ST. LOUIS - In their second matchup against Mission this season the Spartans trailed by just two heading into halftime, but Mission got hot in the third frame, outscoring Missouri Baptist 31-9, pinning a 15 point loss on the Spartans in the Petty SRC.
Missouri Baptist faced some adversity early in the contest as the Patriots came out ready to go, knocking down some shots and playing a tough full court press. The Spartans fell down by six early, but they clawed their way back and trailed by just three heading into the second frame.
Turnovers hindered the Spartans in the first quarter as they lost possession nine times due to turnovers, but they were still within one possession of the Patriots.
Mission extended their lead back to six with just over five minutes left in the half, but Missouri Baptist never gave in as they tied the score with a layup from Sophia Horton with 15 seconds left in the quarter. A tough foul on the other end of the court gave Mission two free throws before halftime, making the score 33-31 at the break.
Following the break, the Patriots did everything they needed as they posted 31 points in the quarter and held the Spartans to just nine, extending their lead to 24 points at 64-40.
The third quarter made it tough on the Spartans to mount a comeback as they won the fourth quarter, but still trailed by 15 points at the final buzzer.
Mission forced 28 turnovers throughout the contest leading to 26 points on the other end.
Kayleigh Winch posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Aliyah Williams played some huge minutes for the Spartans off the bench, leading Missouri Baptist with 14 points along with five rebounds and four assists. Horton also finished just shy of a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Spartans fell by a score of 79-64 in their second matchup with Mission this season.
Spartan Stat Leaders
Points: Williams (14)
Rebounds: Winch (11)
Assists: Williams (4)
Records
Missouri Baptist: 5-15 (5-9 AMC)
Mission:14-4 (11-3 AMC)
Next Game
The Spartans will hit the road for their second matchup against Central Baptist this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Conway Ark.
