Leavenworth, Kan.—The USM men kept the winning trend going this evening, defeating the KWU Coyotes at the Ryan Sports Center. The Spires put on a show with balanced scoring effort and lockdown defense down the stretch to secure the 69-65 victory.

A host of Spires contributed to the gritty first half that saw USM building their advantage early with timely perimeter shooting, including aggressive finishes at the bucket from freshman stand out Tyler Holmes, who finished the first half with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal. Jason Parson and Terrius Walker seemed to be everywhere as they combined for 9 first half points, 6 rebounds, and heavy defensive pressure to keep the Coyotes under 30 at the half. A late 3-pointer from Bonner in the final minute before halftime sent his team into the locker room up 36-29. That edge, combined with the Spires' defensive activity, ultimately provided just enough separation for Saint Mary to close out the contest and protect home court in conference play.

After USM pushed its lead to 38-29 on a jumper by Damare Smith early in the second half, Kansas Wesleyan responded behind the play of Caiden Punt and Brandon Avedon. Punt's 3-pointer with 7:03 remaining knotted the score at 57-57, capping the visitors' comeback and setting up a tense final stretch.

Without fail, the Spires answered with defense and execution in the final minute. With USM clinging to a narrow advantage, Kansas Wesleyan's Evens Appolon converted a layup with 58 seconds left to pull the Coyotes within 65-63. Bonner responded on the next Saint Mary possession, knocking down a jumper with 28 seconds to play for a 67-63 cushion. Brown then sealed the result at the free-throw line, sinking two shots with 12 seconds remaining to push the margin to 69-63; Kansas Wesleyan added the final points to close the scoring at 69-65.

Kaeden Bonner's late jumper and Jordan Brown's free throws in the closing seconds proved big time after Kansas Wesleyan had erased a double-digit deficit to tie the game in the second half.
Bonner would lead all scorers with 18 points and 4 rebounds in 34 minutes, going 3 of 4 at the line and adding a steal. Brown added 17 points and 2 steals while logging a team-high 35 minutes. Tyler Holmes provided a key spark on both ends as he always does, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 5 rebounds and a team-best 4 steals in 23 minutes and lighting up the crowd whenever the ball was in his hands.

USM's efficiency and pressure defense helped offset a stronger Kansas Wesleyan night from the 3-point line. The Spires shot 51.9% from the field (28 of 54) despite going just 2 of 14 from beyond the arc, and they converted 11 of 16 free throws. Defensively, Saint Mary forced 19 turnovers and collected 12 steals, turning those miscues into transition opportunities while committing only 12 turnovers on the other end.

This dub marks a six-game win streak as the regular season creeps to a close. Coming up, the Spires are headed to Springfield, Missouri to take on the 9-6 Evangel Valor on Wednesday, February 4^th with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.