CINCINNATI, OHIO – Senior guard Tyler Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind.) made the most of a 36-minute chance Saturday, Jan. 28.

MU's leading scorer added a second 30-points-plus outing to his resume this season, as this time it came against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tri-leader Mt. St. Joseph. Proving a thorn in the side of the Lions' defense throughout the evening at the Harrington Center, Alexander went 13-of-18 from the field hitting his only three-point attempt, was six-of-seven at the charity stripe and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Spartans in a hard-fought 72-64 loss.

Sophomore guard Adrian Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) joined his teammate in double figures with 13 points to go along with a pair of assists and steals. Freshman guard Erik Bell (Evansville, Ind.) was just a point shy of double digits but led the squad with six assists.

Coach Gerad Good's team, dropping to 6-13 overall and 4-8 in the conference but remaining sixth in the standings, scored 13 of the game's first 19 points and held the lead throughout the first 20 minutes. However, MSJ (15-4 overall, 10-2 HCAC) used a brief run late in the opening stanza to hold a 28-27 edge at the break and went on a 19-4 stretch over the first 10 minutes of the second half to aid them in the victory.

The Spartans return home to Stauffer-Wolfe Arena for a pair of pivotal league clashes in the coming week. They host Bluffton University, trailing them by just a half-game for sixth, Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. and then welcome tri-leader Hanover College Saturday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's team.