Leavenworth, Kan.— Behind a career-type night from Kaeden Bonner and a relentless second-half surge, USM stormed past Tabor 103–94 on Senior Night in the Ryan Sports Center. The Spires erased a halftime deficit, took control after the break, and closed the door at the free-throw line to secure the nine-point win.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle kicked off by a jumper from senior Javon Calmese to quickly put the Spires ahead. Damare Smith and Jha-Mel Spencer would add two free throws and a bucket, respectively, to put USM up 6-0 before Tabor had a chance to breathe. Each squad would continue to trade buckets throughout, with Jordan Brown adding 12 first half points, Bonner contributing 13, Terrius Walker and Damare Smith with 4 apiece, Mason Belcher with a big bucket behind the arc, and Tyler Holmes, Joe Clark, Calmese, and Spencer all posting 2 points. This would set the tone for what would be a high scoring, bucket-for-bucket night in the Ryan that would see the Spires down 48-50 after the first twenty minutes.   

Kaeden sparked his squad early, and even as Tabor surged late in the first half — highlighted by a dunk from Blackbear that helped the Bluejays to a 32-31 lead and a buzzer-beating jumper from Baer to make it 50-48 at the break — Bonner's shot-making kept the Spires within range.

Trailing by two at halftime, the game swung for good in the second half after Tabor opened with momentum. Saint Mary outscored Tabor 55-44 in the second half, using a decisive run midway through the final 20 minutes to seize control. Bonner, who went 14-for-18 from the field and 5-for-7 from 3-point range, repeatedly answered Tabor rallies and keyed an offense that finished with five players—Bonner, Smith, Parson, Brown and Holmes— contributing in double figures or near-double figures as the Spires topped the 100-point mark.

Hiebert gave the visitors a 55-52 lead with a layup, but Bonner immediately responded with a 3-pointer to tie it at 55-55. From there, USM tightened its defense, turning steals into transition chances. A layup by Cam Edwards during a second-half surge pushed the margin to 85-70, capping a stretch in which the Spires consistently converted turnovers into points.

Saint Mary's pressure defense was a major difference. The Spires collected 17 steals and forced 20 Tabor turnovers while committing only 10 giveaways. Despite Tabor shooting 55.0% from the floor (33 of 60), USM generated 76 shot attempts by winning the turnover battle and grabbing 15 offensive rebounds as part of a 34-32 edge on the glass.

The Spires also received critical support from the bench. Saint Mary went 37-for-76 from the field (48.7%) and 8-for-21 from beyond the arc (38.1%), while matching Tabor's 21-for-28 performance at the free-throw line. Calmese provided the final cushion, sinking two free throws in the closing seconds to push the lead to 103-94 after Tabor had trimmed the deficit with a late 3-pointer from Kaniper.
Kaeden finished 5-for-7 from three, 14-for-18 from the floor, 7-for-9 at the foul line, adding four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 32 minutes. Smith would finish with 13 points, a team high 6 steals, and 3 assists. Brown would finish with 12 points and 2 steals, with teammate Jason Parson all over the floor recording another double-double snagging 11 rebounds and 10 points. Terrius Walker would add 5 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds of his own to round out an overall critical effort from every Spire, top to bottom.

With the win, the Spire men are now 12-8 in KCAC play sitting 7^th overall in the conference with post season quickly creeping up. USM will play host for the final time this 2025-26 season next Wednesday, February 18^th as they face the Ottawa University Braves with tip off set for 8:00 p.m. in the Ryan Sports Center.