The Central Methodist men’s basketball team turned in a strong road performance Saturday afternoon, defeating Heart foe Clarke 97-80, to improve to 9-4 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

CMU set the tone early, building a 42-33 halftime lead before pulling away with 55 points in the second half. Central Methodist shot an efficient 49.3 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range.

Additionally, Central connected on 21 of 26 attempts from the free-throw line.

Raphael Gay led the Eagles with a dominant 28-point, 12-rebound double-double, shooting 10-of-15 from the floor.

Isaiah Reams added 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting while dishing out six assists. Davion Guity was perfect from beyond the arc, knocking down all three attempts to finish with 13 points.

Austin Prater contributed 11 points off the bench as Central Methodist received 24 points from its reserves.

The Eagles controlled the paint with a 44-32 scoring advantage and capitalized on turnovers, outscoring Clarke 23-8 in points off miscues. The Eagles also held a decisive edge in fast-break points, 15-2.

CMU was to return to Puckett Fieldhouse to host Hesston College in a non-conference game after the Advertiser had gone to press on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.