With a 1-1 showing over the weekend at “The Show” tournament in Kingsport Tennessee, the CMU men have started the 2021-22 campaign at 8-1. Prior to the loss on Saturday, Central was sporting its best start since the 2017-18 season when they finished 27-6.

CMU - 101

Trinity International - 83

Central Methodist  pushed its win streak to eight games with a 101-83 victory over Trinity International in the first game of the 2021 NAIA “The Show” Basketball Tournament Friday afternoon.

The 16-team tournament, which is held annually at the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport, Tennessee, made its return after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CMU’s offense got going early, scoring 53 first-half points, the second most of any half this season. Leading by double-digits at the break, Central managed to hold off any attempted Trojan comeback in the second, outscoring the opposition 48-42 to earn an 18-point victory.

Sophomore Jonathan Brown dropped a game-high 25 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the field. The native of London, England also dished out a team-leading seven assists and grabbed three rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

Three other Eagles joined Brown in double figures, as sophomore Trent Lyles tallied 19 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Isaiah May followed with a career-high 15 points on 50-percent shooting form the field. He also grabbed a team leading eight rebounds to nearly earn a double-double.

Freshman Thomas Sowoolu was the final Eagle to enter double figures. He recorded 12 points, five rebounds, and one assist. Sophomore Jackson Andrews nearly reached double-digit scoring with eight points, including two 3-point baskets.

Senior guard Tim Cameron filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, six points, five assists, and a steal in 26 minutes of action.

As a team, the Eagles shot an impressive 57.6-percent from the floor including a remarkable 50-percent from beyond the arc. The defense held Trinity International to just 44.8-percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers on eight steals, led by Lyles with three.

Central dominated the glass, grabbing 45 rebounds compared to just 28 for the Trojans. Joining Brown with eight rebounds was senior forward Fode Camara, followed by  senior Tim Cameron, who grabbed seven along with freshman  Charlie Bronakowski with six, and Sowoolu with five.

Bluefield - 90

CMU - 81

On Saturday, the CMU men basketball suffered their first loss of the 2021-22 campaign, falling to Bluefield University, 90-81, in their final game of the 2021 NAIA “The Show” Basketball Tournament.

Central finishes its non-conference slate with an 8-1 overall record entering Heart action.

The Rams outscored Central 50-38 in the first half. Despite CMU’s offense picking up the pace with 43 second-half points, Bluefield  still earned a nine-point win.

Senior transfer Tim Cameron led the CMU offense with 24 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field, which included six 3-point baskets. He also dished out a team-high six assists and grabbed four rebounds paired with two steals.

Sophomore Jonathan Brown was the second Eagle to land in double-figures, tallying 17 points and four 3-point baskets. The duo of sophomore Isaiah May and returning senior Fode Camara rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points each.

The sharpshooters on both sides were extremely efficient from beyond the arc, as Central shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range, while the Rams finished the evening shooting 42.9-percent from downtown.

Bluefield edged CMU on the glass, grabbing 36 rebounds compared to 34 for the Eagles. Camara led both sides with eight rebounds, while Brown and Cameron each added five.

Central made only 13 trips to the charity stripe during the duration of the game, converting just seven of those attempts. The Rams made 13-of-15 attempts from the free-throw line, good enough for 86.7-percent.

CMU turns its attention to Heart Conference play with a matchup against Evangel tonight (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. inside Puckett Field House.