St. Louis - Missouri Baptist faced off against one of their biggest rivals in the AMC last night (Jan 11), Columbia College. Things started well for MBU, immediately taking the lead, but it wasn't meant to be. In the second half, Missouri Baptist couldn't maintain their lead and ultimately lost to Columbia 70-64.
 
The tone of the first half was set by the Spartans right from the start. D'Mari Wiltz put up a couple of early points to take the lead for MBU. The Spartans would only continue to widen the gap, taking a 7-point lead two minutes in. Nico Hill sank a jump shot, and Keyyaun Batchman drained a three. With the game easily in the hands of the Spartans, it forced CC to take a timeout, trying to slow down MBU's momentum.
 
Much of the first half went by in a similar fashion. MBU was on top, taking care of business against the Cougars. Nine minutes in, Columbia would go on an eight-point run, nearly closing the gap between the two teams. Sterling Benjamin put a stop to this with a jump shot right over two defenders. Batchman followed up with another three-pointer to bring the Spartans back to a seven-point lead.
 
The Spartans were in a good position going into the second half, up 38-28. This didn't last, with Columbia putting Missouri Baptist on their heels by scoring the first six points of the half. A three-pointer by Nico Hill broke their scoring streak, but it wasn't enough. Despite the Spartans' best efforts, Columbia started chipping away at the Spartans' lead.
 
With six minutes left in the game, the Cougars managed to tie it up. They continued to put up a couple more points, taking a 4-point lead. A three-pointer from Breven McMullen brought it back to a 1-point game. Batchman, off an offensive rebound, put it right back in the basket to take the lead for the Spartans once again. The lead changed hands another two times before Columbia ran away with it, scoring the last seven points of the game.
 
The Spartans lost to Columbia 70-64, dropping their first conference game. Batchman was a key component in the Spartans staying competitive against Columbia. The senior put up a total of 19 points against the Cougars and grabbed five rebounds. Connor Redrow had a big game as well, scoring 10 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.
 
The Spartans will be hitting the road, taking a quick drive up to Harris Stowe State University on Jan 18 at 7:30.