ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] The Spartans used a hot-shooting first half to down Lindenwood-Belleville 87-72 Saturday afternoon and sweep the season series against the Lynx.

Missouri Baptist (13-8, 8-5) shot 67 percent in the first half and 57 percent for the game. They used a balanced-attack, led by Jared White's 16 points, to win their second straight game, while holding the Lynx (10-12, 7-8) to 36 percent shooting from the field.

Eight Spartans scored at least eight points. The balance proved too much for Lindenwood-Belleville to overcome, who relied on its star ShunQuez Stephens. Stephens, the reigning NAIA Player of the Week, managed a game-high 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting.

The Lynx led just once, 4-3 in the opening minutes of the game, and never trailed by fewer than 10 points in the second half. However, the AMC Game of the Week between the two rival schools felt much closer, especially in the first half.

Thanks to the hot-shooting (20-for-30 from the field) the Spartans led by as many as 15 in the first half. However, Stephens scored 10 points in less than a seven-minute span to turn a 35-20 Missouri Baptist lead to just five points.

However, Stephen Buckner and Luke Call answered with five points on the Spartans final two possessions of the half to extend the lead back to double-digits at 49-39 heading into halftime.  The duo finished with eight and nine points respectively off the bench. White added a team-high 11 points in the opening half.

Isaiah Cotton earned a trip to the foul line to start the second half and swished both free throws. White also got to the charity-stripe the next time down and helped establish the Spartans as the aggressors down the stretch. White helped extend the lead to 13 and Missouri Baptist never looked back.

A 10-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Chris Buzzell extended the Missouri Baptist lead to 62-44 with 15:18 remaining and cut the game open. Lynx guard Alex Stuart would hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a stretch to make it a 12-point game, but that's as close as they would get.

Buzzell and John Caraballo finished with 13 points, while David Gabrovsek added 11 to join the duo and White in double-figures. Pablo Hernandez finished with nine points and Cotton added eight, including scoring six straight points for MBU during a stretch in the second half.

Will Harrington didn't score, but recorded a team-high eight assists and also grabbed seven rebounds. White fell one rebound shy of a double-double after corralling a team-leading nine.

The Spartans continue their three-game homestand on Thursday against Lyon. Tip is set for 7:30 pm.