Warrensburg, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist University men's basketball team held tough with Central Missouri on Wednesday evening, but came up short in the contest, 74-64.

Central Missouri jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead and led by as many as 12 in the first half at 14-26. The Bearcats closed out the first half on a 16-4 run to pull even at 30-30. The Bearcats and Mules played a tight second half, but Central Missouri was able to hold off surges from Southwest Baptist and go on to a 74-64 victory.

Damion Hooks led the way for the Bearcats with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Rashaad Brown-Peterson had 16 points and 7 boards. Gilbert Gyamfi and Jalen Loving both came off of the bench to give SBU double-digits scoring efforts, with Gyamfi scoring 12 and Loving 10. As a team SBU shot 34.4% from the field, 22.7% from beyond the arc, and 71.4% from the free throw line.

SBU will travel to Jefferson City, Mo. on Saturday, January 5 for a match-up with the Blue Tigers of Lincoln. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.