ST. LOUIS—Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball (14-8, 10-4 AMC) completed its regular season on Saturday afternoon with an 80-63 victory over (RV) Central Baptist College (13-5, 8-2 AMC).
Playing in front of home fans for just the second time season (and the first time on a weekend), the Spartans stormed out of the gate to 14-2 lead. The advantage would remain double digits for a majority of the first half.
The Spartans made 11-22 from the field in the opening period and cruised into halftime with a comfortable 13-point lead (35-22). Conversely, CBC, the AMC's highest scoring offense coming into Saturday, could not find a rhythm offensively. They shot just 25% (6-24) in the first 20 minutes.
The Spartans knew they would have to keep their foot on the gas in the second half. Junior
Brendon Hardy made sure that was the case in the first three possessions after the intermission. Hardy drained three-straight from behind the arc in the first two minutes to turn a 13-point lead into a 20-point lead.
That gap would widen to as many as 25 at one point and, despite the Mustangs doing a 180 from their first half offensive performance to shoot 60% in the second half, it wasn't nearly enough to keep up with the Spartans. Led by the sharpshooting Hardy, Mo. Bap finished the afternoon 9-17 from 3PT and 29-54 overall from the field (53.7%). CBC was held to a season low 63 points while MBU topped 80 for the second time in three days.
Hardy's 19 points was tops on the stat sheet for MBU. The Farmington, Mo. product made 5-7 from the 3PT, produced two steals, and pulled down five rebounds.
John Yaeger (15) and
Jadis White (14) also reached double figures. White also contributed a team-high six assists.
With the regular season now complete, the Spartans will have a week of rest before the AMC Tournament gets underway on February 25. Currently sitting in third place, the Spartans have guaranteed themselves a home game in the Quarterfinal round and could potentially still move up if Lyon, Columbia, or CBC stumble next week.
