BMC Sports
Brett Fowler, Sports Information Director
BLUE MOUNTAIN – (Box Score) Missouri Baptist scraped by with an exciting 60-57 win here Tuesday over Blue Mountain women in non-conference play.
The game would eventually come down to free-throws, with the Lady Spartans getting the biggest ones at the end.
The first quarter saw Blue Mountain’s Mackenzie Lane (JR/Pontotoc, Miss.), the current SSAC Player of the Week, throw in six points to give the Lady Toppers a 14-11 lead after the first quarter.
Missouri Baptist turned up the defensive pressure in the second, pressing the Lady Toppers full court. Blue Mountain would go four minutes without a bucket, leading to an 8-0 run for MBU.
Coming back to the floor with a 32-26 deficit to start the second half, Blue Mountain chipped into Missouri Baptist’s lead with two threes by Olivia Chadwell (JR/Loretto, Tenn.) and one by Kandice Ricks (JR/Muscle Shoals, Ala.), leaving the score 41-39 Spartans.
Blue Mountain would tie it up 44-44 late in the third on two free-throws from Lindsay Hall (JR/Ingomar, Miss.), and then take a 46-44 lead on two from the charity stripe by Carissa Horton (SO/Cleveland, Ala.).
The Lady Mustangs relied on a scoring drought by Blue Mountain early in the fourth to jump back out to a 53-46 lead, but the Lady Toppers found themselves tied again at 55-55 on two free-throws by Chadwell with 1:52 left.
A little back-and-forth left Missouri Baptist with a 58-57 lead with 15 seconds left. BMC would foul and put Taylor Norris at the line, and she promptly sank the two free-throws to give her team a 60-57 win.
“It was a good game to be a part of,” Topper head coach Tracy Rice said. “I was really proud of our players and how they fought to come from behind a couple times. We gave ourselves a chance to win, so we can certainly continue to build off that.”
Chadwell led Blue Mountain with 16 points, while Lane chipped in 12. Norris finished with 15 for Missouri Baptist.
BMC (1-3) returns to action Dec. 3 in Paragould, Ark. against Crowley’s Ridge with a 5:30 p.m. tip.