ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist women's basketball outplayed the Lindenwood Lady Lions in the final 20 minutes of play on Tuesday evening in St. Charles, Mo., but could not complete the comeback in a 76-71 loss on the road.

Missouri Baptist (0-3) entered halftime down by 16, but picked-up its transition game and defense in the second half. Over the course of Tuesday's game, the Spartans forced 23 Lady Lions' turnovers and recorded 14 steals in the game.

The Lady Lions broke loose in the first half thanks to the tremendous play by Kassidy Gengenbacher and Jenny Rocha. Gengenbacher was nearly automatic all over the floor and led Lindenwood on the night with 23 points and went a remarkable 14-14 from the charity stripe.

Rocha, the 5-4 junior point guard kept Missouri Baptist on its toes all night. The O'Fallon, Mo., native ran the floor with authority and collected 15 points in the game. The lone downside to her play was the five turnovers she committed.

Missouri Baptist was led by two standout performers in Danna Jenkins and Jerica Hawkins.

Jenkins had one of the most inspired performances of her Spartan career. The sophomore guard had just six points, but recorded three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. It was because of Jenkins' play that Missouri Baptist was able to continue its comeback throughout the second half.

Hawkins, on the other hand, finished the game with 14 points, four steals and stole the show in the final two minutes of the game. The junior transfer from Parkland College drove the lane in the closing minutes adding bucket after bucket to keep the game close all the way down to the wire.

All in all, it was an inspired final 20 minutes of basketball for the Spartans who are still trying to find their first win of the season. The team outscored Lindenwood 45-34 in the final half of play.

MBU will try to find its first win of the season when the team travels to Benedictine-Springfield on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Ill.