Cedar Rapids, Iowa - The No. 13 Central Methodist women's basketball program used a 6-2 scoring run in the final 1:27 to squeeze out a 58-51 victory over Mount Mercy Sunday afternoon in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Eagles imrove to 16-3 overall and 6-3 in the Heart, while the Mustangs fall to 8-12 and 5-4 in conference action. Central now sits atop the Heart South Divison standings and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak.
Central held a slim 41-36 lead entering the fourth quarter and pushed their lead to double digits with an 8-0 scoring run in the opening 3:05 of the frame. Mount Mercy responded however with a run of their own, scoring 10 straight points to trim the Eagles' lead to three with just under five minutes remaining.
Eternati Willock broke the scoring drought with a basket in the paint to push Central's lead to five. After a bucket by the Mustangs on the ensuing possession, Central converted one-of-two free throws, followed by two conversions by Mount Mercy from the charity stripe to make the score 52-50 with 1:27 remaining.
The Eagles responded with six of the final seven points in the last 90 seconds, highlighted by key free throw makes from Jaicia Canady and Arleighshya McElroy to close the game out for Central.
Central's starting five was extremely productive as three of the five recorded double doubles. Willock led CMU's scoring efforts with 17 points on eight-of-14 shooting from the floor. She also grabbed 10 rebounds to earn her third consecutive double-double along with a game-high three blocks. McElroy tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Daryna Bachkarova recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Canady and Leah Johnson each pulled down eight rebounds, while Leianya Massenat followed with seven. Overall, CMU dominated the glass with 61 rebounds compared to 36 for the Mustangs. Central's defense also held Mount Mercy to just 24.6-percent shooting from the floor.
The Eagles return home to host Baker University Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. inside Puckett Field House. Central claimed victory over the Wildcats in the first matchup between the two sides by a score of 70-52 back on Jan. 5 in Baldwin City.
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