ST. LOUIS – There are times when a win comes easy and there are times when a team has to pull out all the stops to grind out a 'W'. The latter applied to Missouri Baptist women's basketball on Saturday as it overcame 29 turnovers to defeat Harris-Stowe State University on the road, 83-76.
 
With the game tied at 74-all and a minute and ½ remaining, the Spartans buckled down when it mattered most to play error-free basketball and outscore Harris-Stowe, 9-2, in the final 90 seconds. Tionne Taylor hit a crucial three at the 1:17 mark and put the game away with a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left on the clock. Taylor Norris was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line during the late run.
 
Missouri Baptist (10-12, 10-8 AMC) has found its groove as of late stringing together four consecutive wins, which equals the longest winning streak for the program since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
 
Saturday's contest had a different feel than the first outing prior to Winter Break. On Dec. 21, neither team shot the ball particularly well, but the Spartans still came out victorious with only 59 points of offense. This time around, both teams had at least four players apiece in double figures and scored well above their season averages.
 
After scoring above 70+ points just three times in the first 15 games, the Spartans have now done it in six of the last seven games. Tionne Taylor led MBU in scoring for the ninth time this season thanks to her big second half. The sophomore guard scored 16 of her game-high 24 points after halftime and once again provided fourth-quarter heroics with 13 points in the final period.
 
Freshman center Alexis Allstun registered her second double-double in as many games finishing the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds (7 O, 3 D). Others reaching double digits were Taylor Norris and Kimberley Shaw. Both players did a bit of everything as Norris had a final stat line of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, while Shaw scored a season-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
 
Kaylynn Hayden and Nicole Griesenauer added 9 and 7 points, respectively.
 
The Spartans will take their four-game winning streak on the road on Thursday with a tough test at No. 15-ranked Columbia College (19-5, 15-3 AMC).