KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The most successful season in program history came to an end on Wednesday night for No. 9 MBU Men's Basketball. The Spartans lost a 68-67 heartbreaker to No. 24 Loyola (La.) in the First Round of the NAIA DI National Tournament at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 
In a matchup of the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the Naismith bracket, both the Spartans and Wolfpack came out firing on Wednesday night and neither side could find separation. Loyola had an early 11-7 advantage before MBU came back to lead by five at 38-33 going into halftime.
 
The Spartans made 56% (17-30) of their field goal attempts in the first half but the second half would be another story. Both teams turned up their defensive efforts and scoring was much more difficult to come by. Loyola endured their first stretch of cold shooting, allowing MBU to go on a 7-0 run and build a nine-point lead.
 
Once Loyola snapped their drought, however, the script flipped and the Spartans lost their touch from the field. A 12-4 run returned the lead to the Wolfpack (60-58) with 5:39 to go. It wasn't over yet though and the final five minutes would prove to be quite the rollercoaster.
 
Back to back three-pointers from Jesus Castillo took the Spartans from down four to up two. Then, with under a minute to go and Loyola leading 65-64, Kai Woodfall drained a three to make it 67-65. Loyola called a timeout.
 
The Spartan defense was ready after the TO but Loyola's Benjamin Fields found a way to knock down a deep three despite tough defense from Pablo Hernandez. Missouri Baptist had a chance to draw up one more play with 30 seconds left.
 
As time ticked down on the final possession, Jahmouri Robinson drove along the baseline and found Jesus Castillo for a last second attempt. But the sophomore's shot somehow careened off the rim and the buzzer sounded on the Spartans' dream season.
 
"I'm really proud of our guys," noted Head Coach Matt Brock afterwards. "We have nothing to hang our heads about. The bounces just didn't go our way tonight."
 
Kai Woodfall finished the night as the Spartans' leader in points. The senior had 17 (5-11 3PT) and wrapped his lone year at MBU with 104 makes from the behind the arc.
 
Woodfall's fellow senior Pablo Hernandez also had strong night in the final game of his storied career. The Spartans' only four-year senior posted 13 points and six rebounds. Hernandez finishes 12^th on the MBU all-time scoring list with 1268 points.
 
The Spartans finish the 2018-19 season with a record of 28-5. Loyola (22-11) moves on to play Wayland Baptist on Friday afternoon.