Wichita, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Women's Basketball team took on the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in the first round of the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament on Tuesday, resulting in an 80-57 loss. The Spires finish the year with the most wins in program history with a record of 21-11 overall.

Saint Mary inherited an early deficit after the Mountaineers opened the game with an 11-3 scoring run. The Spires responded with a three-pointer from Alex Specht and back-to-back jump shots by Jerrica Johnson to come within six points of Eastern Oregon. As the first quarter came to a close, USM stayed right behind the Mountaineers, down 20-14.

Easter Oregon began the second quarter similar to the first with an extended scoring run and making the score 33-18. Specht and Paige Pendley made layups of their own, trying to swing momentum into the Spire's favor. With time running down in the second quarter, Saint Mary was able to get more points on the board from Tanea Sims and Daija Planas, making the score 44-28 heading into the half.

Pendley got the third quarter going for the Spires by scoring four of the first six points. Just past the five-minute mark, Sims drained a shot to bring USM within 13 of the Mountaineers. Alanis Delgado made two free throws to bring an end to the third quarter and made the score 61-46 heading into the fourth. The Spires were unable to match the offensive output of Eastern Oregon to open the final quarter. Pendley made a three as time expired to make the final score 80-57. Sims led Saint Mary in scoring with 15 points on the night, along with five rebounds and two steals.