown ended the night with 16 points.

Robinson posted a team-high 16 points. Lewis tallied a double-double with 10 points and game-high 11 boards. Kyra Williams had nine points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Morgan Vetter scored eight points. Jesse Ellis had six points, seven rebounds and three of her team's eight steals.

The Eagles outrebounded the Crusaders 43-26, including 18-3 on the offensive glass.

After a relatively clean first 20 minutes, the second half turned into a foul fest, as both teams shot a combined 43 free throw attempts after intermission. The Crusaders went 14-of-16, while the Eagles were 16-of-24 in that stretch.

Central Methodist heads to No. 15 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Saturday for the HAAC Women's Basketball Game of the Week. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT.