NORTH CANTON, Ohio - NAIA Division II #3 Walsh used a strong second half to knock off #10 Cedarville, 88-76, in the American Mideast Conference opener for both schools.

The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a handful of five-point leads during a tight first half which resulted in a 39-39 deadlock at the intermission. The unbeaten Cavs netted eight of the first ten points to begin the second period and never looked back.

Cedarville was hanging around within 60-55 with 9:30 to play. However, Walsh iced the outcome with an 18-8 spurt over the next seven minutes.

Chris Beals fired in a career-high 26 points for the Yellow Jackets, 5-3 overall, who saw their four-game win streak come to a halt. Matt Harner had 17 points, and Derrick Hannon scored 12.

Ricardo Alliman added 10 points in becoming the 48th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points. He also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds.

Walsh, 7-0, owned the battle of the boards, 45-29. The Cavs also shot 61 percent from the field in the decisive second half. [STATS]