Wildcats Lead Throughout, Defeat Missouri Valley on Wednesday, 87-73

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Leading throughout the entirety of the game, the Baker men's basketball team defeated Missouri Valley on Wednesday evening, 87-73, to move to 12-3 (7-2) on the season.

Quentin Harvey led all scorers in the game, scoring 22 points, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 100 percent from the three-point line. He also led the Wildcats with nine rebounds in the game. Noah Rigatuso was Baker's second highest scorer with 16 points and Jalen Patterson added 14 points with nine assists.

Ty Henry also had a big game for Baker, putting up 11 points, but also locking down on defense and coming up with a couple loose balls late in the game.

Early in the game, Baker and Missouri Valley were tied at three, but Baker scored nine unanswered to grab a large lead early, 12-3. With just over eight minutes left in the first half, the Vikings cut the lead down to 18-16, but Baker held the Vikings without a field goal for the next four minutes as they stretched their lead back out to 10 points, 29-19.

Baker continued to pull away for the rest of the half which was capped off by Rigatuso's third dunk of the first half, giving the Wildcats a strong 41-25 lead heading into halftime.

Coming out in the second half, Baker held onto their lead, but the Vikings would not go down without a fight. The athleticism for the Wildcats continued to show throughout the second half, adding three more dunks in the final 20 minutes, but Missouri Valley worked their way back into it and with 4:23 left in the game, the Vikings had cut the lead to eight points, 74-66.

The Wildcats were then able to make one final run and stretch their lead back out to double digits. Over the final 2:32, the Wildcats were unable to hit another field goal, but their were clutch at the free throw line, sinking six free throws for the rest of the game and helping them to an 87-73 win over the Vikings.

Baker is now 12-3 on the season and 7-2 in Heart of America play. They will be back on the road on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they take on Park University at 4 p.m., in Parkville, Mo.

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