FAYETTE, Mo. – The Central Methodist University men's basketball team was unable to pull off a second half comeback in an 82-79 loss to Clarke on Wednesday evening.
A slow defensive start for Central led to the Eagles trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the first half. A 13-7 run late in the opening frame, sparked by nine bench points from Jake Branham (FR/Springfield, Mo.) and Noah Patrick (FR/Columbia, Mo.), brought the Eagles within four at the half.
The second half of play showcased a back-and-forth battle with six ties and six lead changes. Clarke looked to pull away with a seven point lead with just under four ticks left on the lock, but the Eagles rattled off a 6-0 run to pull within one at 78-77. Central remained close through the final stretch, but was unable to net a shot that would put the game away.
James Byrd II (SR/Kansas City, Mo.) led all scorers on the night with a 26 point performance while also adding five steals, four rebounds, and four assists.
INSIDE THE BOX:
- Teams were nearly even from the floor after CMU shot 44% and Clarke went 48%
- The charity stripe proved to be the biggest differentiator as the Pride connected on 17-24 attempts and the Eagles finished 9-15
- Central was -3 in the rebounding column but outrebounded CU on the offensive end at a 12-10 margin
- The Eagles forced 16 turnovers in the contest, converting for 17 points on the mistakes
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMERS:
- Rijnard Hartman (JR/Magaliesburg, South Africa) – 15 points, 12 rebounds
- Josh Robinson (SR/Normal, Ill.) – 15 points, 8 rebounds
UP NEXT:
Central will host Grand View on Saturday, January 25th, at 4 PM.
