C-SC men nearly overcome 19-point deficit during final five minutes in home loss

CANTON, Mo. — An exciting finish couldn’t make up for a disastrous first half for the Culver-Stockton College men’s basketball team.

The Wildcats scored a season-low 17 points in the first half and trailed by 19 points with less than five minutes left to play, then rallied to give themselves a chance to win but ended up losing 67-62 to Baker (Kan.) on Saturday afternoon in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game at Charles field House.

The loss drops the Wildcats’ record in conference play to 4-9, and they’re in sixth place in the seven-team North Division. C-SC is two games behind Clarke (Iowa), which beat Benedictine 75-72 to improve to 6-7 in Heart play and stay in fourth place. The top four teams in each division qualify for the conference tournament.

Culver-Stockton, which opened the season with 10 straight victories, now has a 13-9 record.

The Wildcats missed 13 of their first 14 shots and shot 21 percent (6 for 28) in the first half. Baker’s lead grew as big as 55-34 with 9:19 remaining to play. The score was 60-41 with 4:50 remaining when C-SC started to rally.

A 13-4 run got the Wildcats within 64-54 with 90 seconds remaining in the game. Baker failed to get the ball inbounds in time, and Alonzo Ortiz-Traylor’s basket got the Wildcats with eight points with 1:09 to play.

After a second five-second inbounds violation, Baker’s Jalen Patterson was hit with a technical foul. Ortiz-Traylor made both free throws. Zac Rzewnicki followed with a layup with 46 seconds left to get the Wildcats to within 64-60.

Baker’s Michael Brooks then threw the ball away on an inbounds pass. However, a 3-point attempt by C-SC’s Jalen Blaize on the next possession was off the mark. The Wildcats were forced to foul three times to get Baker to the bonus.

Baker’s Mason Dukes then missed a free throw, and Nick Spannaus scored for the hosts to make it 64-62 with 22 seconds remaining. After another C-SC foul, Patterson missed the front end of the one-and-one. 

C-SC had a chance to tie or take the lead. However, Javon Modester missed a 3-point attempt from the corner with eight seconds left. Baker made three free throws in the final six seconds to seal the victory.

Ortiz-Traylor led the Wildcats with 28 points. Spannaus added a career-high 12 points off the bench. Baker (11-10) improved to 7-6 in Heart play. It is in a five-way tie for second place in the South Division.