WALNUT RIDGE, ARK. - Missouri Baptist took a trip down to Williams Baptist to take on No. 2 seeded Columbia in the first round of the AMC Tournament and the Spartans put together a solid first half placing themselves down by three at halftime, but the Cougars were able to gradually pull away to a 14 point victory in the second half.

Sophia Horton tacked another tremendous game against Columbia onto her resume, posting 24 points against the Cougars in the first round of the AMC Tournament. 

The Spartans held a 9-4 lead over Columbia early in the contest, but the Cougars went on a 14-8 run to close out the first quarter and held an 18-17 lead going into the second frame. Riley Jansen had a stellar quarter putting up nine points and four rebounds.

Missouri Baptist scored the first six points of the second quarter, regaining the lead, but Columbia once again went on a run to end the quarter and held a 37-34 lead over the Spartans at halftime.

At the break Horton and Jansen each had double digit points as Horton scored 11 in the frame alone.

The middle of the third quarter did not go in the Spartans' favor as Columbia ripped off an 11-0 run to take a 48-41 lead over Missouri Baptist.

Following the tough third quarter, the Spartans were able to trim their deficit to just four points with five minutes left in the game. Columbia put a halt to the Missouri Baptist push late in the game as they held the Spartans to just three more points, pinning a season ending 76-62 loss on the Spartans.

Missouri Baptist fought hard until the final buzzer and finished the season with a 9-20 (9-13 AMC) record. 

Spartan Stat Leaders:

Points: Sophia Horton (24)

Rebounds: Riley Jansen (6)

Blocks: Kayleigh Winch (2)

Steals: Aliyah Williams (2)