PERU, Neb. – The Missouri Baptist University Spartans went toe to toe with Grand View University from the opening tip Friday night. Forty minutes wasn't even enough. In the end, the Spartans prevailed 92-87 in overtime.
To say this game was tight would be an understatement. Neither team led by more than nine points and the lead went back and forth 16 times, including six times in the final eight minutes of the game.
The Spartans had five players score in double-figures, led by senior guard
Tyrell Andrews with 18 points. Sophomore
Breven McMullen had his best game as a Spartan with 17 points. Senior guard
Jadis White had a double-double with 16 points and an impressive 10 assists. White also had six steals. Newcomer
Nico Hill showed some shooting range in going three of five from three-point distance and finished with 16 points. Senior
Brendon Hardy had 12 points before fouling out late in the overtime.
Neither team could gain the upper hand for long in the first half, with the lead changing hands on multiple occasions and the largest lead being in favor of Grand View at 21-15. Both sides shot the ball well in the first half with the Spartans at 54% and the Vikings at 48%. Andrews led the way for the Spartans at halftime with 10 points.
The Vikings were successful in keeping this one close in the first half largely because of their success from behind the arc. In the first 20 minutes, Vikings guard Noah Hart was a perfect five for five from distance and led Grand View in scoring at the break with 15 points. Unfortunately for him and the Vikings, his touch would dessert him in the second half and overtime, as he went zero for six over the next 25 minutes. Junior forward Cecil Lee III finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with two blocks. Hart and Lee III scored 29 of the 39 points for Grand View in the first half, as the Spartans led 40-39.
The Spartans came out sluggish to start the second half, scoring only two points in the first five minutes, and only eight in the first seven. At that point they faced their largest deficit of the game at 57-48 with 12:15 left. MBU successfully turned the tide on Grand View by employing a blistering full-court press. Over the next 3:33 the Vikings turned the ball over three times. The result was a 14-4 run punctuated by a Hill three-pointer that turned that nine-point deficit into a one-point advantage. However, the result was far from decided. In fact, the lead changed six times in the final eight minutes of the game.
The Spartans had a couple of chances to win it at the end of regulation. White missed on a three that was rebounded by Lee, but White was alert enough to get the steal on the outlet pass. One final driving shot by White wouldn't go down and they headed for extra basketball.
The Spartans took control about two minutes into the extra frame on a three pointer by
Brendon Hardy. From there MBU would build a seven point lead they would not relinquish.
On the evening the Spartans shot 45% from the floor and 48% from behind the three-point line. They were much improved from the foul line as well. They came in shooting just under 60% from the line but went 20 of 27 on the night for 74%.
The win is the third straight for MBU and improves their record to 3-2 on the season. They get no rest though as they are right back on the court tomorrow night to take on the host Peru State College in the Spartans second game in the Heart/AMC Challenge. Tip-off on Saturday night is 6:00 p.m.
