ST. LOUIS – [Box Score] In a game that never saw a lead of more than eight points between the two men's basketball teams, NCAA Division III Central College narrowly defeated Missouri Baptist, 79-75. The Spartans dropped to 1-3 on the season, while the Dutch improved to 2-0.
Missouri Baptist and Central were nearly identical over the 40 minutes of play. The Spartans shot .441 from the floor, hitting on 30-of-68 shots. MBU also sank 5-of-14 from deep range, including 4-of-10 in the second half. Central shot .436 from the field, including 8-of-22 from 3-point range. Missouri Baptist won the rebounding battle, 46-32, including an 18-8 edge in offensive boards.
Senior guard Adrian Kuyinu led all scorers with 28 points. He made 10-of-16 shots from the floor and hit 1-of-2 from deep range. The captain also sank 7-of-13 free throw shots, and pulled down six boards.
Junior guard Stephen Buckner scored 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point territory. He hit on both free throws and dished two assists, while ripping two steals.
The big men down low were also impressive. James King muscled ten rebounds, including three offensive, and scored six points.
Freshman Josh Davis made 4-of-5 shots from the paint for an impressive eight points. He also pulled down two rebounds and dished a silky-smooth assist in the second half.
The Spartans didn't hit a field goal until the 14:09 mark, but used solid defense to hold the Dutch to just five points during that span.
The largest lead of the half came at 7:55 left in the half when Central College hit a lay-up and a free throw to take a 19-11 lead. The two teams traded points for over two minutes and the Spartans trailed 25-17 with 5:45 left in the frame.
Jake Terry hit a deep three to tie the game at 28-28 with 2:20 left in the half, but could not take the lead, thanks to a momentum shattering three from Nate Munn.
Stephen Buckner stole the show when he hit two free throws, then stole the ball at mid-court and went coast-to-coast to give the Spartans a 32-31 lead with 1:30 left.
Chance Welch swatted the next Dutch shot, but a mid-range jumper and a three-ball from Buckner would not fall, keeping the MBU lead at just one.
Central College ended the final 42 seconds on a 3-0 run to take a 35-32 lead at the halftime break.
The Spartans shot .448 in the half, hitting 13-of-29 shots. Central nailed 11-of-26 shots from the floor, a .423 mark.
In the second half, the two teams could not separate from the other, as the score never expanded past three points over the first 14 minutes. A lay-up by the Dutch with 6:13 left in the game gave them their largest lead of the half at 60-56.
Adrian Kuyinu nailed a bucket and hit the free throw with 5:59 left to cut the deficit to 60-59, but Central hit the same sequence just 14 seconds later.
1:12 later, Stephen Buckner hid behind a screen and splashed a massive three-pointer to cut the deficit to 63-62, with 4:38 left.
Central College continued to stay hot from deep range, hitting a three in the corner to extend the lead back to four on the next possession. That sparked the largest run of the half, which helped push the Dutch lead to 68-62.
Kuyinu scored the next four points to cut the deficit to just 68-66 with 2:06 left in the game, and the Dutch made just 1-of-2 free throws on the next possession. On the next Spartan possession, Kuyinu took the ball in the corner in front of the MBU bench. A bit of miscommunication caused an MBU teammate to cutoff Kuyinu, who was trapped in a double-team. The Dutch swiped the ball, lobbed the ball down the court, and hit the lay-up as Buckner fouled. The ensuing free throw was good, giving Central a 72-66 lead with 1:46 left to play.
Ten seconds later, Buckner fired a deep three-pointer to cut the Dutch lead to 72-69. After an MBU foul, the Dutch extended the lead to 74-69 on two free throws, but Kuyinu dialed-up from downtown for his 28thpoint of the contest. That cut the deficit to 74-72 with just 1:01 left in the game.
Central connected on both free throws after an MBU foul with 59 seconds left in regulation to take a 76-72 lead.
With 47 seconds left in the game, Buckner hit another deep 3-ball, cutting the Central lead to 76-75.
Missouri Baptist elected to let the Dutch run down the shot clock, which would give the Spartans the ball with around 11 seconds left. As the shot clock shrunk to under five seconds, the Dutch were forced to take an off-balance shot in the paint. The ball hit off the front iron, but the Spartans could not come up with the rebound. Julio Velandia was forced to foul with just 11 seconds left in the game, and the Dutch hit both free throws.
Stephen Buckner's three-pointer with two seconds left fell short and the Dutch hit 1-of-2 free throws with 0.2 seconds left in the game, sealing a Central win at 79-75.
The Spartans hit 17-of-39 shots from the floor in the second half, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range. Central sank 13-of-29 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, including 5-of-12 from deep territory. The difference-maker of the half was shots from the charity stripe. The Dutch made 13-of-19 free throw shots in the second half, while the Spartans made just 5-of-11.
Missouri Baptist opens American Midwest Conference play on Thursday on the road at Benedictine-Springfield. MBU will host Hannibal-LaGrange on Saturday.
