WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball climbed back over .500 in conference play on Tuesday night with a convincing 70-52 road win over Williams Baptist (4-5, 2-1 AMC). The Spartans led for all but 17 seconds in route to their sixth win of the win and second in the AMC.
 
After conceding the opening basket, the Spartans went ahead on a three by Brendon Hardy and never looked back. What followed was a 13-0 run that set the tone for the night.
 
Williams Baptist struggled to score in the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 26% from the field. The Spartans, meanwhile, went 12-29 and led 33-18 at the break.
 
In the second half, the Spartans fully utilized a size advantage in the paint. MBU's pair of 6-9 trees, senior River Reed and freshman Mujtaba Alkhaldi went to work combining for 13 points and six rebounds.
 
Though the Eagles responded to shoot 53.8% from the field (14-26) the Spartans were content to trade baskets back and forth. MBU kept pace making 15-32 attempts.
 
The lead never dipped below 12 points and ultimately finished as the Spartans' most lopsided road victory since a 32-point win blowout against Freed-Hardeman in February, 2019.
 
River Reed's 13 points led the way for Mo. Bap. Reed finished with nine rebounds, narrowly missing his second double-double of the season. Brendon Hardy also reached double figures with 11 points. In a complete team effort, all 11 Spartans who touched the floor recorded at least two points and one rebound.
 
The Spartans are now 6-5 overall and 2-1 in the AMC ahead of Thursday's meeting with Health Sciences and Pharmacy (1-10, 0-3 AMC). Tip off at the Petty SRC is scheduled for 7:30 pm. MBU will finish the week on Saturday on the road again in Arkansas, this time against (RV) Central Baptist (6-3, 2-0 AMC).