The Park University men's basketball team has put themselves in a good position in the Heart of America Athletic Conference after a 92-73 win over Central Methodist University on Saturday, 92-73. 

Park is now 2-0 in the Heart, winning four of their last five games to step up to a 4-5 overall record. The Eagles on paper presented themselves as a team to watch for with a 6-2 and 2-0 Heart record, but they fall to 6-3 and 2-1 after Saturday's loss.

Clarence King made a nice baseline move early to earn an and one, and Burrows added a layup after for a 5-1 lead. King would be a go to player for Park throughout the game, but aside from Burrows, King extended Park's lead to 12-1, including a made three, to put the Eagles in an early whole at the 17:32 mark. Mannie Odo got in on the scoring with two free-throws and a layup to put Park up 20-8. The Eagles got within five points at the 8:37 mark, but  a combination of Shawndale Ross and Otavio Armani restored a 12-point advantage at the 6:39 mark after an Armani trey, 31-19. Bayley Crawford and Armani would be on the attack again, and King hit a three to put Park up 20 points with 4:18 to go, 42-22. The Pirates went to halftime with an outstanding showing with a 49-32 advantage.

It felt like Central Methodist was forcing the three at certain points in the game and they were only two-of-12 from distance in the first half, while Park was three-of-eight. The Pirates were shooting a ridiculous 59-percent from the field in the first half and it seemed like they were dictating the game from beginning to end. Tristan McRoberts tacked on a pair of free-throws to get back to a 20-point lead for Park at the 14:47 mark in the second half.  McRoberts would heat up with back-to-back mid-range jumpers and a three to stop a Central Methodist run with a 9-0 run of his own, 69-45. The big man from Sao Paulo, Brazil continues to show off his range as he hit a triple at the 9:38 mark, 76-49. The pace of the game slowed as reality began to set in for everyone in Breckon Sports Center and the Pirates had no issues arriving at a 92-73 win. 

Park kept their shooting percentage above 50-percent for the game at 54-percent, while the Eagles were at 38-percent. Park ended the game six-of-12 from deep, which will make them tough to beat when the offense and defense work in sync like this. Central Methodist did not have their best shooing performance at eight-of-29 from behind the arc. The Eagles had 11 more free-throw attempts than Park, but only three more makes, leaving some opportunities on the table. Park was 14-of-21 from the free-throw line, which did not come back to hurt them in the end.

Each side had 12 turnovers for the game with 16 points off turnovers for the Eagles and 10 points for the Pirates. 

The Pirates led the whole way in this game with King playing a huge role on a 28-point performance. He also contributed three assists and two steals for Park. Armani was another 20-point scorer with a 21-spot and a double-double day with 10 boards. 

Off the bench, McRoberts had a good day with 16 points and was two-of-three from deep. Shawndale Ross and Mikkel Cintron were quality rebounders for the Pirates with eight and five, respectively. 

Burrows was a connector out on the court with five assists, while also scoring eight points himself.

Park will move on to a highly anticipated road matchup with Peru State College tonight at 7:30pm in Peru, Neb. WATCH
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