The Central Missouri Mules used a strong defensive effort in the second half for a 68-51 win at Emporia State on Thursday night. The game, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, was moved back to Thursday due to the snow storm.
Central Missouri (13-8, 8-7 MIAA) had a 27-25 halftime lead and the Mules held the Hornets without a field goal for the final three minutes of the half, and came out just as strong in the second, pushing that streak to 11:31 without a field goal. In fact, UCM allowed only one made shot from the floor in the first 12:21 of the second half.
During that run, UCM stretched its advantage to 20 points. The defense was the catalyst, and the only time it let up was with about five minutes to play. ESU went on a mini-run to cut it down to 13, but UCM answered with six consecutive points to ice the game.
