PARKVILLE, Mo. – Trailing for 39 minutes of a game is not often the recipe for getting in the win column, but Missouri Baptist women's basketball defied the odds Thursday evening by defeating Park University, 78-77. In a fight to the finish, MBU outscored the Pirates 30-16 in the fourth quarter for a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
 
In the Spartans' third win in four games, no one turned in a bigger performance than sophomore guard Tionne Taylor. On the heels of a 0-for-6 shooting performance vs. No. 10-ranked Lyon, Taylor had no issues bouncing back and exploded for a new career-high of 38 points against the Pirates. It's not the first time that Taylor has provided the Spartans with some offensive fireworks. The sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo. has reached 20+ points in seven games including three of the past five contests.
 
Not only did Taylor record her best shooting percentage of the year from both the floor (.636) and 3-point range (.429), but she also knocked down free throw after free throw for the Spartans. The McKendree University transfer went 21-for-24 at the charity stripe, the most free-throw attempts and free throws made by an NAIA player this season.
 
After jumping out to an early 10-2 lead, Park remained in control for the rest of the first, second and third quarters. The Pirates led by as much as 16 in the second period and managed to keep a double-digit advantage for all but a minute of the third.
 
Tionne Taylor and MoBap started to grab the momentum early in the fourth. Taylor scored the first 12 points of the period for MBU and made it a one-possession ballgame with a clutch 3-pointer with 6 and ½ minutes remaining.
 
Park returned the favor and went up by nine just under the 3-minute mark. At this point, the two teams began to trade baskets and a Destinee Robinson triple at 2:03 gave the Pirates a 77-69 lead.
 
Those were the final points for the home team as MBU finished the game on a 9-0 run. In addition to three trips to the free-throw line for Tionne Taylor, freshman Taylor Norris came through big with a steal and fastbreak layup. One of the most significant plays was a Joelle Atkins offensive rebound immediately followed by a putback to tie the game at 77-all with just over a minute left.
 
The Spartans grabbed their first and only lead of the game with 56 seconds on the board. Tionne Taylor, who shot 87.5% from the line on Thursday, made the first, but missed on the back end giving the Pirates a chance to tie or win. The Pirates, however, came up empty in their final two possessions.
 
With the win, MBU secured a season sweep of the Pirates and improved to 7-12 overall and 7-8 in the AMC. Firmly locked into eighth place in the conference standings, the Spartans are currently 3 and ½ games up on Harris-Stowe State at 3-11.
 
 
Joining Tionne Taylor in double figures was freshman center Alexis Allstun, who pitched in 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 8 rebounds before fouling out. Taylor Norris scored 10+ points for the fourth consecutive game finishing with 10 points, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.
 
The Spartans will look for their second season sweep of an AMC opponent on Saturday when they visit Stephens College (6-15, 1-14 AMC) in Columbia, Mo. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.