ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist came within one play of stunning No. 5 Columbia Saturday on Senior Day. Columbia escaped with a 70-68 win after the Spartans came up empty on their final possession.

The Spartans (14-12, 8-10) stormed back from a 12-point second-half deficit to nearly pull off the upset. A huge 3-pointer from Pablo Hernandez made it a one-possesion game, 66-63, with 1:38 remaining. Jackson Dubinski extended the deficit to five on the Cougars next possession, but a Will Harrington three-point play set the score at 68-66 with 1:05 to go.

Two possessions later, the Spartans sent Dubinski to the foul line with Columbia ahead 69-68 with 13 seconds left. The Cougar guard made the first attempt, but missed the second. MBU had a chance to tie or win on its final possession, but ultimately came up empty. A last-second 3-point attempt from Chris Buzzell didn't get off in time.

Columbia overcame a 37-32 halftime deficit in the victory. After an 8-0 Cougar run out of the gates, MBU outscored the No. 5 team in the NAIA by 13 the rest of the half. Jared White scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the half. MBU shot 51.7 percent as a team.

The Cougars opened the second half on a 20-3 run and shot its lead all the way up to 12 at 52-40 with 12:25 left. MBU chipped in to the deficit, but still trailed by 10 with 4:09 remaining. A huge 3-pointer from White took place on the following possession to start things rolling in the Spartan direction. MBU ended the game on a 15-7 run.

White finished with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Pablo Hernandez added 13 points thanks to three 3-pointers. Johnny Benson notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Malik Ray led the Cougars with 17 points.

The Sparatans conclude the regular season away from home. The team's next four games are on the road, beginning Tuesday night at Hannibal-LaGrange. Tip is set for 7:30.