DAYTON, Tenn. - Matt Harner tallied 20 points and NAIA Division II No. 9 Cedarville labored through a defensive battle at Bryan for a 51-43 victory to enter the Christmas break with a five-game winning streak.

The contest had all the makings of being a half-court tussle. The Yellow Jackets entered as the No. 1 ranked team in the country in field goal percentage defense with the disciplined and upset-minded Lions rated third. Following nine lead changes and three ties, the largest advantage either squad had was the final score.

Cedarville, 13-1 overall, crawled out to a 27-22 halftime lead. Even though Chris Beals opened the second period with a layup, Bryan made it close the rest of the way. The Jackets needed a 10-2 run to close out the game to account for the final.

Harner netted 10 points in each half as the game-high scoring leader. Daniel Rose came off the bench to produce 11 points and eight rebounds. Cedarville controlled the boards, 41-29, with Christopher Walker pulling down a game-high 10.

As expected, the shooting percentages suffered. The Yellow Jackets shot just 34.6 percent from the field while Bryan, who drops to 5-7, finished with a 35.6 accuracy. [STATS]