Box Score ST. LOUIS – Freed-Hardeman outscored Missouri Baptist by 20 points in the second half to erase the Spartans halftime lead and beat the navy and white 80-68 Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans (11-8, 6-5) were held to just seven field goals in the final 20 minutes on 29.2 percent shooting. A balanced-attack led the Lions (14-5, 8-3) comeback, led by Orlando Bass' 15 points. Four Freed-Hardeman players reached double figures.
The first half and opening few minutes belonged to the Spartans. They held Freed-Hardeman to just two points in the first six minutes of pay and led 14-2 with 13:57 left in the opening half. Jared White capped the run with a 3-pointer, for three of his season-high 23 points. White scored 13 of those in the first half and was the only Spartan to score in double-figures.
A three from Trevor Randolph tied the game at 14-14 with 10:34 left in the half, but were never able to take a lead until after halftime. Missouri Baptist stayed in control throughout and extended its lead to eight points after Pablo Hernandez hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left and carried that 39-31 advantage into the locker room.
A bucket from Will Harrington put the lead back to double-digits, but Freed-Hardeman took over from there. The Lions shot 52 percent in the second half including nine 3-pointers on 13 attempts after shooting just 30 percent in the first half. Freed-Hardeman made 14 shots from distance in the game.
A 22-2 run over the next eight minutes helped Freed flip the script and lead 53-43 with 12:16 left. The only bucket for Missouri Baptist during that stretch was a basket from Harrington. The Lions would lead by as many as 15 during their hot-shooting second half, while the Spartans wouldn't get closer than seven.
White still paced the offense and managed to score 10 points in the second half. The junior from Desoto shot 5-for-14 from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. John Caraballo finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Isaiah Harrison notched a double-double for Freed-Hardeman with 14 points and 15 rebounds. After back-to-back losses, the Spartans get a much-needed 12-day break. They return to action on January 28th at William Woods. Tip is set for 7:30 pm.
