ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist jumped out all over Evangel to the tune of a 16-9 lead after one quarter and came together to stave-off a second-half comeback. Missouri Baptist shot 50 percent from the floor in the game in a 74-60 win in Monday's home opener.
 
Missouri Baptist (2-1) pushed the pace for the entirety of the first half and hit critical shots down the stretch when it needed to. Briya Wilborn led the charge in the early going as she sparked the offense. The senior continued a big season with 19 points on the night to lead all Spartan scorers.
 
Throughout the first half, it was Chanel Brown who was the rock on the low post for Missouri Baptist. The senior was huge in the rebounding category and when she was not hauling the ball in, was clearing the way for her team to pull the ball down.
 
Brown also did it on the offensive glass. The forward posted 16 points over the course of the contest and grabbed a double-double with 10 boards to boot.
 
Shay Robinson had what some would call an off night with 11 points, however, the majority of those came in the fourth quarter as Evangel started to heat-up. The Decatur, Ill., native went 3-7 from beyond the arc, two of which came in the fourth stanza.
 
Also of note was the strong play of both Amanda Rowden and Chantelle Smith. While the duo combined for 22 points on the night, the pair were big on the glass all night. Smith finished with seven rebounds in the contest.
 
Sydnee Garrett continued an impressive season on Monday with a 27-point performance, which is not even a season high for the hot-shooting guard. Garrett posted 29 points in her last outing against John Brown (Ark.). Randi Hancock and Alison Jarrell combined for 29 Crusader points and rounded-out the scorers in double digits.
 
With the win, Missouri Baptist will look to go to 3-1 on the season with its first conference game of 2017 scheduled for Thursday against the Pirates of Park (Mo.). Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Breckon Sports Complex in Parkville, Mo.