Fayette, Mo. - In a down to the wire finish, the Central Methodist Women's basketball team's upset bid of nationally ranked Grand View came up short, as the Eagles fell to the Vikings 69-63 Saturday afternoon inside Puckett Field House.
Central now stands at 9-11 and 6-10 in conference action, while Grand View improves to 19-2 and 15-2 in the Heart of America.
The Eagles struggled scoring in the first quarter, tallying only seven points compared to 15 for Grand View. Central improved in the second frame, but were unable to contain the Vikings' hot offense, as they trailed at the halftime break, 34-25. The Vikings capped the first half with a halfcourt shot as time expired to push their lead to nine points.
Central chipped away the deficit, coming within three points at the end of the third. However, another three by Grand View as time expired in the quarter pushed the spread to two possessions.
The Eagles once again continued to battle, overcoming an eight-point deficit in the fourth to pull within two on a two-point basket from Zutorya Cook with 38 seconds remaining.
Central stopped the Vikings on their next possession and had the ball with 18 seconds remaining. But an offensive foul by CMU gave the ball back to the Vikings, who knocked down four consecutive free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Senior forward B'Aunce Carter was the only Eagle to land in double figures, tallying 15 points in 24 minutes off the bench. She also added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals to her stat line.
Both Cook and Sharay Trotter each tallied eight points, while Cook recorded eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Tynesha Parnell, Sa'Mya Stevens, Miaya Ware, and Alanna Crumley all chipped in six points. Parnell also led the rebounding efforts with nine boards and knocked down two three-point baskets.
Both teams were nearly identical in shooting from the floor, but Central battled foul trouble all night long. The Eagles finished the evening making 12 trips to the charity stripe, compared to 23 trips for the Vikings.
Central took care of business on the glass, outrebounding Grand View 44-34.
CMU will next travel to Baldwin City, Kansas to take on the Baker Wildcats Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. Central won the first matchup between the two teams by a score of 68-50 back on Nov. 25 in Fayette.
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