Springfield, Mo.—The Spire women mounted a determined fourth-quarter comeback but came up just short in an 86-82 loss to No. 17 Evangel on Wednesday night at AGFinancial Arena.
Abby Wendte leading Saint Mary with 22 points and 10 rebounds, providing offense throughout and sparking the Spires' best stretches on both ends. She opened the night with a fast-break layup at the first-quarter horn to give the Spires a 23-19 lead after 10 minutes, then brought the Spires back again in the fourth, drilling a transition 3-pointer with 9:43 to play to cut the margin to 68-63.
Saige Grampsas added 16 points and 12 rebounds, including four 3-pointers, as the Spires pushed the nationally ranked Valor deep into the final possession.
USM controlled the tempo early using rebounding and paint touches to build an eight-point cushion early in the second quarter. Free throws from
Jaylee Levario made it 25-19 with 9:49 left before halftime, but Evangel responded with a run that flipped the scoreboard before the break. Evangel closed the half on a surge, taking advantage of Spire turnovers and converting at the rim to grab a 42-37 lead after a late free throw from EU's Kamie Jenkins.
The Valor's decisive push came in the third quarter, when they outscored Saint Mary 26-23 to stretch the advantage to 68-60. Heaven Shockley was crucial for the home team with 25 points and 9 rebounds, including a tip-in at the 8:15 mark of the third to keep momentum on Evangel's side. A late layup by
Riley Kerwin in the final seconds of the quarter sent the Spires into the final 10 minutes facing their largest deficit of the night at eight points.
The Spires answered with one more run. Wendte's early 3-pointer in the fourth sparked a renewed defensive effort, as USM forced late-game stops and attacked the glass to stay within striking distance. Saint Mary finished with a 50-38 rebounding advantage, highlighted by a dominant effort from forward
Mary Olson, who collected 16 rebounds to go with 14 points and a 6-of-6 night at the free-throw line. The Spires also went 15 of 18 at the line as a team, but 23 turnovers proved costly against an Evangel squad that committed only 11.
Trailing by eight entering the fourth quarter, the Spires clawed back behind clutch shooting from Wendte and a late surge that carried into the final seconds. After trimming the deficit to a single possession multiple times in the closing minutes, the Spires capped the night with a jumper by
Saige Grampsas at the buzzer to pull within four, but Evangel had already done enough to secure the home win.
Saint Mary shot 42.3% from the field and connected on seven 3-pointers, while holding Evangel to just three makes from beyond the arc. The Valor, however, were slightly more efficient overall at 46.6% shooting and used 11 steals to generate key transition opportunities. Despite the loss, the Spires' performance featured three double-doubles and long stretches of control on the glass against a top-25 opponent.
Up next, the Spires will come home in one of their final three home games of the 2025-2026 regular season. USM will host the Bulldogs of McPherson College (3-14 in KCAC) with varsity tip-off set for 5:00 p.m.
