ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist women's basketball came within five points of No. 15-ranked Columbia College on Thursday evening, but was not able to stay within striking distance in an 85-67 loss.

Missouri Baptist (10-17, 7-8) struck first blood with a bucket by Kristyne Smyth and took a 2-0 lead. Columbia came right back. The Cougars, led by Brooke Godsey, ran-off a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 advantage.

It took just minutes for MBU to respond. The Spartans went on a 6-2 run to make it a one-point, 8-9 deficit with just under 13 minutes remaining in the half.

In just over two minutes, however, Columbia rattled-off nine consecutive points to gain a 19-8 lead, causing Missouri Baptist head coach Iris Dixon to call a full timeout, the first of the game.

Just as the Cougars took an 18-point lead, Missouri Baptist found a formula that worked. Led by crisp passing and a fast-paced offense, the Spartans brought it back to within 10 points and trailed 38-28 at the half.

MBU started the second half with two free throws by Kristyne Smyth to cut the lead to eight and it looked as if the Spartans had carried over its momentum from the first 20 minutes of play. With 15 minutes remaining, MBU had cut the Cougar advantage to five thanks to a steal and a layup by Lauren Taylor.

Just when it looked like the Spartans had figured it out, Columbia went on an 18-6 run and took a 60-43 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. Columbia continued to pile-on the offensive pressure and dominated play in the winning effort.

Lily Abreu, who finished with 34 points and 7 rebounds, led Columbia in the game. The senior played a dominant 40 minutes of basketball and was one of only two Cougars to finish in double digits.

Kristyne Smyth also had an impressive game for the Spartans. The junior finished with 27 points, her second-consecutive game with over 20 points and a new career-high. Lauren Taylor also had a nice night for the home team and finished with 15.