ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Hannibal-LaGrange held Missouri Baptist women's basketball to just under 40 percent shooting from the field on Saturday and held-off multiple advances as the Trojans handed the Spartans a 66-57 loss in Hannibal, Mo.

Missouri Baptist (5-12, 5-8 AMC) trailed early and though the team fought to keep it close leading into halftime, struggled against Trojans' leading scorer Ashleigh Hurd-Spencer. The senior from Adelaide, Australia put together a dominant offensive performance and racked-up 32 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.

The Spartans kept it close in the opening minutes and took their first (and only) lead of the game on a shot under the basket by Kennedy Smith with just over six minutes gone in the game. It was at this point, however, that the Trojans began to pull away for the first time. Hannibal-LaGrange went on an 11-2 run to not only regain the lead, but took a 17-10 advantage in the process.

Missouri Baptist had dug an 11-point lead with just under three minutes remaining in the half, but charged back in the final minutes. The Spartans put together an 8-2 run, capped-off with a bucket by Danna Jenkins with eight seconds left, and entered halftime down by just five.

After the break, Missouri Baptist continued to take the fight to the home team. The Spartans tied the game at 30, and thought the team trailed by eight with under eight minutes to play, crept back into the ball game yet again.

Missouri Baptist trailed by two points with less than four minutes on the clock, but after a Hannibal-LaGrange timeout with 3:22 left in the contest, the momentum slowed for the visitors. The Trojans came back onto the court and put together a 12-5 run in the final three minutes to secure the victory.

Jerica Hawkins, who finished with 14 points and set a new career-high with five steals in the contest, led Missouri Baptist. Danna Jenkins also put together a nice game. The Aurora, Colo., native finished with 12 points and was the only other Spartan that finished in double figures.

In addition to the offensive output by Hurd-Spencer, Sarah Cline and Morgan Winkler also led the Trojans. The duo combined for 24 points on the day.

Missouri Baptist will return home on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 when the team welcomes Williams Baptist College to the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES

Over the course of two games against MBU this season, Ashleigh Hurd-Spencer has 61 points… Saturday's game against Hannibal-LaGrange was the second-consecutive contest the Spartans have been without leading scorer Taylor Klingelhoefer. The junior guard has been out since January 15 when she sustained an upper body injury against Stephens College… Jerica Hawkins tied her career-high in points scored on Saturday with 14. That was the fourth time in her career at Missouri Baptist she has recorded 14 points.v