ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University men's basketball capped off its home schedule with an 80-66 victory over Williams Baptist University on Senior Day Saturday evening at the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC. Senior Courtland Soll led the way with 21 points as the Spartans secured their fourth straight home win.
With the win, MBU improved to 12-14 overall, 7-4 at home, and 9-7 in American Midwest Conference (AMC) play. The Spartans moved up to fourth place in the AMC standings following the win.
Soll paced the Spartans with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting, adding seven rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal. Evan Palmquist contributed 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
As a team, MBU shot 48.4% from the field, outpacing WBU, which shot 37.7%. The Spartans controlled the game from start to finish, never trailing after the opening moments.
Game Recap
First Half
WBU took an early 2-0 lead, but the Spartans responded quickly. Layups from Palmquist and Soll put MBU ahead 4-2, followed by a dunk from Austin Lewis to extend the lead to 6-2, prompting an early Eagles timeout with 18:30 remaining in the first half.
MBU continued to build momentum, stretching its lead to 10-4 after baskets from Taiden Conner and Soll. WBU briefly cut the deficit to 12-11 with a three-pointer at the 12:30 mark, but the Spartans answered with an 18-3 run, hitting seven of their next eight shots. A three-pointer from Daylan Dalton capped the surge, putting MBU ahead 30-14 with nine minutes left in the half.
A corner three from Palmquist extended the Spartans' lead to 39-22, and MBU maintained control heading into halftime, leading 45-31 after a three-pointer from Thai Elder.
MBU shot 52.8% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range in the first half.
Second Half
Lewis opened the second half with a dunk, and a three-pointer from Conner kept MBU ahead 50-36 with under 18 minutes remaining. WBU trimmed the deficit to 50-40, but Elder quickly responded with a three to push the lead back to 53-40 with under 15 minutes left.
After a turnover from McMullen, the Eagles capitalized with a layup to make it 54-47, but Soll answered with an and-one basket, restoring a 10-point lead. Later, a drive and finish by Soll, assisted by Preston Fortner, pushed MBU ahead 65-49, capping an 8-0 Spartans run and forcing WBU to call a timeout with under 10 minutes left.
The Eagles made a late push, hitting a three to cut the deficit to 67-57 with just over seven minutes remaining. MBU called timeout as WBU was on an 8-0 run. However, the Spartans held firm, and a feed from Elder to Soll in the paint extended the lead to 73-59. A dagger three-pointer from Elder with under two minutes remaining sealed the win for MBU.
Up Next
MBU returns to action on Thursday for a road matchup against No. 9 William Woods University. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
