(FAYETTE, Mo., Nov. 3)--The William Woods University men's basketball team lost 85-71 at Central Methodist University Wednesday night. The CMU Eagles were among others receiving votes in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Preseason Top 25 Poll.

CMU took a 43-32 lead into halftime in Fayette, Mo. The Eagles shot 45% from the field, and 72% (13-of-18) from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes. WWU was 11-of-25 (44%) from the field and 9-of-14 (64%) from the foul line in the first half.

Central Methodist took its largest lead of the night (17 points) on a pair of free throws from Jake Clark with 5:28 remaining. The Owls rallied late, and freshman Jonathon Nutt (Palmyra, Mo.) cut the lead to nine points on a field goal with 1:19 remaining. CMU hit five free throws down the stretch to hold off the Owls.

CMU finished the night shooting 49% from the floor. The Eagles connected on 22-of-37 foul shots. William Woods shot 45% for the contest. The Owls hit 26-of-35 free throws. WWU outrebounded CMU 35-33.

William Woods was led in scoring by sophomore Logan Decker (Kansas City, Mo.) with 24 points. Decker was 7-of-14 from the field including 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point line. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line.

Nutt added 13 points in the loss. Nutt was 4-of-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Junior Caleb Parry (Rolla, Mo.) led the Owls with eight rebounds. Parry added eight points in the loss.

CMU improves to 1-0 on the season. William Woods falls to 0-2 on the year. They return to action on November 9 at Central Baptist College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm in Springfield, Mo.