OKLAHOMA, Okla.- The Spartans headed down to Oklahoma City this weekend to participate in Oklahoma City University's Abe Lemons Classic. Overall, the Spartans were 1-1 on the weekend. MBU dropped their first game against Wayland Baptist University and secured their first win of the season against Our Lady of the Lake University.

Wayland Baptist University
It was going to be a tough game for the Spartans as they were up against No. 18 Wayland Baptist University in their first match-up of the Classic. MBU looked good coming out, winning the tip-off, and Courtland Soll scored an early basket. Down on the Pioneers' end, Connor Redrow was able to stop the WBU drive, taking a charge and securing the ball for the Spartans. Nico Hill made an impact early on, logging a steal and speeding up the court to sink a layup. In the Spartans' next possession, the Opunake, New Zealand native followed that up with a three-pointer. The Spartans' lead was short-lived as the Pioneers made the equalizer 17 minutes in. WBU started to show why they were a nationally ranked team, pulling ahead, and at one point, up by 27 points. The Spartans had plenty of scoring opportunities, but they couldn't put the ball in the basket. MBU went 9 for 27 from the field and ended the half down 49-25.
 
The second half was a different ball game. The beginning was still a bit rocky as the Pioneers extended their lead even further. Five minutes in, the Spartans started to chip away at that lead. D'Mari Wiltz drew a foul and sank both of his free throws and not long after, Hill added another two on a fast break with a pass from Wiltz. Wiltz followed that up with a steal and scored a layup on a fast break of his own. With the Spartans starting to sink baskets and make plays, they narrowed it back down to a 20-point ball game. Keyyaun Batchman made a move on his defender to sink a layup. About a minute later, Courtland Soll grabbed a defensive rebound and weaved his way up the court to make the layup.

The Spartans outshot the Pioneers 36-32 in the second half. Overall, they shot 36.8% from the field, compared to the Pioneers' 49.2%. Nico Hill was the leading scorer for the Spartans with 17 points, followed by Breven McMullen with 13.
 
Our Lady of the Lake University
The Spartans knew that this was going to be a much closer matchup coming into their game against OLLU. Connor Redrow made a statement early on by draining a three right away. The Spartans were putting on the pressure, causing turnovers and securing steals. Hill got a hand on the ball inside the Saints' paint, knocking it right to McMullen. Courtland Soll was able to poke away a pass from a Saint, taking it up the court and scoring a layup. The Spartans were able to maintain their lead for the entire first half with the score 48-33. They posted a total of five steals and were able to put up 11 points off of turnovers.

The second half proved to be more of a challenge for MBU. The Saints chipped away at the lead, and with the Spartans in a bit of a scoring drought, the score became uncomfortably close. The Spartans went the first four and a half minutes without earning a single point. Hill broke that streak by making one of his free throws after drawing a foul. This spurred the Spartans, and they started making baskets and regaining their lead. The game soon turned into a back-and-forth battle with both teams scoring and giving up points. With a minute and thirty seconds left in the half, the Saints briefly took the lead, but that quickly changed with a jumper from Kristian Davis and a layup by D'Mari Wiltz. The Spartans added another four points to secure their victory over OLLU, 85-81.

Free throws were definitely the name of the game in the second half, with the Spartans at the line a total of 12 times. MBU shot 75%, making 15 out of 20 free throws. Overall, MBU had a free throw percentage of 79.3. Mujtaba Alkhaldi really stepped up this game, scoring a total of 14 points; the same number as the last two games combined. Davis also had a career-high 13 points in the game against OLLU.

Next up, they will be going up against Saint Xavier University on Wednesday, Nov 8.