COLUMBIA, Mo. – Facing old foe and conference rival Columbia College in the semifinals of the American Midwest Conference postseason tournament, Missouri Baptist women's basketball suffered defeat 77-63 and saw its season come to an end on Friday evening in Southwell Arena.
 
The Spartans (18-12, 14-4 AMC) were undone by a shooting clinic from the Cougars (25-6, 16-2 AMC) as the hosts shot 29-of-54, good for 53.7% from the field, the best in a single game for CC all season. Columbia took the first quarter by a 25-16 margin, forcing Mobap to play catchup the rest of the game. MBU was able to hang around but never apply the pressure of a single-digit deficit as CC kept its distance with timely baskets to keep the Spartans at bay.
 
The visitors had a few noteworthy statlines from the game's leading scorer in senior Tionne Taylor (20 points, three rebounds) and a bench upstart in sophomore Kayleigh Winch (15 points, five rebounds). The Cougars were led by the Shetley sisters, as freshman Mallory led the home side in scoring and assists (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and senior Clare was lethal from deep and registered a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, four 3-pointers).
 
The two sides got a nearly even slice of points off of turnovers from the opponent, 19-18 in favor of Columbia, but Missouri Baptist could not capitalize off a lead in bench scoring (22-13) and points in the paint (32-26). The Spartans' 3-of-20 rate of 15.0% from beyond the arc, compared to CC's 9-of-20 for 45.0% clip, accounted for a 27-9 disparity in points off the triple.
 
Along with fighting the uphill battle of a Columbia clinic from the field, MBU were victims of foul trouble, with both Taylor and forward Joelle Atkins missing valuable time at the end of the first half because of their personal foul count.
 
Graduate senior Rose Wassef, playing in what was her final game wearing the navy blue and white of MBU, contributed eight points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist. Other point getters for the Spartans were Lauren Ebert (12 points, eight rebounds), Jalexis Russell (seven points, five rebounds, three assists), and Alexis Allstun (two points).
 
The loss in the semis puts a cap on a fine season for the Missouri Baptist women's team. The program finished with 18 wins, which is the most since the 2005-06 season. The team also set a record with 14 conference victories in the regular season, finishing third in the final standings, and defeated Columbia for the first time in 32 games in its February 5th game with the Cougars.