Leavenworth, Kan.—In a Monday night non-conference match up, Spire women's basketball battled against the Benedictine (KS) Ravens in Ryan Sports Center. Despite a resilient effort and a new collegiate career high for freshman Abby Wendt, the Spires were defeated with a final score of 78-62.

The night began evenly with both teams showcasing strong shooting from the jump. Abby Wendte of Saint Mary made an impressive early three-pointer—foreshadowing what the rest of her night would look like—contributing to the Spires keeping pace with the Ravens. However, Benedictine's Kelli Storck scored crucial back-to-back jumpers with a pair of free throws, pulling the Ravens ahead by as much as five points during the first quarter. Despite this, we went into the second quarter tied at 18-18.

Quarter two saw Benedictine maintaining a slight aggressive edge but the Spires not yet backing down. Each squad tallied another 15 points in the second with huge contributions from Wendt, Keely Barnard, Summer Wieneke, Riley Kerwin, and Cady Huffman, ending the first tied again at 33. USM's Saige Grampsas provided key assists (totaling 3 on the night) that were crucial in matching up to the Ravens' performance.

After halftime, Benedictine quickly took control in the third, extending their lead to 15 points briefly, before Saint Mary narrowed it down to a 4-point deficit by the end of the period, standing at 54-50. Wendte notably made a swift layup at the buzzer and worked hard on both ends with considerable defensive efforts and a big time block.

Fourth quarter action had Benedictine amplifying their hustle, with Storck's consistent scoring leading the charge. Despite the Spires attempts to turn the tides in their favor with critical three-pointers from Addison Tower and A'Myah Bankston, Benedictine secured their largest lead of 16 points near the game's end.

Abby Wendte shined for the Spires with her all-around performance, including a career high 25 points, tying the team leader in rebounds with 5 and securing 6 steals, it just wasn't enough to overcome the dominant play and touch around the rim from the Ravens. Up next, the Spires prepare to get back in the win column before Christmas break as USM prepares to face the Avila University Eagles on Wednesday, December 10^th with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m. at the Ryan Sports Center in Leavenworth, Kansas.