The Baker University men’s basketball team entered Saturday’s matchup against No. 21 Evangel University on a four-game win streak, but could not knock off the top team in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, losing 76-69 in Collins Center.

The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field, led by junior Todd Johnston, who made six of his nine attempts from the floor and knocked down three 3-pointers for a team-high 16 points.

“(Todd) battled,” head coach Sean Dooley said. “Todd is a good shooter and did some things to get himself open. I thought he was one of the guys who really played with energy on both ends.”

Johnston was joined in double figures by seniors Ben Steinlage and Corey Anderson, who scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.

While the Wildcats made half of their field goals, Evangel shot it at a higher clip of 56 percent. The Crusaders also had three players score in double figures with Brodie Wingert recording a game-high 19 points and Jayme Donnelly and Zack Kleine adding 14 points apiece.

The Crusaders nailed 12 of their 19 3-point attempts and only missed one of their 13 free throws.

“In the second half, we couldn’t get a stop,” Dooley said. “Credit them for hitting shots, but we gave them great looks all night long.”

Baker will attempt to bounce back against Peru State College Thursday in Peru, Neb. The Wildcats defeated the Bobcats 65-61 in their previous matchup this season.

“(Peru State) is really good at home,” Dooley said. “I just told the guys that we were fortunate to get a win against them last time here.”

Tipoff between the Wildcats and the Bobcats is set for 7:30 p.m.