LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – The University of Saint Mary women's basketball team captured their first win at home after defeating Ottawa University Tuesday night inside Ryan Sports Center. The final score was 60-56.

The Spires are now 2-7 overall and 2-3 KCAC.

After a slow start for both teams, Macy Walker drained a three-pointer to put the Spires on the board first with 6:36 left in the first and then moments later hit another one from the top of the key. The score was 11-11 after the first quarter. Ottawa scored the first bucket of the second quarter to the lead, but Nese Selepeo quickly answered with a bucket of her own.

The Spires picked things up defensively in the second half and forced the Braves to take some hard shots. At the 5:35 mark in the third, Danielle Cassady stole the ball and took it for a basket after making a nice hop-step move to get by the defender for the layup, and forced Ottawa to take a timeout. Saint Mary led by 45-34 at the end of the third quarter.

After running the offense, Selepeo found Walker for a three-pointer to extend the lead back to double digits with just over six minutes left. Ottawa would continue to battle as they would make a three-pointer from the top of the key and then forced Saint Mary to turn the ball over, which allowed them to make it a four point game. Head coach Brett Schneider called a timeout to calm the storm with 3:57 left in the game. Rebecca Gilpin passed the ball in from in front of the Spire bench to Cassady, who immediately threw it into Dakota Corle for an easy turnaround shot. On the next offensive possession, Kaylie Simonds just missed a layup that was cleaned up by Corle to extend the lead to six with three minutes left in the game.

Simonds made a big time play to give the Spires some breathing room as she dribbled through the defense for the layup and got the foul for the chance for a three-point play, which she successfully made. Saint Mary was able to handle the pressure the rest of the way and get the win.

Walker led the team with 21 points and Cassady was just shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. As a team the Spires went 16-for-19 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Braves 41-37.

UP NEXT
The return to action on Dec. 2 where they will host McPherson College inside Ryan Sports Center, The game is set for 6 p.m.