Pregame

Mission returned home to W.E. Dowell Fieldhouse on Monday night for its second meeting of the season with Ecclesia College. The Lady Patriots entered at 4–5 overall and 1–0 in conference play, coming off a gritty 61–58 road win against Stephens College. Ecclesia arrived at 1–9 after an 88–44 loss at Central Baptist.
Mission won the first matchup between the two programs back on opening night, 77–39, and looked to secure a season sweep.

1st Quarter — Mission 15, Ecclesia 12

Mission opened the game cold from the floor, missing its first several attempts while committing early turnovers. Ecclesia struck first with a three from Lillie Taylor to take a 3–0 lead, but Ireland Jones responded with the first of her four triples to tie the game at 3–3.

After a series of defensive stops, Mission found momentum when Tara Masten finished a layup through contact and converted the free throw to push the lead to 11–7. Jones added a pair of late layups off steals and transition pushes, helping Mission close the quarter on top, 15–12.

2nd Quarter — Mission 32, Ecclesia 27 (Quarter Score: 17–15 Mission)

Ecclesia tied the game at 15–15 early behind a three from Liberty Miller, but Mission countered with strong bench production. Tara Masten continued her aggressive play, scoring at the rim while drawing fouls, and Jayla Kirksey split a pair at the line to regain the lead.

Mission began to create separation midway through the quarter as Jones attacked the lane for another finish and Whitney Coffelt drilled a three to extend the advantage to 25–22. Ecclesia stayed close with perimeter shooting from Alida Torres and mid-range scoring from Lillie Taylor, but a late run from Mission that included another Jones layup and a Carson finish on the break sent the Lady Patriots into halftime leading 32–27.

3rd Quarter — Mission 52, Ecclesia 36 (Quarter Score: 20–9 Mission)

The third quarter proved decisive. Mission's defense forced repeated turnovers, and the Lady Patriots turned nearly every stop into transition points.

Kayla Howell opened the half with a layup, and Jones followed with a coast-to-coast finish. Ecclesia's offense stalled as Mission controlled the glass—highlighted by rebounds from Kirksey, Callaway, and Daugherty—and limited Ecclesia to one shot each trip.

Jones remained unstoppable, scoring at the rim and then burying a deep three off a kick-out from Miya Nieto to put Mission ahead 41–30. Moments later, Lauren Carson finished a layup in traffic to stretch the margin to 43–30.

Mission outscored Ecclesia 20–9 in the quarter, building a 52–36 lead entering the fourth.

4th Quarter — Final: Mission 67, Ecclesia 52 (Quarter Score: 15–16 Ecclesia)

Mission continued to build its lead early in the fourth with a three from Howell and another triple from Jones, extending the advantage to 58–36. Tara Masten added a mid-range jumper, and Ashtyn Callaway knocked down a pair of free throws.

Ecclesia responded with its best offensive stretch of the game—threes from Miller and Jackson and steady rebounding from Prendergast and Jackson—but Mission's lead remained secure throughout. Coffelt capped the scoring for Mission with her third three of the night, pushing the lead to 67–45 before Ecclesia added late baskets to close the gap.

Mission closed out the game with strong defensive rebounding and controlled tempo, completing the season sweep with a 67–52 victory.

Postgame Wrap-Up

Ireland Jones led all scorers with 24 points, adding 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in another standout performance. Whitney Coffelt supplied 9 points—all from beyond the arc—while Lauren Carson and Tara Masten combined for timely baskets to stabilize Mission's offense throughout the night.

Jayla Kirksey anchored the interior with 10 rebounds, and Mission's bench contributed valuable minutes, including defensive activity and rebounding from Naomi Daugherty and Ashtyn Callaway.

The Lady Patriots move to 5–5 overall and remain 1–0 in conference play, earning back-to-back wins and sweeping the season series against Ecclesia.

Next Up

Mission heads to a neutral-site matchup in Lawrence, Kansas, to face Brescia University on Wednesday, December 10 at 3 p.m.