Canton, Mo. The 16^th ranked Central Methodist University Lady Eagles basketball team needed the full 40 minutes on Wednesday evening to close out the Culver-Stockton Wildcats in the final seconds to claim the 78-77 victory.
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With the victory, the 16^th ranked Lady Eagles improve to 19-2 overall and remain in first place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings at 14-1. With the loss, Culver-Stockton College; who are currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, fall to 17-6 overall and 10-5 in The Heart.
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Wednesday night's victory was a hard fought and well-earned win for the 16^th ranked Lady Eagles in Canton, Missouri. The game came down to the final seconds, where freshman Lexie Moe (St. Peter's, Mo.) was able to hit a three-pointer to seal the Lady Eagles 19^th victory of the season.
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"The road is a humbling place, especially when there's a target on your back," said CMU associate head coach Greg Ray. "We have been talking to the ladies all week about how the little things were going to factor into our road games this month. We are fortunate that when it counted, we did the little things correctly."
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Central Methodist jumped on the Wildcats in the first quarter, claiming a 25-19 lead after the first ten minutes. CMU held Culver-Stockton to just 14 shot attempts in the first quarter, while the Lady Eagles attempted 25 shots.
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CMU went cold in the second quarter and hit just five of their 18 shot attempts. Culver-Stockton took advantage of the poor shooting by Central Methodist, and in turn made 61% of their shots to outscore CMU 22-16 in the second quarter. At halftime, the teams were all nodded at 41.
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The Lady Eagles struggled again in the third quarter, being outscored 19-11 by the Wildcats; while shooting just 33% on 3-of-9 shooting from the field.
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Fortunes would turn for Central Methodist in the fourth quarter. CMU shot 58% from the field and limited Culver-Stockton College to just 47% from the field. The Wildcats didn't make a three-pointer in the fourth quarter and made just one free-throw.
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Central Methodist shutdown Culver-Stockton College in the final three minutes, and didn't allow the Wildcats to make a single shot. Down 77-69, CMU rallied to score the games' final nine points; including a game-winning three-pointer by Lexie Moe with three seconds left to claim the 78-77 win.
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"Lexie (Moe) had a tough night, but she came out focused after that last timeout and hit the shot that made all the difference," added Ray. "We have got to use this to our advantage and be prepared when we go to Missouri Valley College on Saturday. It's always tough when we go there."
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In the win, four players scored in double figures for the Lady Eagles and two players finished with double-doubles'. Alissa Campanero (San Diego, Calif.) led the charge offensively with 20 points and a team high 10 assists, while playing all 40 minutes. Alayah Cooper-Johnson (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) finished with 17 points and a team high 10 rebounds. Lexie Moe and DaJonee Hale (Anchorage, Alaska) both finished with 11 points apiece.
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The 16^th ranked Lady Eagles remain on the road, as they travel to Marshall, Missouri this Saturday to face Missouri Valley College at 2pm. The men will 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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