Lamoni, Iowa – The 14th ranked Central Methodist University women's basketball team defeated Graceland University on Thursday evening by a final of 86-68 in Lamoni, Iowa.
With the victory, the 14th ranked Eagles improve to 18-5 overall and 14-5 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the loss, Graceland University falls to 4-18 overall and 4-14 in The Heart.
"We played with much more intensity and purpose tonight," said CMU head women's basketball coach Mike Davis. "We have had a couple of tough practices and our girls responded in a positive way. We had five players in double figures, and two more with nine points. That is the kind of balance that we need."
Central Methodist controlled Thursday's game from the opening tip. CMU jumped out to the early 28-10 lead after a quarter of play and never looked back. Central then outscored Graceland 22-20 in the second quarter to take a 50-30 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles offense continued to roll. Central shot 8-of-19 from the floor in the third quarter, and outscored Graceland 18-17 in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, both teams shot 7-for-15 from the floor, with the YellowJackets outscoring CMU 21-18. In the end, Central would come out victorious 86-68.
In the win, five players scored in double-figures for CMU. DaJonee Hale (JR/Anchorage, Alaska) led the way for the Eagles, with 16 points off the bench. Paige Albrecht (SR/Yakima, Wash.) finished with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Lexie Moe (SO/St. Peters, Mo.) finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
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.
