FAYETTE, Mo. – Missouri Baptist University basketball defeated Central Methodist University 79-68 on the road to take sole possession of fourth place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference
Points Rating System on Wednesday night.
The Spartans received 43 combined points from
Javaris Moye and
Merquiche Lewis to drive the team's third win in a row down the stretch heading into the postseason. MBU is now 18-9 overall and 12-7 in conference play with one game to play.
Lewis led the first half effort with 15 points, while Moye and
Tristan Wiggins each posted 10 as the team went into the lockers with a 43-35 advantage. Two steals and 10 more points from Moye in the second half had MBU outscoring CMU 36-33 to close out the 79-68 win.
The Spartans shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 33.3 percent from deep. They doubled the Eagles' points off turnovers with 14 and out-rebounded them 39-31.
CMU went up 7-6 at 16:28 in the first half, which would be their last lead of the contest. Moye hit a three-pointer at 15:17 to push the Spartans out in front and to spark a long first-half run. Lewis hit another three with 3:19 remaining to extend the lead to 14 before the Eagles battled back to draw it to within eight before half.
Austin Lewis got the lead back out to 14 most of the way through the second half with a three at 5:35. Raphael Gay, Isaiah Reams, and Isaiah Bonaparte continued a balanced scoring attack until the end, but
Preston Fortner iced the game 79-68 with a pair of final-minute free throws.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points:
Merquiche Lewis – 23
Rebounds:
Drew Kegerreis – 9
Assists:
Preston Fortner – 5
3-Pointers:
Javaris Moye – 2
Steals:
Javaris Moye – 3
Blocked Shots: 4 Tied – 1
WHAT'S NEXT?
MBU basketball wraps up conference play at Park University (Mo.) on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. A win would secure a home Heart Quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
About the PRS System
The Point Rating System (PRS) evaluates conference game results throughout the regular season, with points awarded based on opponent winning percentage and game location. PRS standings are updated following each regular night of conference play.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the eight teams with the highest PRS will qualify for the Heart Men's Basketball Postseason Tournament. In the event of a tie in PRS, the conference's established tiebreaker procedures will be applied.
The Heart's regular-season conference champion — and automatic bid to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship — will continue to be determined by the overall conference record.
A full breakdown of the Point Rating System and postseason procedures can be found here.
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