OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – One day after earning the No. 1 spot in the NJCAA D-II men's basketball poll for a third straight week, the top-ranked Johnson County Cavaliers (10-1) lost for the first time this season, falling 91-79 to No. 12-ranked North Central Missouri.

The Pirates shot 57 percent in the first half racing to a 50-37 lead at the break. 

The Cavaliers margin of defeat could have been even greater if not for the performance of JaQuaylon Mays. The sophomore guard from Lincoln, Neb., finished with a career-high 30 points. Mays was 12-of-23 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw. He also had eight rebounds and four assists. 

Sophomore center Lukas Milner and freshman guard Dale Talley III each finished with 11 points. Milner also grabbed nine boards and blocked four shots. 

Freshman guard Jackson Andrews led five North Central Missouri players in double figures with 26 points. He was 7-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers, and 9-of-12 at the line. He also pulled down 10 rebounds. 

Ty Babikir added 19 points followed by Quinan Rieves and Jeremy Shaw with 12 each and Atvian Butler with 11. 

Johnson County will look to avoid back-to-back losses when the take on Sunrise Christian Academy Friday afternoon in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  The last time lost back-t-back games was at the end of the 2017-18 season.