ST. LOUIS – [Box Score] For the second time this season, the Missouri Baptist men's basketball team fell by 30 points to Lindenwood-Belleville, this time by a 103-73 tally. The Spartans fell to 4-20 and 3-14 in American Midwest Conference action.
Missouri Baptist shot .397 from the field, connecting on 25-of-63 shots from the floor. The Spartans added 19-of-29 from the free throw line, but pulled down just 38 rebounds, compared to the Lynx 49 boards.
Lindenwood-Belleville (15-10, 12-5 AMC) sank half of the 72 shots from the floor and made 27-of-43 from the charity stripe. LU-B made just six turnovers in the contest, while MBU turned the rock over 16 times.
Sophomore Chris Buzzell led the Spartans with 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He sank just one three-ball, but made 9-of-10 from the free throw line. The former AMC Freshman of the Year ripped six rebounds, dished two assists, and swiped two steals in 32 minutes of action.
Senior guard Adrian Kuyinu sank 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the free throw line en route to a 16-point night. The Texas native added four rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of play.
Junior James King showed presence inside the paint on the defensive end. He pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, and blocked three shots. King added six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting.
Over the first five minutes of the contest, the Lynx led 8-6, but the surge began for the home team. Lindenwood-Belleville used a massive 23-6 over the next five minutes to explode to a 31-12 lead with 10:09 left in the half.
Buzzell connected on two free throws to cut the deficit to 34-22 with 7:59 left, but MBU could not shrink the LU-B lead any further. The Lynx ended the half on top, 58-33.
The Spartans made just 9-of-31 from the field over the first 20 minutes. The 3-ball was unsuccessful for the navy and white in the half, as MBU made just 1-of-12 from deep range.
Lindenwood-Belleville made an impressive 19-of-39 from the floor, while connecting on 19-of-29 from the free throw line.
The lead swelled to 31 points for the Lynx in the second half. The Spartans quickly cut the deficit to 23 points at 65-42, but the lead stayed above 25 points for the remainder of the contest. Lindenwood-Belleville ended the contest with a 103-73 victory, the second consecutive contest that MBU has allowed at least 100 points.
Missouri Baptist will look to rebound with a road contest at Harris-Stowe on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 pm.
