Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist women's basketball team punched its ticket to the Heart semifinals following a 69-44 victory over Missouri Valley College in the conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday night inside Puckett Field House.
With the win, the Eagles advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the fifth time in the last seven seasons, improving their overall record to 26-4. Missouri Valley sees its season come to an end with a 17-12 mark.
CMU came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, holding the Vikings to just six first-quarter points. The second frame was more evenly balanced for both teams, as Central held an 18-16 advantage. Coming out of the locker room with a 41-22 lead, Central once again held Missouri Valley just six points in the third.
Despite MVC outscoring Central 16-14 in the final quarter, it proved to not be enough as CMU cruised to a 25-point victory.
Senior guard Kedranea' Addison led Central's offense with 15 points in only 16 minutes of action off the bench. Addison shot 50-percent from the field, grabbed six rebounds, and tallied two steals and one assist. The trio of Arleighshya McElroy, Daryna Bachkarova, and Leianya Massenat each chipped in 12 points apiece. McElroy also recorded 12 rebounds to earn a double-double while Massenat recorded eight.
Eternati Willock nearly cracked double figures with eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. The junior forward also added three assists and two steals.
Central's stingy defense forced 26 Viking turnovers which included 19 steals. Bachkarova and McElroy led the way with five steals each, followed by Massenat with four and Jaicia Canady three. The Eagles' defense also held Missouri Valley to just 26.8-percent shooting from the floor and 13-percent from beyond the arc.
CMU controlled the boards with 55 total rebounds compared to 42 for MVC. 21 of Central's 55 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
The Eagles will next host Benedictine College in the Heart semifinals Saturday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m. inside Puckett Field House. CMU swept the regular-season series between the two schools.
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