ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] The Spartans limited Central Baptist to six field goals on 18.8 percent shooting in the second half to help erase a 14-point halftime deficit and top the Mustangs 86-74 Saturday afternoon in R. Alton Lacey Gymnasium.

Will Harrington sparked the comeback victory with nine points and 11 assists in the second half alone. The junior finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points while dishing out 14 total dimes.

Harrington helped generate much-needed offense in the second half, but strong defensive play set the tone in the come-from-behind win. The Mustangs (8-14, 4-12) were a totally different offensive team in the final 20 minutes after shooting 59.5 percent from the field in the first half.

Missouri Baptist (14-9, 9-6) opened the second half on a 13-2 run to shrink the halftime deficit to three points. However, Central Baptist kept its cool and answered right back, eventually extending its lead to 64-55 with 10:57 left. The Spartans, who never led in the first half, couldn't quite seem to get over the hump.

Isaiah Cotton then started an 8-0 Spartan run with a bucket to get the deficit to one at 64-63 with 6:39 to go. The comeback finally came full circle less than three minutes later when John Caraballo recorded an old-fashioned three-point play off a feed from Harrington. His free throw put the Spartans ahead 70-68 and they wouldn't trail again. Caraballo also recorded a double-double for MBU with 15 points and 10 rebounds, his second time in as many games.

Missouri Baptist locked down defensively and Harrington assisted on four consecutive buckets to extend the lead to nine at 79-70 with 1:31 to go. The Spartans also hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. For the game, the Spartans hit 30 of their 37 attempts from the charity-stripe. Harrington scored or assisted on 42 of MBU's 86 total points.

The first-half was a completely different story for the navy and white. They struggled offensively (39.3 percent shooting) and allowed 52 first-half points. The deficit remained under 10 until Fred Albright hit a 3-pointer with 4:33 left in the half and the Mustangs kept it above that mark until the break. Albright led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Justin Harris added 14 and James Brown 11. Central Baptist led throughout the game until the final four minutes.

Jared White scored a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting to lead the Spartans. David Gabrovsek also reached double-figures with 14 points.

The Spartans will look to put a win-streak together next week when they travel to take on Park and Columbia. The game against Park tips at 7:30  pm. on Thursday night.