Get the record books: Eutectics outlast Patriots to go 2-0 in AMC

ST. LOUIS, MO – A furious third quarter rally by the Eutectics and terrific performances from Alina Bowden and also Ceili Ramirez off the bench helped lead UHSP to a 104-98 win over Mission on Monday night. Montasia McAllister fueled the offense and set a new UHSP record for assists in the process. Ramirez scored eight points in the third quarter alone as the Eutectics made 13-of-22 (59.1%) in the quarter to outscore the Patriots 35-25 in the quarter and take a seven-point lead to the fourth. The Eutectics kept the pressure on taking a game-high 17 points lead nearly midway through the fourth and ending up hanging on for a 104-98 win.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

UHSP 104, MISSION 98

• The first quarter had very little separation early, but Aryanna Bull gave UHSP a seven-point lead off a Montasia McAllister feed with 4:15 left to put UHSP up 20-13. An Ireland Jones bucket and a pair of free throws from Ashtyn Callaway in the closing seconds made it a 25-23 UHSP lead after one.
• Miya Nieto made a pair from distance early in the second to tie the game at 30-30 and then put the Patriots up by three. With 1:31 left in the half, Jones made two from the foul line to open a 43-35 lead for the visitors. Ceili Ramirez drilled two clutch threes late in the first half to keep UHSP close as Mission led 44-41 at the break.
• UHSP went 5-for-21 from three in the first half; Mission was a bit more efficient at 5-for-16. Aryanna Bull had a tremendous first half with 19 points and four boards going 8-of-9 from the floor. Ireland Jones went for 17 points in the first half for the Patriots, but on 5-of-12 shooting but also made five of her six free throws.
• Nearly four minutes into the third, Nieto made another triple to push the Pats lead to five at 56-51. The Eutectics embarked on a 17-4 run over the next 3:47 to eventually take a 68-60 advantage and never looked back. It was Ramirez who sparked the run with a pair from deep during that run while UHSP also got threes from Sara Hameed and Alina Bowden. Ramirez finished with 14 points, the leading bench-scorer for UHSP. She had scored a total of eight points in her previous seven games combined. She was 5-of-9 from the floor against Mission making half of her eight threes. She added two rebounds and two assists in the win. Montasia McAllister nailed a three to cap the quarter and send UHSP to the fourth with a 76-69 lead.
• With 6:16 left in the game, UHSP had a seemingly insurmountable lead at 93-76 after a Bull layup. It was still a 17-point game with 2:44 left after an Alisa Milenberga jump shot. But Ireland Jones went on a 10-point scoring binge as Mission capitalized on numerous UHSP turnovers. The Patriots closed the game on a 12-1 run, but the deficit was too much to overcome as UHSP stayed unbeaten in AMC play.
• Alina Bowden paced the home club with a career-high 28 points. She was 9-for-13 overall and 4-for-7 from three. She added five boards and two assists.
• Bull ended with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Montasia McAllister was coming off arguably her best performance in the previous game four days earlier against Missouri Valley and scored 20+ for the second straight game. McAllister had 20 points against the Patriots, but dished out 12 assists. That tops the previous UHSP mark of 11 held by Morgan Rose (Nov. 13, 2018 vs Principia) and Grace Beyer (Dec. 14, 2021 vs Crowley's Ridge).
• Ireland Jones had an outstanding game scoring 42 points for Mission. She was 12-of-23 from the floor and made all but one of her 16 free throws. She added six boards and eight assists. It was a new season-high for Jones who has scored double-digits in every game this year.
• The two teams combined to shoot 49.6% in the game (UHSP 37-73, 50.7%; MU 30-62, 48.4%).
• UHSP went 15-for-39 from deep with the 15 made threes tying for the third-most ever made in a single game in UHSP history. The 39 attempts were the sixth-most in UHSP history. MU went 9-for-28.
• The Patriots shot 37 free throws in the game making 29 (78.4%). The Eutectics were 15-of-22 (68.2%).
• The 104 points scored were the second-most ever for the Eutectics. Their single-game all-time high is 112 against Central Christian on Oct. 30, 2018.
• The 30 assists are the third-most in a single game for the Eutectics. The all-time record is 44 against Stephens on Feb. 10, 2004.
• The game saw four ties and five lead changes.
• UHSP snapped a two-game skid against Mission and is 5-6 against the Patriots all-time.

NEXT UP:

The Eutectics (4-7, 2-0 AMC) will play host for former AMC rival William Woods (2-8) on Thursday at 5:30p before an exhibition contest to finish out the 2025 portion of the schedule on December 28 at St. Louis University. UHSP jumps back into conference play after the new year when they host Cottey on January 6.