Fayette, Mo. – The 13th ranked Central Methodist University women's basketball team fell to the William Penn University Statesmen; whom are currently receiving votes in the Coaches' Top 25 Poll, by a final of 72-67 inside of Puckett Field House on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the 13th ranked Eagles see their 11 game winning streak come to an end, which had dated back to November 28th. CMU is now 16-3 overall and 12-3 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. With the win, the William Penn Statesmen; who are currently receiving votes in the latest Coaches' Top 25 Poll, improve to 12-6 overall and 10-4 in The Heart.
Saturday's game was won in the first quarter. The Statesmen came out strong, forcing four steals and causing Central Methodist to turn the ball over 10 times in the first ten minutes of the game. William Penn shot 8-for-19 from the field in the first quarter, while also knocking down four of their nine three-point attempts. Defensively the Statesmen held Central Methodist to a 2-for-13 performance from the field. The Eagles shot 1-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc, and just 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. After a quarter of play, CMU trailed 24-6.
Central Methodist turned things around quickly and controlled the game from there on out. CMU shot 8-for-18 from the field in the second quarter, while also coming up with six steals. Central outscored William Penn 19-14 in the second quarter, but still trailed 38-25 at halftime.
In the third quarter, CMU once again forced William Penn into taking poor shots. The Statesmen shot 4-of-15 from the field, and turned the ball over nine times in the quarter. The one positive for William Penn, was that they outrebounded CMU 16 to 8. The Eagles shot 8-for-19 from the field, and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, while outscoring William Penn 20-14.
Heading into the fourth quarter, William Penn led Central 52-45. The Eagles continued to force a comeback, they would once again outscore the Statesmen in the quarter and they forced nine William Penn turnovers. Unfortunately for CMU, William Penn shot 7-for-11 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Central outscored the Statesmen 22-20 in the quarter, but fell short in the game; 72-67.
In the loss, four Eagles scored in double-figures. DaJonee Hale (JR/Anchorage, Alaska) led the team with 13 points, while both Lexie Moe (SO/St. Peters, Mo.) and Tashawnya Edwards (JR/Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished with 12 points apiece. Moe also led Central with a team high eight rebounds. Ana Borges (JR/Sao Paulo, Brazil) finished with 10 points, and tied with Edwards for a team high four steals apiece.
The 13th ranked Eagles continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday evening, when they welcome 15th ranked Benedictine College to Puckett Field House. The Central women will tip-off at 5:30pm, with the men's game to follow at 7:30pm.
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.
