PARKVILLE, Mo.—In his season debut, DeAndre Wynn scored what proved to be the game-winning bucket as Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball (13-7, 9-5 AMC) defeated (RV) Park (15-4, 10-4 AMC) 55-53 on the road on Thursday night. Playing without leading scorer Jahmouri Robinson, the Spartans put forth arguably their best defensive performance of the season and earned their fifth win over a team ranked or receiving votes.
 
After a slow start where they fell behind 8-0, MBU put the clamps down defensively and suffocated a Park team that came in averaging just over 71 ppg. The Pirates jacked up 14 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes but converted on just one (7.1%).
 
The Spartans didn't fare much better from outside but instead found offense in the paint. James McKelvin provided 10 points on 5-7 FG and also pulled down six rebounds. As team, Mo. Bap knocked 13-22 FG attempts from inside the 3PT arc to take a 31-21 lead into halftime.
 
After the intermission, the roles seemed to reverse in favor of Park. The Spartans made just one FG attempt in the first eight minutes of the second half. An 11-2 run by the Pirates erased the MBU lead.
 
In the final 10 minutes however, Missouri Baptist received contributions from across the board, highlighted by 10 points from senior DeAndre Wynn. Making his season debut, the native of Miami, Fla. found his touch around the basket and proved a handful for Park to defend down the stretch in the second half.
 
In crunch time it was a combination of Wynn and sophomore Morenke Bettis who stepped forward to save the day for the Spartans. With the game tied at 53 and under 30 seconds remaining, Bettis pulled down an offensive rebound and dished to Wynn who was able to score in traffic.
 
The Spartans then came up with not one but two defensive stops in the final 10 seconds to secure the victory.
 
James McKelvin finished the night with 12 points and nine rebounds to lead the navy and white. The senior also had a career-high five assists. Reigning AMC Player of the Week John Yaeger recorded another double-double (his third straight) with 12 rebounds and 10 points. In addition to his 10 points, DeAndre Wynn also pulled down four rebounds and blocked two shots.
 
Park finished the night shooting just 30.5% from the field. The Pirates were 5-26 from 3PT and their final point total of 53 was a season-low. On the other side, the Spartans managed to shoot 45.5% from the field.
 
Missouri Baptist improved to 9-5 in the American Midwest Conference and stayed two games out of first place after CBC also won on Thursday night. Park dropped into a tie for second with Lyon at 10-4.
 
The Spartans will return to the Petty SRC next Thursday to face Lindenwood-Belleville. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 pm. Only three home games remain as the majority of the schedule down the stretch will be played on the road for MBU.