FAYETTE, Mo. (Interstat) — The Missouri Baptist Spartans defeated the Central Methodist Eagles 79-68 in a men’s NAIA basketball game Wednesday night at Puckett Field House. The Spartans improved to 17-9 overall while the Eagles fell to 16-11.

Missouri Baptist built a 43-35 halftime lead and maintained its advantage despite a game-high 32 points from Central Methodist’s Raphael Gay. Merquiche Lewis led the Spartans with 23 points. Missouri Baptist shot just 33% from three-point range but held Central Methodist to a stark 1-for-16 performance from beyond the arc. The Spartans also controlled the boards with a 39-31 rebounding edge.