Women’s Basketball Can’t Hold On; Season Ends in Tough Loss to Mission

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Women's basketball entered the American Midwest Conference Championship Tournament as the No. 4 seed and faced No. 5 Mission University Patriots (14-15, 9-9) on Friday afternoon. The teams had split the regular-season series, with the Patriots taking the most recent meeting in January. In a tightly contested battle, Mission pulled away late to secure the win.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
MISSION 81, UHSP 77

• The Patriots jumped out to an early lead, which they held for most of the first quarter, but the Purple and Gold chipped away with balanced scoring. Points from Sara Hameed (3), Alina Bowden (3), Aryanna Bull (4), Alise Milenberga (3), and Taylor Hitchcock (3) helped the Eutectics erase a five-point deficit and tie the game at 16 after one.
• Mission scored first in the second quarter, but a free throw from Arianna Buduan and a three-pointer from Alise Milenberga pushed UHSP in front two minutes in. The lead changed hands eight times during the period, but the Eutectics carried a 38-34 advantage into halftime after outshooting the Patriots 57.1 percent to 22.2 percent in the quarter.
• Alina Bowden extended the Euts' lead to six with two early free throws in the third. Analyssa Maldonado joined Hameed and Bowden in the scoring column as UHSP built its largest lead of the game at nine with 7:25 remaining. Mission responded following a timeout and eventually flipped the lead during a 3½-minute Eutectic scoring drought. UHSP regrouped to maintain a 60-52 edge heading into the fourth.
• Mission quickly erased the deficit with a 10-0 run to open the final quarter and take a 62-60 lead. A Maldonado layup with just under two minutes remaining tied the game at 73, but the Patriots scored eight of the final 12 points to secure the 81-77 victory.
• The Eutectics held advantages in several scoring and rebounding categories, but Mission capitalized on turnovers, scoring 28 points off UHSP miscues compared to 11 for the Eutectics. The Patriots also held a 36-28 edge in points in the paint.
• Reece Halley recorded her seventh double-double of the season to lead UHSP with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Sara Hameed added 14 points, tying her season high. Aryanna Bull finished the year leading the Eutectics with 360 points, 234 rebounds, and 33 blocked shots. Hameed paced the team with 96 assists this season, while Analyssa Maldonado led with 45 steals.

The Eutectics conclude the 2025-26 campaign with a 13-16 overall record and a 10-8 mark in AMC play.