ST. LOUIS — Merquiche Lewis scored 16 points and Isaiah Dixon added 14 as Missouri Baptist University men's basketball earned a 74–66 Heart of America Conference win over Park University on Friday afternoon inside the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC.

The win lifts the Spartans to 14–6 overall and 8–4 in Heart play, while the Pirates fall to 9–11 on the season and 6–6 in conference action.

Javaris Moye finished with 10 points and was tied for a team-high in rebounds with eight, while Tristan Wiggins chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench. Thai Elder scored eight, Austin Lewis added seven, and Preston Fortner contributed six points in the victory.

MBU shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the field and scored 42 points in the paint, while Park was held to 38.2 percent (21-of-55) shooting.

First Half

Park struck first and built an early eight-point advantage, but MBU responded with a strong stretch of interior scoring to take control. Lewis led the Spartans with 15 first-half points, helping MBU carry a 39–34 lead into the break.

Second Half

The Spartans opened the second half with a run to create separation, pushing the lead to as many as 15 points. Park made a late push behind 21 points from Abubakar Kromah, but MBUstayed composed down the stretch to close out the eight-point win.

Up Next

MBU returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 28 on the road at Missouri Valley College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.