Canton, Mo, - The Central Methodist women's basketball team won its sixth consecutive ballgame with a 71-57 victory over Culver-Stockton College Saturday afternoon in Canton, Mo.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 12-5 overall and 11-5 in conference action while the Wildcats fall to 0-13 overall and 0-11 in conference play.
Both teams entered the game with high pace and exchanged baskets, as the Eagles grabbed a slim 15-14 lead at the end of the first frame. Freshman guard Leianya Massenat scored the first seven points for Central in the second period, including two three-point baskets to extend the lead to six points with 7:06 left before halftime.
The Wildcats tied the game at 29-29 with a little over three minutes left in the second quarter, however, CMU retained its lead at halftime, 33-30.
Central pushed their lead to eight in the opening five minutes of the quarter, before Culver answered back and tied the game once again with 1:05 left.
CMU took away any hopes of a Wildcat comeback in the final frame, as the lady Eagles rolled in the last quarter, outscoring CS-C 17-8 and earning the double-digit win.
Massenat led the team with 17 points and added three assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Freshman forward Leah Johnson followed with 14 points and finished second on the team with eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
Daryna Bachkarova earned her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, along with three steals and two blocks. Natalia Shpegel was the final Eagle to reach double-digits, scoring 10 points. She also dished out a game-high five assists and four rebounds. Michelle Nicholls nearly reached double figures with nine points, a game-high four steals, and four rebounds.
As a team, the Eagles shot 41.3-percent from the field while the Wildcats shot 34.4-percent. Central topped Culver from the charity stripe, converting on 68.4-percent of their free-throw attempts, compared to a 64.7-percent for CS-C.
Collectively, CMU dished out 14 assists on 26 of their field goal makes. Despite being outrebounded 47-36, Central forced 16 Wildcat turnovers on 11 steals.
The Eagles will be back on the court Monday, Feb. 8 as they travel to Peru, Nebraska for a makeup game against Peru State College at 5:30 p.m.
#TakeFlight
