ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] It was a tough day at the office for Missouri Baptist Women's Basketball. After keeping pace with the No. 5-ranked Columbia (Mo.) through one quarter, the Cougars exploded for 36 points in the second and sealed the fate of the Spartans in a 90-55 win over the visitors from St. Louis.

Missouri Baptist (8-14, 7-12 AMC) played right with Columbia through the opening 10 minutes and looked very good early. The balanced Spartan attack and a strong defensive effort led the way for MBU.

Taylor Klingelhoefer posted the first bucket of the day for Missouri Baptist, a three ball, and tied the game. MBU led by as many as four in the quarter, but as time expired, were tied against one of the top teams in the nation.

The second quarter, however, was one that the Spartans would rather soon forget. The Cougars posted an incredible 36 points in the second 10 minutes of the game on Saturday and ran away with a 48-21 halftime lead.

Columbia went just 2-9 in the first quarter, but finished the half 15-25 (60 percent) and was an impressive 16-18 from the free throw line.

Down by 27, the Spartans picked-up the pace in the third quarter. After hitting just seven total buckets in the first half, MBU dropped nine through the net in the third quarter. The damage, however, had already been done.

Danna Jenkins led the Spartans on the day with 13 points and four assists. Cherish Walton came off the bench and provided seven boards, which led the team.

Earlier in the year, Petrolina Chilaka posted career numbers against the Spartans, as she finished with 42 in the game. On Saturday, Missouri Baptist kept the high-powered guard to 15 points, as she was one of four Cougars to reach double digits.

Corri Hamilton and Kei'yana Pearson led Columbia in the game. Both tallied 18 points in the game as well as just shy of 26 minutes of court time.

The Spartans will head back home on Tuesday to face Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.