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Men's Basketball
The University of Saint Mary Men's Basketball team went 0-2 this past week as they traveled to McPherson College, losing 85-72, and lost at home to the Bethany Swedes on Thursday, 78-68. The Spires are now 4-7 overall and 0-5 in the KCAC. On Monday against McPherson, Joey Schultz, Deshaud St. Martin, and Braylen Duncan got things started for the Spires by making multiple shots. Quentin Williams and Joe Burgos helped the Spires pull within seven points heading into halftime, with the score being 44-37 in favor of the Bulldogs. The second half featured back-and-forth action until McPherson eventually pulled away for the 85-72 win. On Thursday, Schultz scored the first seven points for Saint Mary as his dunk gave the Spires an early 7-0 lead. It did not take Bethany long to get going though, as the Swedes tied things up at 13-13. An 11-2 run by the Spires helped give them a 40-32 lead heading into halftime. Burgos and Duncan opened the second half with jump shots to extend their lead to 12. The Swedes then went on a long scoring run of their own, erasing the Spire's 12-point lead. Bethany had one final scoring run in the last three minutes of the game that flipped the score and gave them a comfortable ten-point lead to finish the game 78-68. The Spires shot 73% from the free-throw line despite only shooting 38% from the field. Saint Mary will take on Friends University at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in Wichita, Kansas.
Recaps
Men's Basketball Drops to McPherson on the Road
Spires Can't Hold On and Drop to Swedes 78-68
Women's Basketball
The University of Saint Mary Women's Basketball team went 1-1 on the week, dropping to McPherson 68-61, then winning at home against Bethany in double overtime 94-92. The Spires are now 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the KCAC. On Monday against McPherson, Saint Mary took an early lead over the Bulldogs after Jerrica Johnson and Alanis Delgado combined for three three-pointers, giving the Spires a 12-4 lead. McPherson chipped away in the second quarter to tie things up at 29-29 heading into halftime. The Bulldogs took a 48-46 lead after a close third quarter. In the fourth, McPherson continued their offensive output, going on an extended scoring run to take a nine-point lead over Saint Mary. On Thursday, the Swedes got out to an early lead while Paige Pendley scored the Spire's first six points. Shelby Salter hit a three as the clock was winding down to cut the Bethany lead to 28-16 at the end of the first quarter. As the second quarter ended, Delgado, Pendley, and Kaylani Hoskin contributed to the five-point swing that put USM down 47-33 heading into halftime. Johnson and Tanea Sims hit key shots after halftime to keep the Spires in the game and cut the Swede's lead to ten. In the fourth quarter, Pendley and Rebecca Gilpin stepped up to hit big shots down the stretch to make the score 77-73 with four minutes left to play. Bethany made an easy layup to take a 79-76 lead with twelve seconds left in regulation. Pendley then hit a game-tying three-pointer with just six seconds left and helped force overtime. With the score 84-82 in favor of the Swedes, a late foul by Bethany put Sims at the line, where she tied things up at 84-84, sending the game into double overtime. A pair of free throws gave Bethany an early lead, but the Spires again responded with a three-pointer by Gilpin and another by Sims to give USM the 92-86 lead. The 18-point comeback was completed as the Spires won 94-92. Saint Mary will hit the road to take on Friends University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Wichita, Kansas.
Recaps
Spires Fall to Bulldogs in Close 68-61 Loss
Spires Win 94-92 in Double Overtime Thriller
Wrestling
Men's
Men's wrestling competed in the Doane Open Saturday. Multiple Spires had strong performances in the tournament. Junior Hartwell Taylor got to the championship round in the 141-weight class. Taylor won his first three matches by decision (5-1, 4-3, 4-1) before the final round. Roman De LaCruz lost his first match of the day but battled back and won two matches in a row to place in the top ten of the 133 open. Ethan Woods also had a good weekend going 3-1 and making it to the semifinal round of the 133 freshman/ sophomore part of the tournament. Saint Mary will host Avila University at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Ryan Sports Center.
Women's
The University of Saint Mary Women's Wrestling team took on the Midland Warriors Friday night, losing 29-20. Then on Saturday, the Spires went to Crete, Nebraska, for the Doane Open. The Spires were down early after losing in the 101-weight class and two open weights at 109 and 116. Saint Mary then lost in the 123-weight class by tech fall. Then the Spires rattled off three straight wins by fall from Araya Boday, Teya Villalpando, and Sidalie Jaramillo, giving Saint Mary 15 points. This brought the Spires within four points of the lead, but two more losses sealed a win for the Warriors. On Saturday, in the Doane Open. Lessly Sandoval placed second in the 191 bracket and won by TF in all three matches leading up to the final. Her overall record is now 12-5 on the year. Villalpando also made it to the final round on Saturday after winning four straight matches, with one being a 12-1 win by tech fall. The Spires will host Avila University at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Ryan Sports Center.
Recaps
Spires Have Strong Showing at Doane Open
Women's Wrestling Falls Shorts Against Midland, But Performs Well at Doane Open
Bowling
The University of Saint Mary Men's and Women's Bowling team competed in the Mustang Invite on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, finishing in seventh and eighth.
Men's
Josh Kacich led the Spires with an average score of 196.83, the highest on the team. Jose Limon Jr. had the second-highest average of the weekend at 170 per game. As a team, the men had a total score of 2765 after 16 baker games averaging out to a score of 178.81 per game.
Women's
Carmen Silva led the women's team this weekend, averaging 174.67 per game after six games. Jordan Reynolds had the second-highest average for the Spires with a 163.33 after six games. Saint Mary had a total of 2373 after their 16 baker games which came out to an average of 148.31 per game. The Spires will go on break for the holiday season and are set to compete at the Eagle Invitational on January 28 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Recap
Men's and Women's Bowling Compete at Mustang Invite
Indoor Track & Field
The University of Saint Mary Men's and Women's Track team traveled to Washburn University for the Washburn Alumni Invite Saturday.
Men's
Donel Jack came in first for the Spires in the men's triple jump with a distance of 14.62 meters. That jump was enough for Jack to break the school record and put him at third overall in the NAIA. In the 1000m race, Saint Mary had five runners place in the top ten, with all of them breaking the facility record. Luis Perez crossed the finish line first for the Spires with a time of 2:30.15 and placed third overall in the race. That time was good enough to take the number one mark in the NAIA. The rest of the USM runners that placed in the top ten were Robert Huebert (2:31.16), Dawson Adams (2:34.34), Tommy Baker (2:34.41), and Dominick Beine (2:37.73). Brig Merritt led Saint Mary in the 5000m race with a time of 15:24.73 and came in fourth overall. Merritt was followed by Colton Underwood (15:32.79), Huebert (15:44.33), and Ryan Heline (15: 46.67).
Women's
In the 60m dash, Samantha Colson broke a meet record by running a 6.33, which helped her qualify. In the 1000m Alyssa Armendariz (2:59.15), Carlie Gregg (3:00.98), and Riley Hiebert (3:01.54) finished in 1-3. Armendariz's first-place time put her at number one in the NAIA and broke a school record. Saint Mary again took first through third in the 5000m race, with Armendariz taking first place, Riley Hiebert taking second, and Reagan Hiebert taking third. Jane DuTeil, Gretchen Raney, Zaira Spencer, and Lexi Wardlow combined for a time of 4:14.20 in the 4x400 meter relay, earning them a second-place finish. In the field competitions, Nevaeh Krull placed second in the high jump with a height of 1.45m. Freshman Carissa Martin took third place in the triple jump with a mark of 10.27m. The Spires are set to compete at the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic on January 14 in Crete, Nebraska.
Recap