ST. LOUIS - On Halloween night the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC played host to the Clarke Pride for the 2024-25 season opener in which the Spartans held the lead for a majority of the game, but could not get the job done, only scoring three points in the fourth quarter falling to the Pride 51-40.
The season opener featured a low scoring back and forth first quarter with the Spartans holding a 14-10 lead over the Pride. Kayleigh Winch was leading the Spartans with six points off the bench.
The Spartans were able to hold their four point lead over the Pride heading into the halftime break at 22-18. Winch increased her total to nine points, and Mariana Cubero, a transfer from Park (Ariz.), hauled in seven rebounds in the first half alone. Marija Runic was the second leading scorer for MBU with five points.
At the break Clarke was shooting just under 22% from the field and 1-11 from beyond the arc.
The second half started with Clarke going on an 8-0 run to make it 25-22, and then later in the third quarter the Spartans trailed by three, after a pair of triples from the Pride, and an and one layup from Runic sparked the Spartans' offense to a 9-0 run assisted with a three from Audrey Payne and Cubero firing up the Spartan faithful in the Petty SRC.
Up by six, 37-31, the Spartans were looking to close out the season opener, but the Pride turned up the intensity on the defensive end not giving the Spartans any easy looks, and finished the game on a 20-3 run.
Missouri Baptist went on a seven minute scoring drought to start the fourth quarter which ended up being the difference maker against a tough opponent to start the year.
The Pride's fourth quarter led them to a 51-40 victory over the Spartans on Halloween night.
Winch finished the game as the Spartans' leading scorer with 14 points. Cubero increased her rebound total to 12 before the final buzzer followed by Runic and Horton with seven and six, respectively.
Payne and Winch led the Spartans bench to 21 points in the contest outscoring the Pride's by 10.
The Spartans will be back in action a week from tonight on the road at Philander Smith in Little Rock Ark.
