Leavenworth, Kan.—USM erased a double-digit deficit and closed with poise at the free-throw line and at the rim, edging the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes 79-76 on Saturday evening at the Ryan Sports Center behind a game-high 21 points from Addison Tower and late-game execution from Keely Barnard and Abby Wendte.

Kansas Wesleyan controlled the tempo early, jumping out to a 24-15 lead after the first quarter behind an efficient inside-out attack. Gertken drilled an early 3-pointer to make it 10-2, and Jocelyn Hall closed the frame with a jumper for a nine-point cushion. The Coyotes pushed the advantage to 26-15 on an Ozuna layup early in the second and led by double digits again when Gertken buried another 3-pointer to make it 33-22 with 7:41 left in the half.

Tower led Saint Mary with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc and a flawless 6-of-6 at the line. Her 3-pointer with 4:28 left in the second quarter cut the margin to 38-32 and helped stabilize the Spires heading into the break. Barnard added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, going 3-of-3 at the stripe and hitting what proved to be the decisive layup in the closing seconds to stretch the lead to 79-74. The Spires trailed 38-32 at halftime and by as many as 11 in the second quarter before gradually turning the momentum in the third and fourth quarters.

USM's response began after halftime. Despite an opening third-quarter jumper by Izzy McCool that extended Kansas Wesleyan's lead to 40-32, the Spires outscored the Coyotes 24-21 in the third to pull within 59-56. While Ozuna's buzzer-beating triple kept Kansas Wesleyan narrowly in front, the Spire offense really found its rhythm, setting the stage for a decisive fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, Saint Mary methodically chipped away, then drew even when Saige Grampsas knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 71-71 with 2:11 remaining. Although the Coyotes would briefly reclaim the lead on a free throw from Jueneman, the Spires answered with key defensive stops and timely scoring. Barnard's layup with 12 seconds left pushed the margin to 79-74, and after a late Gertken drive cut it to three with two seconds remaining, the Spires successfully ran out the clock.

The night saw four out of five starters in double figures. Grampsas nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 9 points, a team-high 8 rebounds and 6 assists while going 2-of-2 from the line. Addison Tower led all scorers with a final tally of 21 points and 2 rebounds. Close behind were teammates Barnard with 16 points, 1 assist and a block, as well as Abby Wendte added 13 and 3 of her own while racking up 3 assists, and Mary Olson totaled 11 points and 5 rebounds. Summer Wieneke lit a spark off the bench yet again adding 7 points, 2 steals, and 4 rebounds in her 21 minutes of action. Kate Harter would battle inside to finish with 2 and 2 on the night as well.

As a team, USM shot 44.6% from the field (29-of-65) and 31.6% from 3-point range (6-of-19), but the difference came at the foul line, where the Spires converted 15-of-16 attempts (93.8%).

Up next, USM will hit the road for a mid-week match up in Springfield as they take on the #22 ranked Evangel Valor on Wednesday, February 4^th at 5:30 p.m. With just six regular season games left, your Spire women currently sit in fifth place in the KCAC.