HANNIBAL, Mo. – A sluggish first half was not enough to keep Missouri Baptist women's basketball from earning its fourth victory on the trot and getting to .500 in record for the second time this season. The Spartans (10-10, 7-3 AMC) pulled away from Hannibal-LaGrange in the second half (3-17, 1-9 AMC) and walked out of the Mabee Sports Complex with a 59-50 win.
 
Much of the first half was a dogfight with the lead being traded back and forth and both schools going up by no more than five points throughout the first two quarters. Mobap struggled at times to find its offense, going on multiple three-minute-long scoring droughts. Similar to many games this season, the Spartans came alive after the intermission and outscored Hannibal 19-12 in the third, erasing the two-point advantage from the half for the Trojans and giving MBU a cushion that it stretched out to 13 on multiple occasions in the fourth en route to the final nine-point edge.
 
Junior Alexis Allstun was a steady hand for the offense in the paint and had 10 of her 17 points in the first 20 minutes. The Jackson, Mo. product also pulled down 10 rebounds to secure a double-double, her second of the season.
 
Tionne Taylor was again the leading scorer for MBU, tallying 22 and topping the box score for the fifth straight game. Junior Lauren Ebert was her typical do-everything self, scoring 11 and registering six rebounds, two assists and a steal. The lead for steals was shared between Taylor and forward Kayleigh Winch, who both nabbed four apiece, respectively. The Trojans handily won the bench points battle by a 30-2 margin over the Spartans. Freshman Taylor Flake led the home side in scoring with 12 off the bench.
 
Missouri Baptist will return to the friendly confines of the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC on Saturday, Jan. 29th for the second game against Harris-Stowe State in the conference season at 1:00 PM.