ST. LOUIS – After a less-than-exciting first half where both teams scored 15 points, Missouri Baptist's Matt Holmes had a career night to lead his team to a thrilling 59-55 win against Williams Baptist College.
Missouri Baptist (8-11, 3-3 AMC) came out of the gate looking like a team on a mission. MBU built a quick 8-0 lead in the opening minutes but allowed the Eagles to get back into it. Both teams struggled to put points on the board as the halftime score ended 15-15. Neither team shot 30 percent in the opening frame.
As the second half commenced, both teams seemed to find more of a scoring touch. Williams Baptist, however, found the bottom of the net easier than MBU. With just seven minutes remaining, the Eagles were up 42-38. Two more quick buckets made it 47-38 and caused Spartan head coach Ray Farrell to call timeout.
The break to discuss strategy worked as MBU posted four unanswered points to pull within five. Just moments later, Matt Holmes drove home a tough layup and hit the free throw on the foul shot to pull hit team within two.
MBU pulled to within one with just under three minutes left on the clock and Matt Holmes hit one of the biggest shots of the season. The sophomore pulled-up for a three from the corner and nailed it to give the Spartans a 52-49 lead.
With just one minute remaining the Williams Baptist had come back to tie the game at 55, but Holmes again provided a key shot and drove to the hoop to nail a layup with 30 seconds remaining to give hit team a two-point lead. MBU was able to get the stop on the next WBC possession and LeAndre Johnson hit two free throws at the end to secure the four point win.
For Williams Baptist, Kyle Harvey led the way with 20 points. Chase Norwood also had a big night. Norwood posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Missouri Baptist's Holmes also recorded a double-double with a career-high 19 points and 10 boards. Johnson posted 18 points on the night in the victory.
The Spartans will have five days to prepare for its next game. The team will travel to William Woods on Thursday, 1/24 for a big conference showdown against the Owls. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live at wwuowls.com.
