ST. LOUIS, Mo. – After being down by ten at halftime, the Spartans caught fire in the second half to take down AMC rival Stephens College on Saturday. Led by Kenzie Burt's offensive surge, Missouri Baptist put up 52 second-half points in the 69-39 victory.
 
This is the second consecutive conference win for MoBap as they begin to build up steam in the month of December. The women currently sit at 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the American Midwest Conference.
 
Stephens dominated right out of the gate on Saturday. They held the Spartans to just four points in the first quarter while forcing them outside with strong defense in the paint.
 
The second quarter was not much better for the home team as they shot 22 percent from the field in the first half and 21 percent from behind the arc. MBU found themselves in a 10-point hole heading back to the locker room.
 
Unphased by the slow start, the Spartans came out in the third quarter and scored in 24 seconds after a steal by senior Jordan Wyatt led to a Kimberley Shaw bucket assisted by Kenzie Burt.  
 
The Stars hit a three moments later followed by baskets from Rose Wassef and Joelle Atkins. Burt continued the run with two more buckets to draw the game within two. Freshman Taylor Norris capped off the comeback with a three off an assist from Kaylynn Hayden forcing Stephens to call a timeout.
 
The timeout did not stop the Spartans' offensive groove. They rode the momentum throughout the rest of the quarter to a 39-32 lead.
 
The fourth was more of the same from the ladies. They proceeded to pour it on their AMC counterpart outscoring them 31-7 in the final 10 minutes taking the game with a 69-39 final score.
 
"We were down 19 points and they could have buried us," said Head Coach Sam Pearson. "It took us some time to figure it out, but we stayed to it. Again, I preach all year: One possession at a time, you can only win the game 30 seconds at a time. In a 40-minute game, you can only win it one shot clock at a time. So, I thought we did well."
 
It was a shocking turn of events after a first half that saw the Spartans put up just 17 points. In the second half, they outscored their opponents by an astounding 40 points.
 
Freshman Kenzie Burt had the best game of her young collegiate career posting 17 points, seven rebounds, and a steal in 22 minutes. She set career highs in nearly every category. Alexis Allstun found herself in some foul trouble early in the game but still made her way out with nine points in 12 minutes of play.
 
Defensively, the Spartans were led by Jordan Wyatt, Taylor Norris, and Rose Wassef all with three steals in the game. Wyatt added three rebounds, six points, and six assists to her strong defensive play.
 
The season continues Thursday, December 12 in a road game against the Lynx of Lindenwood University-Belleville. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.