MARSHALL, Mo. – The Missouri Baptist University men's basketball team fell 80-60 on the road to Missouri Valley College on Wednesday night at the Burns Athletic Complex. The Vikings used a strong close to the first half and efficient perimeter shooting in the second to pull away and secure the 20-point victory.
Missouri Valley carried a 40-34 advantage into halftime before outscoring the Spartans 40-26 over the final 20 minutes. The Vikings shot 50 percent from three-point range for the game and converted 26-of-30 attempts from the free-throw line.
MBU struck first as
Isaiah Dixon opened the scoring with a dunk in the opening minute, but Missouri Valley responded by gaining the lead on a three from Antwon Ferrell. The Vikings ran a lead as large as 16 with four minutes remaining in the opening half before threes from
Tristan Wiggins,
Austin Lewis, and
Preston Fortner trimmed the lead to 40-34 heading into the locker room.
MVC rebuilt the lead early in the second, but MBU stayed within striking distance midway through, trimming the deficit to 53-44 following another three-pointer from Lewis with 11:34 remaining. Missouri Valley answered immediately, however, knocking down back-to-back threes and stringing together a run to push the margin beyond 15.
Missouri Valley continued to capitalize on the perimeter and at the free-throw line down the stretch, stretching the lead to as many as 22 before closing out the contest with a 20-point, 80-60 victory.
Lewis led Missouri Baptist with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Wiggins added 12 points off the bench. Fortner finished with 10 points, and Dixon pulled down seven rebounds to help the Spartans on the glass.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points: Austin Lewis – 13
Rebounds: Austin Lewis – 8
Assists: Kegerreis & Wiggins – 3
3-Pointers: Austin Lewis – 3
Steals: Thai Elder – 3
Blocked Shots: Thai Elder – 2
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Spartans continue the road trip on Saturday, Jan. 31, with a matchup with MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. The opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
