Kansas City, Mo.- The University of Saint Mary Men's Basketball team played the Avila Eagles Tuesday, winning 87-70. The Spires are now 5-9 overall and 1-7 in conference play.

Saint Mary took an early lead when Joey Schultz made the score 9-6 after a layup. Blake Chadwick and Braylen Duncan hit back-to-back threes during a 13-2 scoring run that gave Saint Mary a nine-point lead. With under five minutes to go, Cam Southern hit two threes in a row to make it 34-25. One more three from Southern and a jump shot from Deshaud St. Martin put the Spires up nine heading into halftime.

To start the second half, Saint Mary went on another 13-2 scoring run that gave them a 63-43 lead over the Eagles. Strong defensive play halted Avila's offensive production and allowed the Spires to solidify their growing lead. Saint Mary had one more extended run to go up 84-60 with under five minutes to go, and after one more three, the Spires won by a score of 87-70. Southern scored 24 points with six threes on the night, while St. Martin had 16 points with nine rebounds.

Up Next

Saint Mary will take on Drury University at 1 p.m. for a New Year's Eve matchup in Springfield, Missouri.