The MBU men's basketball team put together two wins this weekend to claim the Webster University Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament Title. The Spartans, now 7-6 overall, beat NCAA D-III Millikin University (Illinois) and Maryville University (St. Louis) in route to the tournament title.
Missouri Baptist came from behind to sneak away with a 63-62 win over Millikin on Friday. The Spartans trailed 27-20 at the half, but turned up the pressure on defense to force costly Millikin turnovers in the second half. With 9.9 seconds remaining in the game, MBU hit the final jump shot to take the one-point lead. Tight Spartan defense preserved the lead in the final seconds to preserve the lead and take the win. Brandon Roberson led MBU with 22 points, followed by Rondu Stevens with 15 points, and P.J. Smith with 11 points.
The Spartans faced local opponent Maryville in the Tournament Championship game on Saturday. Maryville took a win from the host Webster on Friday night to advance to the Title Game. The Spartans once again trailed at the half, heading in the locker room down 45-41. MBU outscored the Saints by eight in the second half, to take the game 80-76. Smith led the Spartans in scoring, with 22 points, followed by Roberson with 18 points, Kyle Hubbard with 15 points, and Stevens with 10 points.
The Spartans will face Maryville once again in a regular season contest on December 19th at Maryville, before heading into the Christmas break. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.
