Lawrence, Kan.--Spire men's basketball secured a hard-fought win against the Baker Wildcats with a final score of 76-72 at the Ernie Stevens Classic in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday, November 7^th hosted by Haskell University. This keeps USM on a hot streak, starting the year with a 4-0 record.

The night began with the Spires taking an early lead, initiated by Kaeden Bonner's successful free throws. The first half saw competitive play, led by impressive three-point shots by Damare Smith and quick points from layups by Cam Edwards, setting a confident pace. Despite these efforts, the Wildcats slightly overtook the lead, ending the first half with a score of 39-37 in favor of Baker.

However, you'll need more than that to try and count the Spires out, as USM rallied in the second half with big time players making big time plays from the likes of Bonner and Edwards. Jordan Brown's back-to-back three-pointers increased their lead to 9 points in the second. Highlighting the aggressive Spire defense with multiple rebounds and crucial turnovers induced by Jason Parson II and Cam Edwards, crucial in stalling the Wildcats' advances.

Throughout the evening, Bonner led USM in scoring once again with a mere 27 points, while Edwards followed with 22 points and topped assists at 5. Parson was instrumental defensively, accumulating 10 rebounds and 4 steals, highlighting the overall success and synergy the Spires have when key athletes step up to the challenge on both ends of the floor.

Up next is a less than 24-hour turnaround as the Spires are set to face the Benedictine College Ravens later today, Saturday, November 8^th at 4:00 p.m. on day two of the Ernie Stevens Classic.