Leavenworth, Kan.— A late second-quarter strike from Aiva Lavea to Bralei Criss pulled the USM flag team within one score, but Graceland controlled the second half to hand the Spires a 24–7 loss Wednesday evening at Charles Berkel Memorial Stadium.

Trailing 12–0 and looking for a spark before halftime, the Spires put together their best drive of the night in the closing seconds of the second quarter. With the clock winding down, Lavea found Criss behind the secondary for a 32-yard touchdown with two seconds left in the half. The extra point was good, trimming the deficit to 12–7 and sending the Spires into the break with momentum after a slow offensive start.

The Spire defense had helped keep the game within reach early despite Graceland scoring in every quarter. The Spires limited explosive plays for much of the first half while Criss emerged as a two-way standout. In addition to her team-high 73 receiving yards on three catches and the lone Saint Mary touchdown, Criss collected two interceptions on defense, briefly swinging field position and giving the Spires additional possessions in a game defined by turnovers.

Graceland opened the scoring in the first quarter when Lammie capped an early drive with a touchdown run at the 5:40 mark for a 6–0 lead. The visitors doubled the advantage early in the second quarter when Gann jumped a route, intercepted a Lavea pass and returned it nine yards for a pick-six, making it 12–0. USM answered just before halftime with the Lavea-to-Criss connection, but that proved to be the Spires' final score of the night.

The second half belonged to Graceland's balanced attack, led by quarterback Flores. She found Gann for a 33-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to restore a two-possession cushion at 18–7, then sealed the game with an 8-yard scoring pass to Brown with 1:36 remaining in the fourth.

Offensively, the Spires struggled to sustain drives after halftime. The ground game was limited to less than 20 attempts, putting added pressure on the passing attack. The Spires generated seven first downs but were forced to punt six times and were hurt by three interceptions in the passing game, matching Graceland's turnover total but repeatedly missing out on scoring opportunities.

Defensively, USM matched Graceland in takeaways with three turnovers. Criss' two interceptions highlighted a unit that continued to battle. The Spires will face a quick turnaround and hit the road tomorrow in a conference match up against the KWU Coyotes at JRI Stadium in Salina, Kansas at 6:00 p.m.