Leavenworth, Kan.—Summer Wieneke delivered an efficient 21-point performance on senior night, and the Spires used a huge middle-quarter surge and late free throws to defeat the Tabor College Bluejays 61-56 on Saturday evening at the Ryan Sports Center.

The Spires trailed 16-12 late in the first quarter after a jumper by Tabor's Veer, but Wieneke answered with a buzzer-beating jumper to pull Saint Mary within two heading to the second. Abby Wendte would also contribute to quarter one's total, sinking two big buckets. The two of them alongside a put back from Cady Huffman, helped spark a 32-18 stretch across the second and third quarters, as the Spires outscored Tabor 18-9 in the second and 18-15 in the third to take control of the game.

USM grabbed the lead for good in the second quarter, building separation with balanced offense and timely stops. After Tabor's O'Brien drilled a 3-pointer to trim the margin to 25-21 with 3:07 left in the half, Wieneke responded less than a minute later, converting a layup to push the lead back to eight at 29-21. Mary Olson would add two free throws as the Spires carried a 32-25 advantage into the locker room and continued to apply pressure out of the break.

Tabor made several pushes in the second half but never fully erased the Spires' cushion. A timely 3-pointer from Hazelwood cut the Spire lead to 38-32 with 6:16 left in the third quarter, only for the Spires to answer again. Wieneke buried a 3-pointer with 1:59 remaining in the third to stretch the margin to 50-37, accompanied by fellow senior Jaylee Levario adding 4 points in the third. The senior efforts capped one of Saint Mary's key offensive runs and giving the Spires a double-digit edge heading to the final frame.

The Bluejays continued to battle in the fourth. Tabor's Lambert knocked down a jumper with 7:53 remaining to bring her squad within 51-44, fighting to keep the deficit within reach. Lambert later scored on a layup in the final seconds to close the gap to 61-56, but the earlier work done at both ends for the Spires and consistency at the foul line preserved the win.

Saint Mary shot 45.1% from the field (23 of 51) and matched Tabor with 26 rebounds, but the difference came in efficiency and composure. The Spires went 13 of 17 at the free-throw line (76.5%) and recorded three blocks while limiting the Bluejays to 40.4% shooting overall and just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc. Both teams finished with 26 boards and six steals, but USM held a slight edge in turnovers, committing 15 to Tabor's 17. Seniors Jaylee Levario and Saige Grampsas would both total 4 points on their big night, with Grampsas adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Fellow senior night honorees Summer Wieneke and Mary Olson would also finish strong on the evening with Wieneke tallying a team high 21 points and 3 rebounds and Olson adding 8 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist to her squads overall total. Freshman Wendte would finish with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Keely Barnard and Huffman would add 7 and 4 points, respectively.

Wieneke led all scorers on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and a perfect 3 of 3 at the line in 30 minutes. Tabor was paced by Smith with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds, while Hazelwood added 13 points and six boards and Veer chipped in 11 points. The Spires strong second- and third-quarter execution and late-game free throws ensured the home team finished the night with a victory.

As the regular season ticks away, the Spires will play at home one final time this Wednesday, February 18^th as they host the Ottawa University Braves with tip off set for 6:00 p.m. With tonight's win, your Spire women sit in 4^th place in the KCAC with just two regular season games remaining and the countdown to postseason is on.