ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] No. 18 Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball dispatched Lyon College on Tuesday night to take sole possession of first in the AMC heading into the Christmas break. The Scots proved pesky but the Spartans pulled away late for a 68-49 victory. 

Lyon came to play early and even led by five almost halfway through the opening frame. The Spartans were able to get into the flow of the game, however, and reeled off a 12-0 run. Though it wasn't their prettiest half of the season, Missouri Baptist went into the locker room with a 34-21 halftime lead.

The Scots once again started strong after the break and chipped away until the deficit was just four. A three from Fitzgerald Hopkins put MBU ahead 46-39 and the Spartans never looked back from there. An alley-oop from Hopkins to Torrance Littles with just over two minutes left put the dagger in the visitors.

Johnny Benson led the way with 16 points for the Spartans. Hopkins finished with 15 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Pablo Hernandez battled a double-team all night but still managed 11 points.

Missouri Baptist is now 13-1 overall and 5-1 in the AMC. They will now have 10 days off before a road matchup with Lindenwood-Belleville on December 30. The Spartans will return home January 4 against Freed-Hardeman.