Fayette, Mo. – The Central Methodist Women's Basketball team extended its winning streak to five with a thrilling 50–49 victory over the Baker Wildcats on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 13-7 overall and 8-4 in Heart of America play, while the Wildcats fall to 3-15 and 1-10 in conference action.

The contest was tightly contested from start to finish, with both teams trading baskets throughout the night. CMU held a slim one-point edge after the first quarter, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 25-25.

The Eagles built their largest lead of the game at seven points in the second quarter, but Baker responded in the third, outscoring CMU 12-8 to regain momentum. Central Methodist answered in the final period, putting together a strong closing stretch and outscoring the Wildcats 17-12 in the fourth quarter.

With just 23 seconds remaining, Asnate Gerke knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Eagles a one-point advantage. Strong defensive plays by Tayla Robinson in the closing moments sealed the victory as CMU held on for the 50-49 win.

Gerke led the Eagles offensively with 11 points while also adding five rebounds and a pair of steals.

Junior Maizen Williams followed with nine points and four rebounds.

Graduate Kaitlyn Patke recorded eight points, while Tayla Robinson and Kaelyn Johnson both added seven.

Johnson made a huge difference defensively with a game-high 10 rebounds while also tallying three steals.

Central Methodist returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28, traveling to Fulton, Missouri, to face William Woods. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

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