Women

CMU 63

Wm. Penn 58

The Central Methodist women secured a narrow 63-58 victory over William Penn University in their first road game of the conference season on Saturday afternoon in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 4-2 overall and even their Heart record to 1-1. It marks the first conference win for new CMU head coach Dustyn Yung since returning to the Lady Eagles’ sideline this season.

William Penn drops to 1-4 and 0-2 in conference action.

The Eagles had a strong start in the first quarter, outscoring WPU 18-13. Senior guard Kaylha Adams led the way offensively with eight points in the opening frame.

William Penn quickly responded to the Eagles’ offense in the second, outscoring CMU 24-13 to go up 37-31 at halftime. 

However, the second half was all Central Methodist. The Lady Eagles outscored William Penn 13-7 in the third and 19-14 in the fourth. The Statesmen kept the game close in the final frame but were held to less than 20 percent shooting by Central’s defense. 

Adams led the way for CMU with 23 points in 35 minutes of action. Bianca Bindzus and Sa’Mya Stevens both finished the night with 12 points, while Bindzus added five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.

Alana Crumley controlled the boards with seven rebounds and was a key part in Central outrebounding the Statesmen 38-28. 

The Eagles look to carry the momentum into their next game as they return home tonight (Wednesday) to face Benedictine College. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Puckett Field House. 

Men

CMU 83

Wm. Penn 91

The Central Methodist men were dealt its first conference loss of the season, 91-83, to William Penn on Saturday in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

With the loss, the Eagles drop to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Heart play, while the Statesmen improve to 5-1 and remain undefeated in the Heart at 2-0.

Central Methodist opened the game with a competitive first half. But despite scoring 35 points in the first 20 minutes, CMU trailed by 12 at the break. Senior Marcus Anthony led the charge offensively for Central with eight points in the first half.

The Eagles had another impressive offensive showing in the second half, scoring 48 points. However, Central’s defense was unable to hold back WPU’s offense, which shot 40.7 percent from behind the arc and 78.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Anthony finished the night with 14 points while shooting 60 percent from the field. Destin Jenkins was also a key contributor, adding 11 points for CMU and converting seven of eight free-throw attempts.

Mario Fantina matched Jenkins with 11 points, of which nine came from beyond the arc. Bol Tong and Brandon Tchouya each finished the night with 10 points. Tchouya also nearly tallied a double-double with nine rebounds. 

Forward Thomas Sowoolu almost cracked double figures with nine points in 11 minutes of action.

CMU outrebounded William Penn 43-35, but the Statemen’s defense forced 21 Eagle turnovers and held Central to just five 3-point makes. 

The Eagles look to bounce back as they return home tonight (Wednesday) to face Benedictine College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Puckett Field House.