Cedar Rapids, Iowa – The 13th ranked Central Methodist University Eagle women's basketball team were upset on Monday evening in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, falling late to the Mount Mercy University Mustangs by a final of 68-63.
With the loss, the 13th ranked Eagles fall to 17-5 overall and 13-5 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the victory, Mount Mercy University improves to 10-12 overall and 7-11 in The Heart.
"This was a tough game tonight," said CMU head women's basketball coach Mike Davis. "We actually led by 13 in the third quarter and just let up defensively. We need to take a good hard look in the mirror and turn this thing around."
Central Methodist was in for a battle from the opening tip Monday against the Mount Mercy Mustangs. When the two teams met back in Fayette on November 22nd, the Eagles came out victorious in convincing fashion; 93-76.
Monday was a different story for CMU. After 10 minutes of play, CMU and Mount Mercy played to a 16-16 tie. Central was unable to capitalize on Mount Mercy's eight turnovers. The Eagles would however come to life in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 17-12 to take a 33-28 lead into halftime.
The second half was owned by Mount Mercy. The Mustangs controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-16. Mount Mercy shot 11-for-20 from the field and outrebounded CMU 11 to 7 in the quarter.
It would continue to get worse for CMU in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles hit just five of their 21 attempts from the field, including 1-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. Central was outscored 16-14 in the quarter, and would fall in the contest 68-63.
In the loss, three Eagles finished in double-digit scoring, led by Lexie Moe (SO/St. Peters, Mo.)'s 14 points.
The 13th ranked Eagles remain in the state of Iowa, as they travel to face Graceland University on Thursday evening at 5:30pm in Lamoni, Iowa. The men's game will 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.
