Fayette, Mo. – The 14th ranked Central Methodist University women's basketball team dropped their second straight game on Wednesday evening, and suffered their fifth loss in their last seven games, after falling 97-86 at home to Clarke University.
With the loss, the 14th ranked Eagles fall to 18-7 overall and 14-7 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. With the victory, the Clarke University Crusaders improve to 16-8 overall and 12-8 in The Heart.
It was yet another tough go for the Eagles on Wednesday evening against Clarke University. Central Methodist jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two minutes, and then never held a lead for the remainder of the game. Central Methodist is currently mired in their worst slump of the season and have fallen into fourth place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings. The Eagles shot just 5-of-19 from the field in the first quarter and trailed the Clarke Crusaders 25-15 after a quarter of play.
Central Methodist outscored Clarke University in the second quarter 28-25, while shooting an impressive 10-for-19 from the field; which included 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc. CMU also shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. At halftime, the Eagles trailed Clarke by just seven points at 50-43.
In the second half, Central would keep it close with the Crusaders, but never could shut down the Crusader offense long enough to mount a comeback. Clarke outscored CMU 20-18 in the third quarter and 27-25 in the fourth quarter enroot to a 97-86 victory.
In the loss, three players finished in double-figure scoring for Central Methodist. DaJonee Hale (JR/Anchorage, Alaska) led the Eagles with 29 points in 36 minutes off the bench for CMU. Hale finished with four rebounds, tied for the team high with four assists and she also finished with two steals. Lexie Moe (SO/St. Peters, Mo.) chimed in with 18 points and a team high eight rebounds.
The 14th ranked Eagles hit the road for their next three games, as they travel to face rival Missouri Valley College this Saturday. The Eagle women are scheduled to get things started at 2pm, with the men's game to follow at 4pm.
For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.
