The Ravens Men's Basketball team pushed its winning streak to 17-straight games with a dominant shooting effort Thursday at home against (24) Central Methodist University.

The (7) Ravens (18-2, 14-0 Heart of America) shot 60.9 percent from the floor in the 79-66 win, pushing the team's conference lead to four games over a pair of second place teams.

After giving up a 17-0 run in the first half, the Ravens were still able to enter the halftime break tied 34-34 with the Eagles. They took control early in the second half, starting with a 3-pointer by Eric Krus to break the tie. Krus made another trey moments later to give the Ravens a 42-36 lead, then Jayden Temme hit a deep ball to push the lead to 9 points.

A Krus basket in the paint extended the lead to 13 points with 13 minutes to play, but the Eagles answered. CMU closed the gap to 63-60 with 4:45 left to play, but Colby Nickels' jumper and Jaiden Bristol's basket in the lane extended the lead back to 7 points.

The Eagles scored to cut the lead back to 5 points, but the Ravens answered with a 3-pointer by Adam Kutney, effectively ending the Eagles comeback attempt. After letting CMU close the gap to 63-60, the Ravens finished the game on a 16-6 run.

Krus scored 19 points to lead all scorers. Bristol and Nickels each scored 13 points, with Bristol adding eight assists. Thomas O'Connor added 10 points.

The offensive effort was well-rounded as the team shot 60.9 percent from the field, 55 percent from deep and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Ravens held the Eagles to 40 percent shooting from the field and 26.1 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Thursday's win, plus losses by William Penn University and Peru State College, extends the Ravens Heart of America Conference lead to four games. The Ravens will have a week to rest as their next game is Thursday, Jan. 31 at Grand View University.