Wildcats Pick Up Third Straight Conference Win, Roll Past MVC, 93-74

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – On a night where senior guard Braden Griffiths tied the program's three-point record, Baker men's basketball eclipsed 90 points for the second straight game with a 93-74 victory over Missouri Valley on Tuesday night in the Collins Center to move to 3-0 in conference play.

The Wildcats tallied five 3-pointers over a four-minute stretch in the first half to take a 26-point lead into halftime before keeping the Vikings at bay for the second half to come away with BU's third straight victory over a Heart team.

Griffiths splashed in seven threes - tying Baker's single-game record that was most recently marked by Mason Dukes in 2022 - to lead a Wildcats side that shot over 40 percent from deep (13-for-30). The Wildcats had 13 different players chip in with the scoring with Noah Rigatuso going for 18 points and seven rebounds, while Korey Jones and Brock Burling added eight points apiece.

Jones kicked off Baker's three-point party by hitting the first three for BU three minutes into the game before Griffiths and Ahmed Mahgoub connected on back-to-back triples to give the Wildcats an 11-8 lead.

Quentin Harvey converted an old-fashioned three-point play after picking up one of his two steals in the game to start to build out Baker's lead to a nine-point advantage.

Griffiths opened up the string of five BU triples with his third three of the half before Rigatuso and Ty Henry each followed with a three of their own. Then, the sharpshooter Griffiths sniped back-to-back shots from downtown to cap Baker's hot stretch that saw them boast a 38-17 lead with less than five minutes left in the first half.

Burling added another three-point play after getting fouled on a tough basket in the paint before the senior from Omaha, Neb. slammed home a nice feed by Tommy Faseru that pushed the Wildcats' cushion out to 26 points as the halftime score settled at a healthy 51-25 lead for BU.

Henry and Rigatuso continued to light things up from deep in the second half with Rigatuso's giving the 'Cats a 60-33 lead. Rigatuso stretched the MVC defense after slashing through for a couple of baskets as he recorded 11 of his 18 points in the second half of play to see Baker's lead go over a 30-point margin.

After the Vikings worked to get the score a little closer, Griffiths banged in his final three of the night to make it 90-62 with less than five minutes left in the game as the Wildcats closed out their home conference win at 93-74.

Winners of four straight overall, the Wildcats have now defeated all three of the conference teams they have faced this season by at least 19 points with victories over Benedictine (76-56) and Grand View (94-67) to start Heart play with a 3-0 record for the second straight season.

Baker takes its four-game winning streak out on the road with a matchup at Central Methodist scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.

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