ST. LOUIS— [
BOX SCORE] For the second consecutive season, Missouri Baptist men's basketball saw its unbeaten streak dashed in overtime against Harris-Stowe State. The Hornets pulled off the 74-70 upset on Thursday night over the No. 3 ranked Spartans in double overtime inside the Emerson Performance Center.
With a raucous crowd behind them, Harris-Stowe stormed out of the gates to score the game's first 10 points. The Hornets dominated the majority of the first half, building a lead that reached as many as 16.
As the first half wound down however, the Spartans began to seize some of the momentum. A powerful slam from senior
Torrance Littles in the final minute brought the traveling Spartan crowd to its feet.
Jahmouri Robinson knocked down a floater with 15 seconds left to close the deficit to 33-22 at the break.
After starting slowly in the first half, Missouri Baptist reversed that trend out of the intermission. The visitors scored the first 11 points of the second half to tie the game at 33. Harris-Stowe would retake the lead but the Spartans stayed close behind. Finally, with 4:30 left on the clock, MBU grabbed a 50-49 advantage.
They would hold the lead down to the wire until the Hornets rescued a tie in the final seconds of regulation. Stowe's Deandre Clark drove to the basket and though his layup attempt was off the mark, center Duane Clark was there to grab the offensive board and the put-back. The game continued into overtime knotted at 57.
In the first extra period, senior
Pablo Hernandez knocked two clutch free throws to tie the game at 63 with 10 seconds left. The Hornets then turned the ball over, giving the Spartans an opportunity with 1.9 seconds remaining. After a baseball pass and a deflection, the ball landed in the hands of
Jahmouri Robinson. The junior's three-point attempt mercilessly rimmed out however and the contest moved into double overtime.
That's where the magic would finally run out for the third ranked Spartans. Harris-Stowe took the lead with three minutes left and managed a key defensive stand with 23 seconds on the clock. They would hold on for a 74-70 victory, ending Mo. Bap's 20-game unbeaten run. The Spartans were the last remaining undefeated team in the NAIA.
Pablo Hernandez had a career night to lead the navy and white. The senior poured in 34 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his fifth career double-double.
Jahmouri Robinson was the other Spartan to reach double figures (14). Hernandez and Robinson combined to score all 13 of the Spartans' points in overtime. Nate Rigmaiden led Harris-Stowe with 29 points.
Despite the setback, the Spartans still lead the AMC (12-1) by two games. They'll have to rebound quickly, though, as second place William Woods (10-3) will visit the Petty SRC on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 pm.
