ST. LOUIS—With a new Head Coach and an overhauled roster, Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball dropped its home opener 60-52 to Kansas Wesleyan (1-1) on Friday night.
 
The Spartans' five returning players played a key part in a back and forth opening 20 minutes. Missouri Baptist briefly led by four (19-15) with five minutes left before the visiting Coyotes finished the half on a 13-3 run to lead 28-22. Jahmouri Robinson and Brendon Hardy combined to score 15 of the 22 for MBU.
 
That run at the end of the half for KWU would prove to be the difference as teams were separated by just two points in the second half. After the Coyotes' stretched the lead to nine with 15 minutes left, a bucket from John Yaeger followed by an and-one from Tra'ron Allen cut the deficit to four.
 
They would shrink it down to two with 12:21 to go but that would be as close as the Spartans' could get. Kansas Wesleyan pulled away late and sealed the game at the free throw line.
 
Missouri Baptist was led by 14 points from Jahmouri Robinson and 13 from Brendon Hardy. John Yaeger and Tra'ron Allen each had seven points. Allen also pulled down eight rebounds. The Spartans won the battle on the glass 37-33.
 
"It's going to be a process for us but we knew that going in," noted Head Coach Preston Ingram after his first game at the helm. "We're still trying to learn how to play consistently, play hard, and execute the offense without thinking too much. It will come."
 
Mo. Bap will look to rebound on Tuesday on the first road trip of the season. They'll travel to Paragould, Ark. to meet Crowley's Ridge with tipoff scheduled for 6 pm. The Spartans will be away from the Petty SRC for the rest of November with the next home game December 3 against Columbia College.