Leavenworth, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Men's basketball team hosted the Evangel Valor on Saturday, resulting in an 87-78 win. The Spires are now 7-9 overall and 3-7 in conference play. 

After a slow start, Saint Mary found themselves down 9-2. Layups from Joey Schultz and Jordan Brown made it a three-point game. The Spires were able to rally and began to force turnovers and hitting shots. Brown gave USM the lead, hitting three three-point shots in two minutes to finish a 14-2 scoring run. The half featured multiple lead changes down the stretch, and the Valor had a late surge of offensive production. A free throw at the end of the half from Bryce Johnson put his team down one with the score at 43-42. 

Demarius Houston and Schultz hit free throws to give Saint Mary an early lead after the break. Threes from Kaden Bonner, Brown, and Johnson helped extend the USM lead to eleven points. The Spires had an answer for every small run at the lead that the Valor made, preserving the lead throughout the middle of the half, and entered the last five minutes of the game up by nine points. Free throws from Dehsaud St. Martin and Schultz helped shut the door on Evangle for the 87-78 win. 

Brown led the offense in scoring with 25 points, including seven threes, while Schultz had 22 points allowed with seven rebounds. 

Up Next

Saint Mary will travel to play against the Southwestern Mound Builders at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Winfield, Kansas.