COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Baptist University men's basketball delivered its biggest win of the Taylor Jarvis era on Wednesday night, knocking off No. 22 Columbia College, 79–62, to improve to 4–0 for the first time since the 2018–19 season.
The Spartans dominated the second half, outscoring the Cougars 49–22 after trailing 40–30 at halftime. MBU shot 46.7 percent from the field and held Columbia to just 22 second-half points behind disciplined defense and improved rebounding.
Drew Kegerreis fueled the surge with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including four three-pointers, while Preston Fortner added 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes. Javaris Moye delivered another strong all-around performance with 18 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Merquiche Lewis posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late, and Austin Lewis provided seven rebounds and six points off the bench.
MBU shot 39.1 percent from three (9-of-23) and held Columbia to 37.9 percent overall and 28.6 percent from deep. The Spartans also won the rebounding battle 40–37 and forced 12 turnovers, converting them into 12 points.
First Half
Columbia controlled the early tempo and used 20 points in the paint along with five made threes to build a 40–30 halftime advantage. MBU shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half but stayed within reach thanks to timely stretches from Kegerreis, Fortner, and Moye, who combined for 14 points before the break.
The Cougars led by as many as 10 late in the half and entered the locker room with momentum after out-rebounding the Spartans 20–16 and shooting 51.7 percent through the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
The Spartans flipped the script completely.
MBU erupted for 49 second-half points while holding Columbia to just 7-of-29 shooting (24.1 percent). The Spartans attacked with pace, found high-quality shots, and overwhelmed the Cougars defensively.
Moye took over out of the locker room with 12 points after halftime, including two threes. Kegerreis added 10 second-half points and buried two more threes during a decisive 26–6 run that swung control fully to MBU. Fortner scored 12 after the break and directed the offense with poise and tempo.
Inside, Merquiche Lewis grabbed seven of his 10 rebounds in the second half, while Austin Lewis added physicality, second-chance boards, and a key three-pointer that helped stretch the lead.
MBU's advantage grew to 20 with 2:26 remaining as the Spartans closed out one of their best halves in recent years.
Coach's Notes
"Columbia is a great team and it's always tough to win at their place. Our team showed resiliency and handled adversity well. Going into halftime down ten, our guys stayed the course, made adjustments, and stepped up in the second half. They controlled their response and focused on what they could control, and that led to a very successful finish.
I'm extremely proud of senior point guard Preston Fortner — he led the charge in the second half on both ends of the floor. It was a great team effort to beat a high-level program like Columbia College.
This is what we expected from ourselves, our staff, and our players. We believe we're a top-25 team and can compete with anybody in the country. This is a tough, resilient group that I love coaching, and they've completely bought into being a great team."
Final Notes
The win marks MBU's:
- First 4–0 start since 2018–19
- First win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 24 Benedictine in 2021–22
- Most significant victory of the Taylor Jarvis era
- First win over Columbia since rejoining the Heart of America
Up Next
MBU returns home Saturday for its Heart of America home and conference opener, hosting Clarke University at 2 p.m. inside the Carl and Deloris Petty SRC.
