ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Pablo Hernandez scored a team-high 18 points off the bench to lead a balanced Spartan-attack in Missouri Baptist's 114-55 rout of Crowley's Ridge Tuesday night in Lacey Gymnasium.

Hernandez shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field in 19 minutes to score his career-high 18 points. Stephen Buckner added 15 points and David Gabrovsek followed closely behind with 14.

The Spartans (3-1) scored the game's first six points and never trailed. They dominated offensively and held the Pioneers (2-4) to 28.8 percent shooting from the field.

A 3-pointer from David Pearson brought Crowley's Ridge within one point at 8-7, but that's as close as they would get to a lead. The Spartans ballooned their lead up to 28 right before the break to take a 53-25 lead into the locker room.

John Caraballo scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half to lead the way. Rapid ball movement helped open up shots throughout the half and game. The Spartans assisted on 23 of their 45 made field goals. Will Harrington led the team with six assists, all in the first half.

The starters quickly built the lead to 40 points less than five minutes into the second half. That allowed head coach Matt Brock to dive into his bench and led by Hernandez, the group responded.

Luke Call drilled three 3-pointers and finished with 11 total points. Michael Asleson and James King each chipped in seven points, while Jake Terry added five points and five assists.

Missouri Baptist shot 61.6 percent overall from the field and hit six of its 15 3-point attempts. They also dominated the rebounding battle with Crowley's Ridge 54-31. Caraballo led all players with eight rebounds.

Junior Chris Buzzell finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and is now six points shy of 1,000 for his career. Isaiah Cotton had six early first-half points before exiting the game with an ankle injury. Devin Pearson led the Pioneers with 20 points. 

The Spartans return to action on Friday, Nov. 27 against Avila University in the Columbia College Thanksgiving Classic. Tip-off is set for 5:30 pm.