ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University men's basketball shot over 51 percent from the floor in the second half of Saturday's game against Benedictine University-Springfield, leading the team to a 69-55 win on the road.
Missouri Baptist (7-9, 2-1 AMC) built off the momentum of a six-point victory over Harris Stowe on Thursday to nab a key win on the road. The victory gives MBU a plus .500 record in the conference.
Missouri Baptist has seen its share of offensive struggles and the first half of Saturday's game was a similar occurrence. Benedictine came out of the gate with hot shooting hands and quickly took a 9-2 lead at the 15:44 mark, placing MBU in an early hole.
As the half progressed, however, the Spartans successfully dug themselves out of the early deficit thanks to the big-time play of Garrison Plummer. The senior notched six points and five rebounds in the half to help his team to a 29-27 lead heading into halftime.
As the second-half commenced, the Spartan offense seemed to have gotten a kick-start. MBU quickly jumped-out to a 37-27 lead with a 12-4 run in the opening minutes. Missouri Baptist continued to shoot well throughout the remainder of the half and posted a 51.4 percent field goal percentage in the final 20 minutes.
The Spartans extended their lead to 13 points with just over seven minutes left in the game and never looked back. MBU led by as many as 19 points within the final three minutes of the game.
For the Bulldogs, Thomas Dillard led the team with 16 points and two rebounds. Jordan Michels also posted doubled-digit point totals, ending the day with 14.
MBU was led by the hot perimeter shooting of Kalvin Lewis. After going just 1-4 from three-point range in the first half, the junior hit three of four from behind the arc in the second. Lewis finished the game with 16 points and three assists. LeAndre Johnson also made his mark in the game. The senior recorded 12 points with five assists. As a team, the Spartans recorded 19 assists in the game.
MBU senior Garrison Plummer also had an impressive outing for the second-consecutive game. Plummer finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
Though the offense was a major part of the win, the defense carried the Spartans in the end. The team held Benedictine-Springfield to 36.8 percent shooting for the game.
The team will try to make it three in a row on Tuesday when the Spartans play host to Lyon College. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Center.
