ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Harris-Stowe State University women's basketball team was back in action this evening when they traveled down the road to Missouri Baptist University to take on the Spartans in an AMC matchup. The Hornets were defeated by the Spartans by a final score of 76-70 to fall to 4-7 on the season and 4-4 in the American Midwest Conference. With the win, the Spartans improve to 9-4 on the year and 5-2 in the AMC.

In the first quarter of the game, both sides came out and exchanged baskets early. The Hornets took their first lead of the game midway through the frame and played well down the stretch to take a 14-12 lead into the second. The Spartans bounced back to start the second and went on a 10-4 run to take 22-18 lead with five minutes to play in the half. The Hornets quickly retook the lead and were able to hold off the Spartans in the final minutes to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room.

The second half started similar to the first with both sides exchanging baskets early in the quarter. With the score tied at 39, the Hornets finished the quarter on an 11-7 run to take a 50-46 lead into the final period. The Spartans battled back to start the fourth and used an 8-2 run to take a 54-52 lead with eight minutes to play. The Hornets answered back and tied the score at 60, but another run from the Spartans put them up 70-64 late in the contest. The Hornets did their best to get back into the game but the Spartans closed them out down the stretch to solidify the win.

The Hornets went 22-for-65 (33.85%) from the floor and 6-for-24 (25.00%) from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Spartans 49-38 and turned the ball over 18 times while picking up five steals.

Surina Finnie led the way for the Hornets as she finished with a season, and game, high 22 points while pulling down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Taia Smith and Ronne'zje Elliot also had great performances as Smith finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, and Elliot finished with 19 points to round out the top performers for the Hornets.

The Hornets will return to the court on Saturday, February 6^th when they play host to the William Woods (Mo.) University Owls in an AMC matchup. No fans will be allowed to attend but live video will be provided. The game is set to tip-off at 1 p.m. in the Emerson Performance Center.