ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] David Gabrovsek's career-high 23 points helped Missouri Baptist fend off Lyon 78-66 Thursday night to pick up its first conference win.

Gabrovsek connected from both inside and outside the arc to help the Spartans improve to 7-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The senior from Slovenia hit four 3-pointers, as did sophomore Luke Call to keep the Spartans in it in the first half before pulling away late.

The two teams traded buckets throughout the opening half, with neither team leading by more than three points. Both teams found success with the 3-point shot, with Lyon hitting four and MBU connecting on 6-of-8 attempts. Call hit one of his four triples with 2:08 left to tie the game at 23-23. After a stop on the other end, Gabrovsek followed suit to extend the lead to three and the senior hit another in the closing seconds.

Gabrovsek's 3-pointer with 40 seconds left gave the Spartans a 29-25 lead, which they took into the half. Gabrovsek and Call combined for 22 of the 29 to lead the way. The Spartan defense also clamped down on Lyon in the first half, limiting the Scots to nine field goals on 37.5 percent shooting.

MBU also held its own on the boards, outrebounding Lyon for the game 29-26. The Spartans also managed to shoot nearly 54 percent for the game and lived at the free throw line, especially in the second half.

The navy and white settled less for 3-point attempts in the second half and more for attacking the basket down the stretch. MBU attempted 29 free throws after halftime (39 for the game) in a big second half.

A bucket plus the foul from Jared White pushed the Spartan lead to seven after the made free throw and set the tone for the half. MBU never trailed in the final 20 minutes and managed to get good looks at the hoop when they weren't at the charity stripe.

The Scots (4-6, 0-4) came in allowing just 65 points per game, but their defense couldn't replicate its success against the Spartans. MBU shot 57.1 percent in the second half and dropped 13 more points than the season norm for Lyon.

Lyon cut the lead to six at multiple points around the six-minute mark, but both times Will Harrington answered with a trip to the free-throw line. Harrington re-upped the MBU lead to eight both times and the Scots never got any closer. MBU led by at least eight in the final 5:59.

Braden Wendel had a team-high 19 points for the road team, while Tyler Robinson chipped in 15. Call finished with 14 points and White added 13. Chris Buzzell also finished in double-figures with 10 points. Harrington also stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven assists and six rebounds.

The Spartans will look to win their fourth straight on Saturday at home against Central Baptist. Tip is set for 3:00 pm.