ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University men's basketball fell to No. 10-ranked Central Baptist College, 83-74, Saturday afternoon at the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC, despite a 22-point effort from senior Breven McMullen.

With the loss, the Spartans dropped to 3-7 overall and 2-1 in American Midwest Conference (AMC) play.

McMullen led MBU with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also went 3-of-5 at the free-throw line and added one rebound.

Evan Palmquist contributed 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, knocking down 3-of-6 three-pointers. The junior guard also tallied four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Thai Elder rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Spartans with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. He grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists, and recorded a block.

As a team, MBU shot 43.9% (25-of-57) from the floor and converted 35% (7-of-20) of its three-point attempts.

A back-and-forth first half saw McMullen put up 14 points, keeping the Spartans within striking distance at halftime, trailing 36-34. However, CBC outscored MBU 47-40 in the second half to secure the win.

Central Baptist capitalized on Spartan mistakes, scoring 21 points off turnovers, and shot 48.5% (33-of-68) from the floor. Sage Borbon led the Mustangs with a game-high 27 points.

MBU will look to bounce back on Thursday when it heads to UHSP for a conference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.