ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Strong shooting helped Central Baptist top Missouri Baptist Saturday afternoon 88-80. The loss snapped the Spartans two-game win streak. 

CBC (15-6, 10-5) shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half. The Spartans (14-10, 8-8) couldn't keep pace. David Gabrovsek led four players in double-figures with 23 points to tie his career-high.

MBU started strong and led 16-4 early on after a 3-point play from senior Chris Buzzell. Their lead stood at eight, 29-21, with 8:29 to go of the high-scoring first half. From there, the Mustangs continued to chip away and eventually tied the game and took a 40-37 lead after a 3-pointer from DJ Reed.

Jared White, who had nine first-half points, scored five of those in the final 1:40 of the half to help MBU regain the lead. The Spartans led 49-47 at the break.

Shooting numbers for the road team dipped to 36 percent after shooting 51.5 percent in the first half. The decline in shooting made way for the Mustangs to retake the lead.

Gabrovsek helped keep the Spartans close in the early going. On two separate occasions, he answered a Central Baptist bucket with a 3-pointer. The senior hit three triples on the day.

Buzzell tied the game at 70-70 with a three at the 9:23 mark. MBU then went in a scoring drought, and an 11-0 CBC run put the Mustangs ahead 81-70 with 5:23 remaining. Another Buzzell bucket trimmed the lead to five, 83-78, minutes later, but MBU wouldn't get any closer.

The Mustangs were led by Reed and Andy Ettiene, who each finished with 16 points. Ettiene also recorded 12 rebounds. Buzzell finished his day with 14 points, while White had 11 and Johnny Benson 10. The Spartans return home on Thursday to take on Park. Tip is set for 7:30 pm.