Saint Mary women's basketball handed #14 Friends their first KCAC loss of the season on Thursday. It was the seventh win in a row for the Spires as they moved to 13-11 on the season and 11-6 in KCAC play. They trail Ottawa by one game for third place in the KCAC Standings.

It was a back and forth affair as Saint Mary led by as many as seven points in the first quarter and trailed by as many as eight points in the second quarter before taking a two point lead into halftime. The Spires pushed out to a six point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Friends would storm back to have the game tied with 4:17 left to play in the game. After the Spires took a 54-52 lead, Friends would shave the deficit to one point with a free throw at the 49 second mark. After a Saint Mary turnover, Friends would take the lead on a fast break layup off an offensive rebound with a foul.

The Falcons would miss the free throw, and Saint Mary grabbed the rebound trailing by one point. The Spires quicly moved the ball up the court, and Ashley Hinkle found Imani White under the bucket for the go ahead layup with just four seconds left to play. After a Friends timeout, the ball was advanced to midcourt. The Falcons final shot would be no good and the Spires earned their second win over a ranked opponent in the last two weeks.

Saint Mary will host York at 1pm on Saturday as they look to win their eighth straight contest. The Spires topped the Panthers 83-65 in Nebraska earlier this season.