Dubuque, Iowa - A pair of free throws by senior forward Peter Turay propelled the Eagles to a 78-77 victory over Clarke in Central's Heart Opener Wednesday night inside Puckett Field House.
The Eagles keep their perfect record intact at 5-0 and open Heart play at 1-0. Clarke falls to 3-3 and 1-1 in conference action.
Central trailed by as many as seven points in the second half, but remained within striking distance through the first 11 minutes of second half action. Trailing 61-54, Central went on a 14-0 scoring run over a four-minute span to take a 68-61 lead.
The Pride ultimately tied the game at 70-70 on a made three-point basket with 4:28 remaining. Both teams exchanged baskets before Clarke grabbed a one-point lead on a three-point basket with 1:32 remaining.
The following two possessions came up empty for both teams, but an offensive rebound by the Eagles on their final possession gave them the opportunity at the game winning shot.
With less than two seconds remaining, Turay was fouled in the low block and had an opportunity to give Central the lead with a pair of free throw attempts. Turay knocked down both free throws to put CMU out in front 78-77, which would prove to be the final score and an Eagle win.
CMU had a balanced scoring attack up and down its starting lineup, as all five starters reached double figures.
Isaiah Williams and Everett Stubblefield both tallied 12 points while Isaiah May finished the evening with 11. TreVon Smith and Turay rounded out the double digit scores for Central with 10 points each. Turay also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, nearly earning a double-double.
Marcus Anthony and Trey Sinegal each tallied eight points.
As a team, Central was very productive shooting, converting on 43.1-percent from the floor, 35.7-percent from three, and 92.3-percent from the free throw line. CMU just edged Clarke on the glass, 42-38.
The Eagles will next make a trip to Culver-Stockton College to face the Wildcats Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Canton, Mo.
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