ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University men's basketball fell to No. 9 William Woods University, 81-67, on Thursday evening at Anderson Arena, despite a game-high 24 points from Courtland Soll.

With the loss, MBU dropped to 12-15 overall, 5-8 on the road, and 9-8 in American Midwest Conference (AMC) play. The Spartans also slipped to sixth place in the AMC standings.

Soll led MBU in scoring for the second consecutive game, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, grabbed six rebounds, dished out two assists, and recorded two steals.

The Spartans shot 45.5% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 26.7% of their 3-point attempts. However, they converted 13 of 16 free throws at an 81.3% clip.

William Woods posted a nearly identical shooting percentage at 45.3% but found more success from deep, knocking down 9 of 28 3-pointers (32.1%). The Owls also shot 82.4% from the free-throw line, including a perfect 7-for-7 in the second half.

The first half was tightly contested, with MBU trailing by just two at halftime (33-31). The teams remained deadlocked at 47-47 following a jumper by Preston Fortner with just over 13 minutes left. However, WWU seized control down the stretch, never losing the lead on its way to the 81-67 victory.

Up Next

Missouri Baptist closes out the regular season on Saturday with a road matchup against rival Columbia College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.