Springfield, Mo. The 16^th ranked Central Methodist University Lady Eagles basketball team let the Evangel University Crusaders hang around in the first half, before taking control in the final two quarters to seal the 66-51 victory on Wednesday evening in Springfield, Missouri.
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With the victory, the 16^th ranked Lady Eagles improve to 17-2 overall and remain in first place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings at 12-1. With the loss, Evangel University falls to 5-13 overall and 4-9 in The Heart.
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"It was a sluggish start, but the ladies refocused at the half and came out with the intensity that we should have started with," said CMU associate head coach Greg Ray.
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Central Methodist held a 17-12 lead after a quarter of play, but shot just 40% from the field, while shooting 3-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line.
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It got even worse in the second quarter, as the Lady Eagles shot 5-of-15 from the field, and 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Evangel outscored CMU 16-15 in the second quarter, and at halftime the Lady Eagles held a slim 32-28 lead over the Crusaders.
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"It's good to know that "NeNe" (DaJonee Hale) can have a game like she had tonight and there is someone to step up and carry the load," continued Ray. "At this point in the season, we will take a win any way it comes. It's time to get back and prepare for Avila on Saturday."
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The Lady Eagles controlled the second half, outscoring Evangel 16-11 in the third quarter, and 18-12 in the fourth quarter. CMU shot 46% from the field in the second half and shot a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line in the second half.
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Leading the way offensively for the Lady Eagles was point guard Alissa Campanero. She finished with a team best 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting, six assists, and four rebounds. Lexie Moe finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
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Reigning conference player of the week DaJonee Hale struggled Wednesday, shooting 1-of-7 from the field with two points, six rebounds and two assists.
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The 16^th ranked Lady Eagles return home this Saturday to host Avila University at 2pm. It will be the annual "Coaches vs Cancer" games on Saturday inside of Puckett Field House, with the men's game to follow at 4pm.
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For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles. �������
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