Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist men's basketball program fended off Peru State College in the final minutes to earn a 75-68 victory Saturday evening inside Puckett Field House. 

With the win, the Eagles improve to 16-8 and 7-6 in Heart play, while the Bobcats fall to 10-13 and 5-8. Central now sits in second place in the Heart South standings, just one game back from Division leader Evangel. 

CMU jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead in the first 4:45 before Peru tied the ballgame at 13-13. However, Central would outscore Peru State 20-10 in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 33-23 lead into the locker room. 

The Eagles maintained their advantage in the second half despite Peru trimming the lead to as few as four at the 4:03 mark. An 11-3 run over a two minute span by the Eagles gave them the seven-point victory. 

Three Eagles cracked double figures led by Jonathan Brown, who tallied 21 points in all 40 minutes of action. Senior guard Tim Cameron added 16 points which included three three-point baskets and Fode Camara added 14. 

Trent Lyles nearly cracked double-digit scoring with nine points in 25 minutes off the bench. Central had an efficient day shooting from all areas of the floor, converting 31.8-percent of their three-point attempts and 75-percent from the charity stripe. Overall, the Eagles shot nearly 51-percent from the floor. 

The Eagles head back out on the road for a pivitol matchup against Benedictine College Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Atchison, Kan. Both squads have identical 7-6 marks in conference play.

#TakeFlight