SAINT LOUIS – After suffering a tough loss at the hands of Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) just 48 hours prior, Missouri Baptist Women's Basketball rebounded. The Spartans shot 48.4 percent in the first half as they rolled to a 78-66 win over Williams Baptist (Ark.) on Saturday.
 
Missouri Baptist (7-7, 5-5 AMC) evened its both its overall and American Midwest Conference records on Saturday with an impressive performance.
 
The first 6:31 of the first quarter was spent building a 17-4 advantage led by the hot shooting of Chantelle Smith. The senior from Wayne, N.J. recorded five of her seven points in 6:51 of playing time in the opening period as the Spartans built a 19-10 lead heading for the second quarter.
 
The Spartans continued its high-paced offense in the second as they tacked-on 23 points heading into the break.
 
Though the Spartans held the Eagles to 25.8 percent from the floor in the opening half of play, Williams Baptist put together a big second half and closed the gap to six with 1:13 left.
 
The Eagles pushed the Spartans late as Missouri Baptist entered into a scoring drought coming on the heels of a Jessica Moore three-pointer at the 7:03 mark. The home team didn't score again until a Briya Wilborn free throw with 33 seconds remaining.
 
Williams Baptist took full advantage. The Eagles put together a 20-0 run in that span, which cut the lead to 71-65.
 
The Spartans, however, made their free throw opportunities count in the closing seconds. Missouri Baptist went 7-8 from the charity stripe as they closed out the game and preserved a valuable victory.
 
Missouri Baptist will head on the road on Thursday to take-on the Hannibal-LaGrange Lady Trojans before heading home for a nationally televised clash with the No. 18-ranked Columbia (Mo.) Cougars on ESPN3.