FULTON, Mo. – [BOX SCORE] No. 8-seed Missouri Baptist went toe-to-toe with No. 5-seed William Woods Saturday afternoon in the AMC Tournament semifinals. The game featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes with the Owls edging MBU 73-67 inside Anderson Arena.

The team's traded leads throughout the first half with each taking turn at making a run. A bucket from Will Harrington helped the Spartans (17-15) double-up William Woods 16-8 in the early going.

The Owls answered back with an 11-0 run to take a three-point lead, setting the tone for the rest of the day. A 3-pointer from Chris Buzzell broke a tie game with 2:54 in the half to put MBU out in front. Woods continued to chip away and ended the half on a 4-0 run to lead 41-37 at the break. DaShaun Stark put-back a miss in the final seconds of the half. He had 15 of his game-high 24 in the first 20 minutes.

Woods shot 50 percent in the opening half. MBU shot at a 34.8 percent clip for the game, but still managed to stay in it all the way. An 8-0 run midway through the second half put the Spartans ahead 56-54 with exactly 10 minutes left. Buzzell, Pablo Hernandez and James McKelvin all scored during the stretch.

Brandon Vice went to work down low and tied the game on the next possession. The junior had 17 for the home team. The Owls didn't lead by more than six the rest of the way, but Stark's bucket with 9:12 on the clock put the Owls ahead for good.

MBU shrank the deficit to a single point on multiple occasions, including with 4:20 and 2:17 remaining, both off Hernandez free-throws. The sophomore finished with 12 points thanks to an 8-for-8 mark from the foul line.

MBU came up empty in the final two minutes, however, and Williams Woods managed to sneak out with a win. The Spartans had the ball down four with 48 seconds remaining, but their three strong looks from 3-point land were off the mark, sealing the Owls win.

Senior Jared White led the Spartans with 15 points. Buzzell followed with 13, including a 3-for-3 mark from 3-point land. Johnson Benson also finished with 10 points and took down nine boards. Senior Will Harrington recorded five assists, adding to his school record.

The Spartans finished the season 17-15 and have recorded 36 wins in Coach Brock's two seasons. That number is triple the amount in the two seasons before his arrival (12). The 5-seeded Owls host 6-seed Harris-Stowe in the AMC Tournament Finals.