ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball tasted adversity for the first time on Saturday afternoon but found a way to overcome it and stay undefeated. The Spartans trailed Culver-Stockton College (Mo.) by 15 at halftime but put in a dominant second half to claim a six point victory.
MBU started slow and never found their rhythm in the first half. They shot just 38% from the field (12-31) and 27% from three (3-11). Despite the poor shooting performance, the Spartans did find themselves with a 22-21 lead with 7:13 to go in the half.
The next seven minutes, however, put the navy and white in a deep hole heading into the break. Culver-Stockton used a 20-2 run to put the Spartans in a world of hurt. MBU limped into the locker room down 48-33, their first halftime deficit of the season.
As great teams tend to do, the Spartans found a way to right the ship in the second half. They started the half with a 15-2 run of their own to narrow the Wildcat lead to just two. MBU would eventually erase the deficit completely after a bucket from Pablo Hernandez with just under five minutes to go in regulation.
The game was tied at 69-69 with 1:44 to go when Andrew Howard converted an and-one play to give Missouri Baptist a three-point edge, a lead they wouldn't surrender. Johnny Benson made two free throws with 10 seconds left to seal it as the game finished 76-71. MBU outscored the Wildcats 43-23 in the second half.
The Spartans shook up their starting lineup to start the second half and the changes went a long way toward the final result. Torrance Littles posted eight of his 11 points after the break. Littles also contributed four blocks on the day.
Fitzgerald Hopkins added 10 points to his total after logging 12 in the first half off the bench. The senior also added four assists and pulled down six rebounds. Speaking of the glass, Johnny Benson controlled it for most of the day. The Milwaukee native recorded his second double-double in as many days with 15 rebounds on top of 21 points.
The Spartans shot 51% (17-33) as a team from the field in the second half while holding CSC to just 28% (9-32). The Wildcats also managed to go just 2-15 from beyond the arc after going 9-17 in the first half.
Missouri Baptist is now 7-0 with one game to go in November. The Spartans will enter the heart of their AMC schedule, starting with a trip to William Woods next Thursday. Tipoff in Fulton, Mo. is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
