The Baker University men’s basketball team represented the Heart of America Athletic Conference in a positive manner as it collected wins against the University of St. Mary and Ottawa University Friday and Saturday in the KCAC/HAAC Classic in Ottawa.
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The Wildcats went up against the University of St. Mary Friday and came away with a 71-66 victory. Senior Ben Steinlage led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points, while senior Corey Anderson and junior Christopher Lockhart pitched in 15 points apiece.
Baker battled defensively to force the Spires to turn the ball over 25 times and recorded 14 steals off those turnovers.
The Spires did not help themselves at the free throw line by shooting less than 60 percent by making 16 of 27 attempts while the Wildcats knocked down 21 of 29 free throws.
Baker returned to action Saturday to take on Ottawa University, which served as the host of the Classic.
The game was defensive battle again with the Braves taking a 25-23 lead at the halftime break.
The Braves were unable to keep the Wildcats’ offense in check in the second half, though, as BU scored 46 points after halftime on the way to a 73-64 win.
With the game tied 55-55 with less than five minutes to play, Anderson drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put the Wildcats up 61-55. Baker never looked back as it knocked down free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Anderson led all scorers with 22 points and made 4 of 8 attempts from behind the arc.
The win pushed the Wildcats’ record to 3-1 on the season and dropped the Braves to 1-3.
BU will play NCAA Division II Pittsburg State University at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Pittsburg in an exhibition matchup and then come back home to host the Baker Classic Friday and Saturday in Collins Center. BU will face Bethany College at 7:30 p.m. Friday and then bounce back to play McPherson College at 3 p.m. Saturday.
