PULASKI, Tenn. - For 31 minutes of Thursday night's contest, the Mid-Continent University men's basketball team held the Martin Methodist RedHawks in check. Unfortunately for the Cougars, that still left nine minutes for Martin Methodist to take control of the TranSouth title race.

With Mid-Continent (16-10, 4-3) leading 42-38 in the waning moments of the game, Martin Methodist (17-9, 7-1) put together a 21-2 run that put them firmly in control of the TranSouth regular season title race, as they took the win 64-50.

The teams split the first 12 points right down the middle, but then Martin Methodist rattled off eight straight points to take a 14-6 lead, forcing Mid-Continent to spend a time out. The RedHawks eventually saw their lead swell to 12 points at 23-11, but then the Cougars came alive. In the closing minutes of the first half, Mid-Continent put together a run of 18-2 to claim the lead 29-25, and at the break, Mid-Continent held the advantage 31-29. Martin Methodist came out in the second half, quickly bouncing back in front 38-33, but again, Mid-Continent responded. Lee Ames buried a 3-pointer to knot the game at 38 with 13:33 on the clock, and just 49 seconds later, Antonio Davis tallied a fast break bucket to put Mid-Continent ahead 42-38. That is when Martin Methodist found their rhythm. After a Larry Thompkins II basket pulled Mid-Continent to within two points, 46-44, with 8:20 to play, Martin Methodist went on a tear, tallying 13 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers, to take control of the game, leading 59-44 at the 5:21 mark. In the final five minutes, Martin Methodist was content to let the air out of the ball, working the clock to prevent Mid-Continent from having the opportunity to get back in the game, taking the win 64-50.

Charles Peden was an offensive bright spot for the Cougars, netting a game-high 21 points, though he was the only Cougar to score in double figures. Ames and Marcus Johnson each added seven points, with Ames and Gavin Scott grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in the game. Mid-Continent connected on 22-of-56 (39.3%) shots, but managed to make only 8-of-28 (28.6%) after intermission. The Cougars knocked down 3-of-10 (30%) 3-point shots, and 3-of-5 (60%) free throws as well. One other bright spot for Mid-Continent was on the glass, where the Cougars won the board battle 30-29.

The loss means that Mid-Continent can no longer take the top-seed in the upcoming TranSouth tournament, though they are still very much alive for a bye into the semi-finals if they can lock up the conference's second seed. The Cougars face their first challenge in doing that on Saturday, when they head to Henderson, Tenn. to take on the Freed-Hardeman University Lions (10-17, 1-6) at 4 p.m.