The Saint Mary women's basketball team topped Kansas Wesleyan 65-62 Wednesday night in the Ryan Sports Center. The win evens the Spires' record in KCAC play at 2-2. They are 5-4 on the season. Kansas Wesleyan entered the contest 3-0 in KCAC play as the Spires handed them their first conference loss.

Saint Mary opened the game with a 9-4 run over the first two minutes of play. The Spires led by as many as eight points in the first quarter before taking a 22-15 lead into the second. After Saint Mary extended their lead to nine, the Coyotes clawed back to take their first lead of the game at 30-29 with 3:10 remaining in the first half. The teams would be tied at 33-33 at halftime.

Kansas Wesleyan opened the second half scoring the first six points and led the whole quarter. The Coyotes held a three point advantage heading into the final quarter of play. Ashley Hinkle tied the game with a three point bucket to start the fourth quarter. Saint Mary would take the lead for good when Tiani White put in a layup with 5:13 left to play, but the drama was not over.

After the Spires pushed their lead to six, Kansas Wesleyan trimmed the lead to one with 43 seconds on the clock. Candy De Los Reyes provided some breathing room with a crucial runner in the lane to give the Spires a three point lead. Kansas Wesleyan would miss a three at the buzzer to give Saint Mary the victory.

White led the Spires in points with 16. De Los Reyes added 15 points. De Los Reyes also had three steals. Sienna Brown finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Brown also blocked three shots for the Spires. Hinkle scored six points, pulled down seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists. Saint Mary shot 41% from the field. The difference in the game came at the free throw line as the Spires shot 71% while Kansas Wesleyan shot 47%.

Next up for Saint Mary will be another home KCAC matchup with Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday at 2pm. Oklahoma Wesleyan is 7-2 on the season and 2-2 in KCAC play.