Fayette, Mo. The 13^th ranked and first seeded Central Methodist University Lady Eagles basketball team were upset Saturday evening by 24^th ranked and fourth seeded Baker University by a final of 64-59 inside of Puckett Field House. Baker University advances to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Championship, where they will travel to face 9^th ranked and second seeded MidAmerica Nazarene University on Tuesday evening.
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With the loss, the 13^th ranked Lady Eagles fall to 26-4 overall. With the victory, 24^th ranked Baker University improves to 24-7 overall.


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Central Methodist and Baker came out of the gates swinging on Saturday night. The first quarter featured fast paced back-and-forth action at both ends of the court. Central Methodist shot 52% from the floor and Baker shot 53%. At the end of the first ten minutes, CMU held a slim 19-18 lead.
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The Baker Wildcats would score the first points of the second quarter and never look back. Central Methodist was unable to find their offensive touch and struggled to shoot the ball in the second, third and fourth quarters. CMU's highest shooting percentage in any of the final three quarters, was 33%.
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Baker University outscored Central Methodist 19-12 in the second quarter and 18-17 in the third quarter. The Lady Eagles outscored the Wildcats 11-9 in the fourth quarter, but fell 64-59.
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In the loss, just five players scored for Central Methodist, with three of them finishing in double-figures. DaJonee Hale (Anchorage, Alaska), led CMU with 21 points on 9-of-22 shooting; while playing all 40 minutes. Alayah Cooper-Johnson (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) finished with 19 points and a team high eight rebounds, and freshman Lexie Moe (St. Peters, Mo.) finished with 10 points.
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The 13^th ranked Lady Eagles will have off until March 16^th, when the 36^th Annual NAIA Division 1 Women's Basketball National Championship tournament begins in Independence, Missouri at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Central Methodist secured their birth into the National Tournament with their regular season Heart of America Athletic Conference championship. CMU will find out their seed and opponent in the tournament this Wednesday, March 9^th at 5pm CST during the Selection Show.
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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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