ST. LOUIS— It wasn't the most glamorous win of the season but Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball found a way to knock off William Woods (Mo.) 59-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Petty SRC.
The Spartans (8-5, 4-3 AMC) and Owls (7-8, 3-5 AMC) slugged it out in a low scoring first half which saw both teams shoot 25.8% from the field. Comparatively speaking, William Woods had the better start. They led 17-11 after 11 minutes before the Spartans found their legs. A 12-6 run to close the half sent MBU into the break with a slim 23-22 advantage.
Missouri Baptist would continue the upward trajectory in the second half with senior
Jahmouri Robinson and sophomore
Brendon Hardy as the catalysts. The two would combine for 30 of the team's 36 points in the final 20 minutes. Hardy capped a 10-2 run and forced a WWU timeout with a fast break bucket at 12:06 to give MBU a 40-33 lead.
After making just 1-6 from behind the arc in the first half, Mo. Bap was content to get its points in the paint and at the free throw line in the second half. The result was a higher percentage from the field (64%, 16-25). That would prove to be the difference as the Owls' continued to shoot the three without much luck (28.6%, 4-14 3PT).
William Woods briefly tied the game at 55 with just over three minutes left before two clutch baskets from
Jahmouri Robinson gave MBU its final lead. The Owls had a chance to tie on the last possession but couldn't convert on multiple three-point attempts.
Robinson finished with 19 points (9-15 FG) to go along with two steals, two assists, and two rebounds.
Brendon Hardy and
Hasaan DeCarolis joined Robinson in double figures. Hardy had 18 points and six rebounds. DeCarolis finished with 11 and seven rebounds.
John Yaeger came up one point shy of his first career double-double (9 points, 13 rebounds). The 13 boards was not only a career-high for Yaeger but also tied a team season-high for Missouri Baptist.
Missouri Baptist committed an unusual 16 turnovers but counteracted that stat with a season-high eight steals. The Spartans also won the rebound battle with 42 boards—also their highest 40-minute total of the season.
The Spartans are now riding a three-game AMC winning streak heading into Tuesday's trip to St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Tip time at the pillbox is scheduled for 7:30 pm. MBU will return home next Thursday and Saturday for meetings with Williams Baptist and Freed-Hardeman.
