The Central Christian men's basketball team turned one of its worst first half performances of the season into arguably the best second half showing in a 95-83 win over Calvary University on Tuesday night inside the Ferneau Center.

The Saints (6-10, 4-4 MCCC) faced a 44-36 halftime deficit after committing 18 turnovers and shooting just 29 percent from behind the arc. The Warriors extended their advantage to 59-46 a little over four minutes into the second half, then things started to click for CCCB.

A Sam Adams 3-pointer ignited a 15-0 run over the ensuing four minutes that gave the Saints a five-point lead. They gradually extended the margin throughout the remainder of the contest, outscoring their guests, 49-24, in the final 15 minutes.

John Williams led five Saints in double figures with 25 points, 18 of which came in the second half, and 10 rebounds. Trey Black also had a double-double of 22 points and 10 assists, finishing just two rebounds shy of a triple-double with eight.

Adams' hot hand was key during the second half as he sank four of his five 3-pointers during the run to finish with 19 points. Trey Koester and Savion Thorpe both added 10 points each.

The Saints, who snapped a seven-game losing skid with the win, committed just four turnovers and dished out 13 assists after the break. Central Christian shot 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc, while Calvary shot 42 percent overall and 16 percent on 3-pointers.

The Saints return to action this weekend with conference road matchups at Barclay College on Friday and Manhattan Christian College on Saturday.

Missing two starters and coming off a tough conference loss on Saturday, the Central Christian men's basketball team was off their game in the early going against NAIA-foe Lincoln Christian University on Tuesday.

A rough first half by the Saints was erased by an encouraging second half before LCU held on to defeat CCCB, 92-79, inside the Ferneau Center. 

Central Christian (5-5), who entered the game averaging 85.4 points per contest, trailed by as many as 18 in the first half and faced a 44-29 deficit at halftime.

Lincoln Christian (1-3) extended the margin to 21 with 17:48 left to play before CCCB began to chip away. A 19-1 run over the next seven minutes allowed the Saints to pull within three.

Central Christian got within four points multiple times in the final seven minutes of play, but three straight 3s by the Red Lions in the final three minutes were the dagger for the Saints.

Trey Black scored 22 points and dished out six assists to lead CCCB. John Williams added 18 points, while Devonte Morgan scored 12 points and had six assists. Rodrigo Nunez grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Lincoln Christian's Dominic Williams scored 22 points to lead five Red Lions in double figures.

The Saints shot just 37 percent from the field in the first half, but bounced back to shoot 53 percent and drop in 50 points after the break. After turning it over 13 times in the first half, CCCB committed only five miscues in the second half and finished the game with 19 assists.

Central Christian returns to action on Friday when they host No. 2 Barclay College in Midwest Christian College Conference play. The game scheduled for Saturday against Manhattan Christian College has been rescheduled for Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.

Behind a 27-point performance from freshman guard John Williams, the Central Christian men's basketball team stayed perfect in Midwest Christian College Conference play with a 95-76 win over Ozark Christian College on Saturday inside the Ferneau Center.

The Saints, who had five players reach double figures, improved to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the MCCC. The Ambassadors dropped to 2-6 and 1-1 in conference action. 

Central Christian jumped out to an 8-0 lead and stayed in control throughout. They busted out a 26-8 advantage with 10:57 remaining in the first half, then led by as many as 24 on several occasions before the break.

The Saints matched their largest lead of the night at 83-58 with 6:39 left to play and never let the Ambassadors any closer than 17 in the second half. CCCB's offensive performance was fueled by a 52 percent field goal percentage and a 14-for-16 night at the free throw line.

Williams went 9-for-16 from the field, shot 7-for-8 at the free throw line, and matched a team high with eight rebounds. Sam Adams went 5-for-9 from behind the arc and finished with 19 points, followed by Trey Koester with 13 points, all coming in the first half. 

Trey Black tossed in 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Clifford Detiege scored 10 points to round out the double figure scorers.

Caleb Brown scored 16 points and Miles Dressler added 12 to lead the Ambassadors.

The Saints now have a little over two weeks off for Christmas break. They are scheduled to return to action on Jan. 5 against Oak Hills Christian College.

The Central Christian College of the Bible men's basketball team started off slow and could never fully recover in a 90-72 loss to Great Lakes Christian College on Saturday at the Ferneau Center.

The Saints (2-3) hadn't played a game for two-and-a-half weeks, and it showed. They went the first three minutes and 10 seconds without scoring, found a few brief moments of momentum in the first half, before eventually going to the locker room facing a 43-25 deficit.

There was life for Central Christian in the second half, however, as the Saints went on to shoot 66 percent after the break and matched their opponents at 47 points apiece in the final 20 minutes. They trimmed the deficit to 70-58 with 6:55 remaining, but were not able to get any closer.

Clifford Detiege led the Saints with 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half on 8-for-9 shooting. Detiege also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while John Williams and Sam Adams tossed in 13 points each. Trey Black added another 11 points.

After going scoreless for the first 3:10 of play, Central Christian rolled off seven quick points over the next minute to make it a 9-7 game. However, a key moment in the game took place when the Crusaders (2-5) responded to the Saints' run with a 14-2 surge of their own.

Whitney Harris scored 26 points, 19 coming in the first half, and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Great Lakes Christian. Trent Temple added 22 points as the only other Crusader in double figures.

Central Christian returns to action on Monday when they host Faith Baptist Bible College in Midwest Christian College Conference play. The women tip off against the Eagles at 4 p.m., followed by the men's game at 6 p.m.