Fayette, Mo. – The CMU Men's basketball team fell to Grand View University in the annual Hall of Fame Game, 65-60, Saturday afternoon in Puckett Field House.
The Eagles now stand at 10-9 overall and 7-8 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, while the Vikings improve to 8-10 overall and 6-8 in conference play.
At halftime of the contest, CMU Athletics recognized the newest inductees into the Hairston Hall of Fame.
The first half was incredibly evenly matched, with both teams exchanging baskets throughout the entire first 20 minutes of play.
Bol Tong started the day off with a block, allowing Marcus Anthony to score the first points of the game on the other end of the floor. Anthony led Central in scoring in the first with 10 points on four-of-seven shooting from the floor. He also added five rebounds and two assists to his first half stat line.
The Eagles tied the game up at 27-27 with 1:52 left in the half on a two-point basket from junior guard Destin Jenkins.
Christian Barbieri followed with a two-point field goal to give Central a 29-27 lead. The Vikings responded on their ensuing possession to tie the game at 29-29, which proved to be the score at the halftime break.
Both teams continued to trade points throughout the second half. But Grand View found a spark offensively, taking their largest lead of the game with 10:35 left of the game at 51-40.
However, Central continued to battle and trimmed the lead to four with just 24 seconds remaining. The Eagles were unable to find any baskets on their final two possessions, as Grand View escaped with a five point win.
Anthony led all scorers with 22 points on nine-of-16 shooting. The senior from Jefferson City nearly recorded a double double with eight rebounds while also adding five assists, a steal, and a block.
Thomas Sowoolu was the only other Eagle to land in double figures with 12 points on a solid shooting night, going six-of-seven from the field. Additionally, he grabbed five rebounds, picked up two steals and one assist in 19 minutes of play.
Jenkins finished the evening with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.
As a team, CMU shot 41.7 percent from the field. Grand View nearly matched Central in shooting percentage, knocking down 41.5 percent of their shot attempts.
However, the Vikings held the upper hand on the glass, outrebounding Central 40-34 which included 14 offensive rebounds.
CMU will be back in action Wednesday, Jan. 22 in Atchison, Kansas, as they take on the Ravens from Benedictine College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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