Mustangs Drop Heartbreaker To Missouri Baptist

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Conway, Ark. – Playing host to an American Midwest Conference opponent at home for the first time this season, Central Baptist College men's basketball took on the Spartans of Missouri Baptist University inside Reddin Fieldhouse tonight for the first time since the AMC semifinals last season. In a back-and-forth game that saw 10 ties and 20 lead changes, CBC (5-4, 1-1 AMC) held a close lead until MBU (6-6, 3-0 AMC) hit a jump shot with 1.1 seconds left to earn a win 60-59.

            Nate Duda led the way in scoring for the Mustangs with 12 off the bench. CBC struggled from deep, hitting only three of their 17 three-pointers while also hitting only six of 11 free throws (MBU went 9-9) and getting outrebounded 33-26, losing their second straight game to the Spartans for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when they won their first AMC title.

GAME FLOW

            MBU made the first basket of the contest and neither team led by more than five at any point in the first half. Trailing 27-26 with five seconds left, Duda made a layup to make it 28-27 and send the Mustangs into the locker room with a lead for the seventh time this season (5-2 record when leading at the break.)

            The Mustangs opened the second half on a 9-2 run and led 37-29 with 17:44 left to play. The Mustangs would hold the lead until the 11:00 mark when a three-pointer from MBU hero Brendan Hardy, who had a game-high 17, gave MBU the lead 44-43. A pair of Braylon Steen free throws with 10:17 left traded the lead back to CBC at 45-44 and a layup following an offensive rebound on the ensuing Spartan possession gave the lead back to MBU at 46-45. Steen was able to draw another foul on MBU with 9:31 left and split the free throws to tie the game at 46. The two teams traded baskets until MBU made a layup at the 7:50 mark and tacked on a pair of free throws with seven minutes left to give CBC their largest deficit of the game at 52-48. A Duda three on the next CBC possession cut the deficit to one at 52-51. The Mustangs then forced a turnover and retook the lead at 53-52 thanks to a jumper from Blake Bradshaw. The two teams would trade the lead again over the next five possessions until a layup by Jalen Adams, the final Mustang field goal of the game, with 2:44 left in the game gave CBC the lead at 59-58. Neither team would score for the next 2:43 until Hardy made a jumper from the right baseline with 1.1 seconds left to give the win to the Spartans.

            The Mustangs welcome the Cougars of Columbia College into A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse for an AMC tilt on Saturday afternoon with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.