CONWAY, Ark. – Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball (7-6, 3-2 AMC) went down to the wire with Central Baptist (8-3, 4-0 AMC) on Saturday afternoon before ultimately coming up short in a 74-65 defeat.
 
After the Spartans grabbed an early lead in the first half, CBC settled in and went on a 7-0 run. The Mustangs took their largest lead at 27-17 before MBU rallied back before the intermission. Gerald Moore closed a 13-3 stretch for the Spartans with a three-pointer to make it 30-27 at the halftime break.
 
The Spartans reclaimed the lead and held it for a majority of the second period. Eight quick points from Brendon Hardy in the early minutes of the half gave MBU a 43-38 advantage. That would grow to an eight-point lead (48-40) after an offensive rebound and putback by John Yaeger.
 
The AMC's first place team was not about to quietly disappear and they chipped away until the game was tied again at 54 with five minutes left. CBC would then force a turnover, convert the bucket on a fast break at the opposite end, and never look back from that point forward.
 
With points hard to come by in the final minutes, the Mustangs would eventually push on for a nine-point victory.
 
Brendon Hardy went 7-14 from the field for 19 points to lead MBU. River Reed and John Yaeger each finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Missouri Baptist falls to 3-2 in the AMC and 7-6 overall. The five-game road stretch continues Tuesday at Hannibal-LaGrange. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.