Fayette, Mo. – The Central Methodist Eagles fell to the Grand View Vikings, 77-70, Saturday afternoon inside Puckett Field House.

With the loss, CMU moves to 17-9 overall and 11-7 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play, while Grand View improves to 19-7 on the season and 14-5 in conference action.

Grand View built a 41-32 lead at the halftime break, using a strong offensive showing to dictate the tempo.

Central Methodist answered with a stronger second-half effort, putting up 38 points after the break, but Grand View countered with 36 of its own to maintain control.

The Eagles showed resilience late, trimming the margin and battling down the stretch, but ultimately couldn't close the gap.

Tyson Oghene led CMU offensively, pouring in 28 points, with 18 coming from beyond the arc.

Senior Raphael Gay added 15 points on a perfect six-of-six from the floor, while also grabbing four rebounds and three steals.

Isaiah Bonaparte also reached double figures with 12 points and dished out five assists.

Both teams shot efficiently, with CMU finishing at 51 percent from the field and Grand View at 52.6 percent. The teams were also nearly even from three-point range, as the Eagles connected at 28 percent and the Vikings at 27.3 percent.

Free throws and rebounding proved decisive, however, with Grand View holding a 32-25 edge on the glass and shooting 82.4 percent at the line compared to Central's 68.8 percent.

CMU returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 18, when the Eagles take on the Missouri Baptist Spartans inside Puckett Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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