ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist men's basketball mounted a clutch defensive effort on Saturday. The team was outscored by Williams Baptist by five points in the second half, but held-on to an 88-75 victory to take sole possession of third place in the American Midwest Conference.

Missouri Baptist (15-13) led the Eagles 12-10 early before taking complete control. The Spartans went on a 15-4 run led by sophomore Matt Homes to grab a 27-14 advantage with 8:25 on the clock.

Missouri Baptist played excellent defense throughout the half and led the team to several offensive opportunities. For the game, MBU forced 20 turnovers and recorded eight steals.

The Spartans led 45-27 as the second-half got underway, but Williams Baptist attempted to mount a comeback. As a team, the Eagles shot nearly 45 percent from the floor in the game and outscored MBU by five points in the final 20 minutes. Though Missouri Baptist led by as many as 24 in the second half, WBC made it interesting down the stretch.

Rashad Danzy and Kyle Harvey, both of whom recorded 14 points in the game, led the Eagles. As a team, Williams Baptist out-shot MBU from the free throw line and went 13-20.

Matt Holmes set a new career-high for the Spartans with 24 points, and led the team in the win. The sophomore collected a double-double as he finished the game with 13 rebounds. LeAndre'Johnson and Kalvin Lewis both collected 13 points as well.

Jon Morrow came off the bench for Missouri Baptist and provided quality minutes for the team. Morrow finished with four points and six rebounds.

The Spartans will return home on Thursday when the team will host William Woods in the final regular season game of the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex.