ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist men's basketball nearly erased an eight-point deficit in the final minutes of Tuesday's game against Lyon College, but was not able to capitalize on chances in the second half as the Spartans dropped its second conference game 69-73.

Missouri Baptist (7-10, 2-2 AMC) began the game with the lead and ended the half with a slim, one point advantage. The Spartans held a five-point, 12-7 lead at the 14:38 mark of the half, but could not shake the Scots. Lyon shot 42 percent from the floor in the half, but turned the ball over seven times as MBU led at the break 33-32.

As the second-half commenced, MBU extended its lead to 39-32, but the Scots refused to back down. Led by Devonte Young's seven second-half points, Lyon built a 45-41 lead with just 13:28 remaining.

As the minutes began to dwindle, the Lyon lead grew. The Scots built an eight-point lead in the hotly contested game and every point and rebound became more important. Just as the game looked to be just out of reach for the Spartans, LeAndre Johnson drove down court and with a defender in his face, dished the ball back to Kalvin Lewis who nailed a three to put his team back within three with just 2:40 on the clock.

MBU brought it within two with just over a minute left, but Lyon's Rickey Thomas hit a floating jumper with nine seconds left to seal the fate for Missouri Baptist.

For Lyon, Jordan Layrock led all scorers with 20 points and seven rebounds. Devonte Young posted 13 points and three assists in 33 minutes.

The Spartans were led by Johnson, who posted 14 points, four assists and two steals. Adrian Kuyinu also provided a spark for the team, adding 13 points.

Things will not get any easier for the Spartans as the team will head on the road to face the No. 1-ranked Columbia College on Thursday night in Columbia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.