After a close first half, the Central Methodist University men's basketball team was unable to keep up with Baker University in the second half as the Wildcats earned a 62-43 win over the Runnin' Eagles in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Thursday night.
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After a low-scoring first half, Baker held a 19-18 advantage at halftime. In the second half, Baker exploded with nearly 67 percent shooting from the field, stretching its lead to 48-32 in the first 11 minutes of the period. CMU never found an answer as the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 21 points before finishing with the 19-point win.
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Central Methodist shot 31.4 percent from the field in the game, while Baker finished with 43.3 percent shooting after making just 8-of-33 shots in the first half. The Wildcats dominated the boards, finishing with 42 rebounds to the Eagles' 26.
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Seniors Tyler Bredehoeft (Alma, Mo.) and Jake Clark (St. Charles, Mo.) paced CMU with eight points each. Clark also finished with a team-high five rebounds, while freshman Nate Stoutenborough (Cabool, Mo.) tallied four assists.
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CMU dropped to 6-6 overall and 1-2 in HAAC play, while Baker improved to 4-7 on the season and 1-3 in the conference. Central Methodist will be back in action Saturday at Graceland University in the Eagles' final game of the semester. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Lamoni, Iowa.