COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Stephens College Stars mounted a thrilling fourth-quarter rally but fell short against Mission University in their American Midwest Conference opener, 53-60, on Thursday night in Silverthorne Arena for student, faculty and staff appreciation night.

The Stars (2-3, 0-1 AMC) showed resilience in their AMC debut despite trailing by as many as 22 points in the third quarter. A dominant fourth quarter saw Stephens outscore Mission 23-9, with Taylor Norris and LaiJanique Perry-Ellis leading the charge.

The opening minutes saw the Stars struggle to find their footing. Cassandra Sams scored early with a put-back layup off an offensive rebound, but Mission's inside presence quickly established control as they built a 13-23 lead.

The Stars tightened up defensively in the second quarter but faced challenges on offense, scoring only six points. Mission's sharp three-point shooting allowed them to stretch their lead to 34-19 by halftime.

Mission opened the second half with a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three-pointer to push their lead to 41-19. Trinitee Alexander's energy off the bench provided a spark for the Stars with key rebounds and a strong finish at the rim, but Stephens faced a steep 30-51 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

The Stars found their stride in the final frame, launching an aggressive comeback behind Perry-Ellis, who contributed seven of her 14 points during the stretch.

Syderah Farmer hit a clutch three-pointer with under three minutes remaining to cut the lead to single digits, and a layup by Zoe Davis brought Stephens within seven with just 24 seconds left. 

Despite the late push, Mission sealed the victory 53-60. 

The Stars will look to bounce back on Saturday, Nov. 23, as they travel to Nevada, Mo., to face Cottey College. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.