Fayette, Mo.— Spire men's basketball opened up their 2026-27 season by answering a two-point margin with a 6-0 second-half run and held off Central Methodist (MO) for an 83-73 victory Friday, October 23, at Puckett Field House. Jordan Brown led the Spires with 27 points.

Brown opened the scoring push with a 3-pointer off Adam Tanner's assist for a 7-2 lead. Tanner later completed a three-point play, and Joe Clark followed Brayden Rubidoux's steal with a layup to make it 18-12 with 12:59 remaining in the first half. Zach Hayslett's 3-pointer stretched the advantage to 27-15, and Tanner supplied another defensive spark with a steal and an assist on Hayslett's layup for a 29-19 lead.

The Spires built their largest cushion at 38-25 on Brown's basket with 2:40 left, but the hosts closed the half with nine unanswered points. CMU's Delgado scored during that rally before Dorien Johnson's 3-pointer trimmed USM's halftime lead to 38-34. Hays opened the second half with another 3-pointer, bringing Central Methodist within one and extending its run to 12-0.

The Spires repeatedly found answers without surrendering the lead. After the margin narrowed to 42-41, layups by Clark and Tanner and another Brown basket produced a 6-0 response. Hayslett's 3-pointer and Tanner's layup later made it 53-45, but Bonaparte brought the hosts within 55-54 with 11:08 remaining. Hayslett made two free throws before Brown turned a steal into a layup for a 59-54 advantage at 10:23.

Delgado's layup cut the margin to 60-58 with 8:32 left. Hassan Flemming answered with consecutive baskets, and Brown made two free throws to complete the decisive six-point burst. Hayslett later scored consecutive Saint Mary baskets, the second establishing a 72-64 lead at 4:54. Flemming followed with a 3-pointer at 4:08 for a 75-66 advantage, finishing with all nine of their points in the second half. Hayslett scored 16 of their 23 points after halftime and finished 9-of-10 at the line.

Clark contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards, while Tanner finished with nine points, seven assists and three steals on opening day of his collegiate career. USM shot 42.4% from the field and made 21-of-25 free throws, including 19-of-21 in the second half. The Spires committed 10 turnovers to Central Methodist's 15 and held a 16-9 edge in points off turnovers.

The Eagles won the rebounding battle 41-38 and led 20-7 in second-chance points, but shot 39.0% overall and 4-of-21 from 3-point range. Prater led Central Methodist with 19 points and seven rebounds; Delgado added 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Johnson's 3-pointer brought Central Methodist within 79-71 with 1:23 remaining. Tanner secured an offensive rebound and assisted Clark's layup at 51 seconds, restoring a double-digit lead. Brown made both free throws with 35 seconds left for the Spires final points, and CMU's Thompson Jr. made two free throws at 28 seconds to complete the scoring.
 
Coming Up…

USM will compete in day two of the CMU Shootout tomorrow, Saturday, October 24^th at 2 p.m. in Fayette. The Spires will take on the Owls of William Woods University who dropped their first contest of the tournament this afternoon, losing to Hannibal-LaGrange 56-67.