McPHERSON, Kan. — Southwestern Christian University men's basketball showed strong offensive rhythm early but couldn't slow Central Christian down defensively in a 79–66 road loss on Thursday night in Sooner Athletic Conference action.

The Eagles came out firing from the perimeter, knocking down six three-pointers in the first half and shooting over 40 percent from the field. Despite the early efficiency, Central Christian controlled the paint and built a 40–31 halftime advantage.

Jalen Goar led the way for SCU with 21 points, connecting on 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc while adding six rebounds and four assists. JaColby Williams also turned in a solid performance, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Michal Wooldridge chipped in 13 points.

Southwestern Christian continued to battle after the break, shooting 50 percent from the field in the second half and trimming the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions. However, Central Christian answered each run with strong interior play, scoring 38 points in the paint for the game.

The Whitten brothers proved difficult to contain for the home team, as Chris Whitten scored 25 points and Jaeden Whitten added 22 points, combining for nearly half of Central Christian's total offense.

SCU finished the night shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from three-point range but struggled at the free-throw line, going 5-of-14, and was outrebounded 39–30, which limited comeback opportunities.

Southwestern Christian moves to 7–12 overall and 5–9 in SAC play and will look to rebound as conference play continues.