Central Bible University shot 61.9 percent from the field in the opening half and remained within striking distance at halftime, but a decisive second-half run propelled Hannibal-LaGrange University to an 83-63 victory over the Saints on Saturday afternoon at Mabee Sports Complex.

Central Bible (0-2) opened the contest strong, building an early 8-4 advantage in a competitive first half that featured six ties and four lead changes. The Saints led 19-16 midway through the period before Hannibal-LaGrange (2-2) used a 13-0 run to seize control. Central Bible responded to pull within three points late in the half, but the Trojans carried a 41-35 advantage into the break.

The Saints connected on 13 of their 21 first-half field goal attempts, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while holding the Trojans to 48.3 percent shooting.

Central Bible continued its strong perimeter shooting to begin the second half as Silas Massey knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Saints within five at 43-38. However, Hannibal-LaGrange responded with 15 unanswered points, extending its lead to 58-38 with 13 minutes remaining.

The Trojans eventually pushed their advantage to 25 points midway through the second half, putting the game out of reach despite Central Bible shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range for the contest.

Massey led the Saints with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Isaac Bolles provided a lift off the bench with nine points in just under 10 minutes, connecting on both of his three-point attempts. Jaisten Payne added eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting performance, while Edris Hamilton and Caleb Jackson contributed seven points apiece.

Central Bible finished 21-of-42 from the field and 8-of-18 from three-point range, but turnovers proved costly. The Saints committed 22 turnovers compared to just 10 by Hannibal-LaGrange, allowing the Trojans to generate additional scoring opportunities despite shooting a lower percentage from the field.

Hannibal-LaGrange was led by Cam Miller with 17 points, followed by Danny Winston III with 16. Josh Thomas added 14 points, while Toby Ford finished with 12.

The Trojans held a 34-29 rebounding advantage and connected on 10 three-pointers in the victory.

Up next for the Saints is their first NCCAA Division II opponent of the season, and also a regional matchup, when Union Adventist University comes to town on Tuesday at 6 p.m.