BOX SCORE


The Central Methodist University men's basketball team shot 51.2 percent from the field and forced Benedictine College to commit 24 turnovers as the Runnin' Eagles led start to finish in their 66-42 win at Benedictine Saturday afternoon. It was CMU's first win at Benedictine since Dec. 4, 2004.
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Central Methodist scored the first eight points of the game, and extended its lead to as many as 21 points at 29-8 with 5:14 left in the first half. Benedictine rallied with a 14-4 run to end the period, cutting CMU's lead to 33-22 at halftime. Benedictine was unable to get to within single digits in the second half. The Runnin' Eagles closed the game the way they started it � with back-to-back three-pointers to get the 66-42 win.
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CMU shot 51.2 percent from the field, including 10-of-17 from three-point range. The Runnin' Eagles finished 12-of-15 from the free-throw line. Central Methodist held Benedictine to 38.6-percent shooting in the game, including just 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Ravens finished 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. CMU forced Benedictine to commit 24 turnovers in the game, including 14 steals for the Runnin' Eagles, which led to 24 points for CMU. Benedictine finished with a 23-22 edge in rebounding.
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Senior Curtis Smith (LaBelle, Mo.) finished with 19 points, including 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. He added a team-high five assists and three steals. Senior Jake Clark (St. Charles, Mo.) was the only other player in double-figures for CMU, as he finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Eric Franklin (Columbia, Mo.) added nine points and three steals. Senior Tyler Bredehoeft (Alma, Mo.) tallied six rebounds and four assists to go with his two points.
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Central Methodist improved to 10-19 on the season and 5-14 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Benedictine dropped to 14-14 overall and 10-8 in the conference. The Runnin' Eagles will close their season with a road trip to Canton, Mo., to take on Culver-Stockton College at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.