ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist men's basketball shot just 30 percent in the first half on Thursday night in the AMC opener against Park University allowing the Pirates a dominant 96-66 victory.
Missouri Baptist (5-9, 0-1 AMC) struggled to get the offense going in the first half and watched as Park took control in the opening minutes of a game that the Spartans led just once.
The beginning was promising as Missouri Baptist forced a turnover and knocked-down a quick layup to take a 2-0 lead in the first minute of play. This was the only lead that the Spartans took in the game. Park followed-up with an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead and never looked back. By the end of the half, the Pirates had built a comfortable 42-23 advantage.
The second-half was more of the same, though a 9-0 run by the Spartans helped to keep the game slightly within reach as the team cut the Park lead to 19. Park responded, however, and built a 29-point advantage within a two-minute span.
Park looked incredible at times and shot just under 48 percent from three-point range on the evening. The Pirates had four finish in double-digits, none more impressive than Xavielle Brown. The freshman guard out of Ft. Wayne, Ind., had a career night, posting season highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Venton Wilder was also a leader on offense. The 6'2" junior out of Ft. Lauderdale recorded 15 points and went 3-4 from three-point range.
For Missouri Baptist, Matt Holmes led the way with 13 points. He was the sole Spartan to finish in double figures. A.J. Carron and Lau'Ren Jones saw their first action of the season on Thursday. The pair combined for 10 points on the night. Senior LeAndre Johnson posted eight points to move to 25th on the MBU All-Time scoring list. Johnson currently sits at 847 career points and will likely move ahead of Spartans' assistant coach and former player Jason Fry (848 points) in his next contest.
Missouri Baptist will have a week to make adjustments, as the team will return to the friendly confines of the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex to face Harris Stowe in one week. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on January 10.
