COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Baptist University women's basketball team (5-12, 4-9 AMC) picked up a much-needed conference win on the road Tuesday evening by defeating Stephens College, 83-49. Senior Alissa Rowden went off for a career-high 27 points and was one of four Spartans in double figures.  
 
The duo of Kadesha Cooper and Allison Meyer, who earned her first career start on Tuesday, got the ball rolling for the Spartans. Cooper and Meyer combined to score MBU's first 13 points of the game. Neither Missouri Baptist or Stephens separated itself in the opening minutes, however, after a scoring hiatus midway through the first quarter, the Spartans rattled off a 12-3 run and led by 11 heading into the second quarter of action. Hustle plays aided the run as 10 of the points came off of turnovers (7) and second-chance points (3).
 
After shooting nearly 53 percent from the field in the first quarter, Missouri Baptist's hot start came to a screeching halt as the team made just four field goals over the next 10 minutes. The Spartans finished the with a 4-for-16 clip (.250) in the second quarter, while supplementing the off shooting with a perfect 6-for-6 mark at the free-throw line. Luckily for the Spartans, Stephens shot an identical 25 percent in the second quarter. MBU maintained its 11-point advantage and took a 38-27 lead into halftime.
 
At the half, Cooper led the way with 10 points, followed by Meyer with nine, Alissa Rowden with eight and Le'Ondra Wilson with seven.
 
Missouri Baptist slowly broke away from the Stars in the third quarter thanks to the strong play of seniors Kadesha Cooper and Alissa Rowden. Cooper pitched in six points, while Rowden proved to be unstoppable on the offensive end. The senior guard from Strafford, Mo. caught fire with 16 points in the third and finished. She finished with a game and career-high 27 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
 
The Spartans closed out the game by holding SC to just two field goals and nine points in the fourth quarter. Kadesha Cooper scored 10+ points for the fourth time in five games with a final stat line of 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Joining Rowden and Cooper in double figures was Allison Meyer (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) and Le'Ondra Wilson (10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals).
 
In order to keep their AMC Tournament hopes alive, the Spartans will need to win several key matchups in the coming weeks including a tough test on Thursday playing at Harris-Stowe State at 5:30 p.m.