ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist women's basketball built as much as a 14 point lead in the first half of Saturday's game against Williams Baptist College, but failed to hold the advantage in a 57-59 loss.

Missouri Baptist (6-13, 3-4 AMC) began the game with hot shooting from its leaders. Senior point guard Mandy Kirby was simply electric in the first half and made her first two field goals. Kirby ran the offense and led her team to a 22-8 lead as the team looked to be in control.

Williams Baptist, however, took matters into its own hands. The Eagles slowly charged back. Meagan Goza was very good in the latter stages of the half and was one of the biggest factors in her team's comeback. The team from Conway, Ark. Erased 12 of the 14 points it had given up early to make it a 28-26 lead by MBU heading into halftime.

After 15 minutes, the Eagles quickly regained their momentum. After a the Spartans briefly took a 35-30 lead with just under 17 minutes to play, Williams Baptist surged and went on a 13-2 run to capture a six point lead with 11 minutes remaining.

MBU continued to stay with the Eagles and tied it on two free throws by Kristyne Smyth at the 7:03 mark, but was not able to get over the hump. The Spartans decreased the lead to two on a shot by Kirby and got the ball back after WBC's Tiera Burks missed two consecutive free throws. With just two seconds remaining, MBU had the ball back but could not get the shot off in the final two seconds.

For the Eagles, Cheyenne Childers led the way with 22 points and five rebounds. Banks also had a big game, totaling 14 points on the day.

Missouri Baptist was led by Smyth who had 20 points and five rebounds. Mandy Kirby and Jasmine Jackson also entered double digits, scoring 16 and 10 points respectively. The Spartans were done-in by second-half shooting. The team combined to shoot 26 percent in the second frame.

Next up for MBU will be William Woods on the road on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m.