HANNIBAL, Mo – MBU Men's Basketball traveled to Hannibal-LaGrange (3-11, 2-4 AMC) on Tuesday night and defeated the Trojans on the road for first time since February, 2017. The Spartans trailed at halftime but used a dominant second period to earn a 77-69 victory.
 
The Spartans prevailed despite a strong shooting night for Hannibal. The Trojans knocked down seven of their first 11 field goal attempts in the opening 10 minutes. The saving grace for MBU was that just two of those made attempts came behind the three-point arc. As a result, the Spartans stayed within striking distance.
 
Hannibal led by as many as seven at one point before Mo. Bap eventually cut it to a one-possession game going halftime. A three from Brendon Hardy in the final seconds represented a shift in momentum for the visitors.
 
After the restart, the lead bounced back and forth in the first 10 minutes of the second half. HLG tied the game for the ninth time with 10:02 left before the Spartans took control for good.
 
Jadis White came up with steals on back to back HLG possessions resulting in points for MBU. John Yaeger followed suit with a steal on a third straight possession and finished the fast break on the other end. In less than two minutes, the game went from a tie to the Spartans ahead 58-49.
 
Hannibal battled back to trail by just five but it would not be enough as the Spartans secured the game at the free-throw line. In the final six minutes, 11 of MBU's 14 points came from the charity stripe. They would finish 21-27 from the line for the night.
 
Though Hannibal shot 57.1% (28-49) from the field, it was all for naught as the Spartans dominated the turnover battle 19-6. The leader of the pack was junior Jadis White, who tied a single-game MBU record with seven steals. As a team, the Spartans finished with a season-high 13 steals. 
 
White and fellow junior Brendon Hardy also led the way at the offensive end. Hardy finished with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, five of which came off the offensive glass. White posted 15 points and tied a career-high with six boards. The former Chaminade HS standout also contributed five assists for arguably the most complete stat line of the season for the MBU.
 
The Spartans are now 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the AMC with wins in three of their last four. They'll continue a stretch of five straight on the road when they travel to William Woods on Thursday. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 pm.