The men’s basketball quarterfinals for the American Midwest Conference took place on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. The Park University men’s basketball team faced off against the Williams Baptist University Eagles at Breckon Sports Center.

This was the first game of the AMC tournament, and winning this round could have meant a ticket to the NAIA National Championship at the end of March.

However, the final score was 84-79 with Williams Baptist defeating the Park Pirates.

The Pirates ended their regular season with a 21-6 record, clenching the number two seed for the AMC tournament. They expected to beat the Eagles due to their season record.

It was a close game throughout with Park leading 44 to 38 in the first half, while Williams Baptist led 46 to 35 in the second half. In the end, the Pirates just could not close the gap and lost.

The Pirates led the first half in three-point shots making five out of 10. The Eagles, on the other hand, only made two out of the 13 three-point shots they took, making their three-point percentage only about 15.

The Pirates also shot more free throws versus Williams Baptist who fouled Park more with 18 personal fouls.

In the second half, Park made fewer three-point shots, only making three out of the 12 they took. The Eagles’ three-point percentage went up in the second half from 15 percent to about 45 percent.

Park’s free throw percentage also took a dive from about 81 percent to 16 percent. In turn, Williams Baptist was shooting better overall.

The Pirates were missing shots, which inevitably led to their disappointing loss.

They had a good season which started off beating both Central Methodist University and MidAmerica Nazarene University in the Jeff Uphaus Memorial Classic.

They previously beat Williams Baptist in January, 58-55. They also beat out many teams twice, such as Lyon College and Hannibal-LaGrange University.

They unfortunately will not have a spot at the NAIA National Tournament, but the NAIA National Tournament, along with all other spring athletic sports practices and games, will be canceled.