Conway, Ark.- Men's basketball was going up against American Midwest Conference leaders, Central Baptist College, yesterday (Jan 27) afternoon. Despite their best efforts and outscoring CBC in the second half, MBU couldn't overcome their opponent.
 
MBU was able to get an early lead in the first half with D'Mari Wiltz scoring the first points of the game almost a minute into the half. With points coming from a number of Spartans, including Breven McMullen, Sterling Benjamin, and Evan Palmquist, MBU would continue to hold that lead for the next couple of minutes.
 
A little over five minutes into the game, CBC would tie it up at 10 points apiece. 20 seconds later, CBC would secure the lead with a jump shot in the middle of the paint. For a moment it looked like the Spartans would have a chance to take back the lead. Benjamin received the ball at the top of the key on an inbound, drove into the block, and pulled a move on his defender to sink the layup. Unfortunately Central Baptist was able to take back the lead just a minute later and the rest of the half the Spartans were doing their best to hold on.
 
MBU walked into the second half with a 12-point deficit. With a score of 38-26 CBC, the Spartans had a lot of ground to cover. With a field goal percentage of only 33.3 in the first half, MBU knocking down their shots was crucial.
 
With a big three-pointer coming from McMullen at the start of the half, MBU was able to find their groove and start to make some baskets. At times the Spartans were able to go on scoring runs to bring the game down to a single digit gap. One such run came at the 17-minute mark when Wiltz drove into the block, drawing the defenders, and fed it to a wide open Mujtaba Alkhaldi who made the layup. McMullen was back on the attack shortly after, driving into the top of the paint from the wing. The junior then pulled a step back move and sinking a jump shot right over top of his defender. A minute later Alkhaldi put up another two points after posting up down on the block and making the layup.
 
Despite their best efforts and even outscoring CBC in the second half, MBU couldn't bridge the gap that the Mustangs created in the first. The Spartans ultimately fell to Central Baptist with a final score of 76-66. D'Mari Wiltz had a standout performance, achieving a season-high 12 points. Keyyaun Batchman and Breven McMullen closely followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
MBU will be kicking off their second round of conference games on Saturday, Feb 3. The Spartans will be going up against William Woods, a team they defeated earlier this month.