OLATHE, Kan. – The Missouri Baptist Men's Basketball team wasn't sharp in their first game of the 2022-23 season.  The Evangel Valor took advantage of that and pulled away from the Spartans in the second half, winning 84-63 in the first game for both teams in the Jeff Uphaus Memorial Tournament hosted by MidAmerica Nazarene University.

For the evening, the Spartans turned the ball over 21 times and shot the ball just 37% from the field.  Most significantly they were outrebounded by 11 (37-26) by the Valor, which helped to contribute to Evangel getting 19 more total shots than MBU. The Spartans hit only eight of their 18 free throws in the contest as well. In short, it looked like the first competitive game of the season, at least for the Spartans.

Despite the Spartan's struggles, the game was close throughout most of the first half, with both teams trading the lead back and forth numerous times. The Spartans put on a nice run at the end of the first half to cut what was a 10-point deficit down to just three when junior forward Nico Hill nailed a three-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Early in the second half, the Spartans were able to draw even at 40 following a nice assist by Bryce Johnson on a layup by Bruno Araujo. That basket forced a timeout by Evangel head coach Bert Capel with 16:18 remaining.

It was a wise decision by Capel. His Valor went on a 14-0 run over the next three minutes and 35 seconds to take a lead that would never be threatened. It was a stretch that saw the Spartans turn the ball over four times.  MBU briefly reduced the deficit to 13 on a couple of occasions the rest of the way but couldn't get any closer.

Valor guard Josh Pritchett started the year in style with 31 points, six assists, and two steals. He was four of eight from behind the three-point stripe as well. Forward Bryce Hunt finished with 21 points and eight rebounds for Evangel, with most of those points coming very near to the basket. The Spartans had persistent issues on the defensive end of the court trying to defend a backdoor cut that the Valor used repetitively and successfully throughout the night, including the first play of the game. The result was a lot of uncontested layups or alley-oop dunks for Evangel. The Valor held a 57-32 advantage of points in the paint.

The Spartans were led in scoring by senior guard Tyrell Andrews who had 17 points. Sophomore newcomer Bryce Johnson was impressive for stretches of the game, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds, but was also responsible for five turnovers. Other Spartans scoring in double-figures: sophomore Breven McMullen had 13 points while last year's leading scorer Brendon Hardy finished with 10.

The Spartans will need to regroup quickly as they will be back in action tomorrow evening when they take the court against the host school, MidAmerica Nazarene. Like the Spartans and the Valor, the Pioneers are receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.