ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] No. 19 Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball put on a clinic on Thursday night with an 87-56 victory over Freed-Hardeman. The Lions briefly led by two early in the first half before MBU took control and ran away for a lopsided win.

Facing his former team for the first time, Fitzgerald Hopkins took the reins and led the Spartans in the first half. The senior posted 11 points on 4-5 shooting (3-4 from three) while also adding five assists. After falling behind 11-9 after five minutes, Missouri Baptist turned on the burners and outscored Freed-Hardeman 46-17 in the final 15 minutes of the opening stanza. The Spartans shot 62% as a team and took a 55-28 lead into the locker room.

The second half proved more of the same as the Spartan defense took the life out of the Lions. MBU forced 11 second half turnovers, adding to the 13 they caused in the first half. The lead never dipped below 24 as Missouri Baptist cruised to a 31-point victory.

Hopkins would finish the night with 17 points to lead the Spartans. The senior also contributed four steals and five assists. Jahmouri Robinson and Torrance Littles made it a trio of Spartans in double digits as both went for 10 points. Littles was also active on the glass with seven rebounds and three blocks.

Missouri Baptist is now 14-2 overall and 6-2 in the AMC. Williams Baptist College will visit the SRC on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 pm.