Bartlesville, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Men's Basketball team traveled to play Oklahoma Wesleyan in the second round of the KCAC Championship Tournament, losing 90-74. The Spires finished the year with an overall record of 18-12. 

Threes from Demarius Houston and Blak Chadwick gave the Spies an early lead on the Eagles. Deshaud St. Martin scored the next six points, and Houston hit another three to give Saint Mary an 11-point lead. The Eagles began to chip away, taking advantage of a USM scoring lul and pulling within seven points. Chadwick hit back-to-back three to give Saint Mary a with seven minutes left in the half. However, a late scoring run from Oklahoma Wesleyan pulled within four points to make the score 44-40 at the break. 

Saint Mary worked hard to protect their lead early in the second half, but the Eagles momentum tied the game at 48 five minutes in. From there, the Spires struggled to retake the lead and found themselves down by six points midway through the half. Joey Schultz scored seven consecutive points over three minutes and even cut the lead to four at one point. The Spires were not able to keep up with the offensive output of the Eagles down the stretch and eventually fell 90-74. 

The loss brings an end to the best season for the men's basketball team since the 2017-18 season, winning 11 of their last 12 conference games and reaching the tournament semifinal.