Winfield, Kan.—A furious second-half push by the Spire men team within one possession in the final minute, but Southwestern held on at the free-throw line to edge the Spires 79-82 on Saturday afternoon in Winfield.
USM's rally was needed after Southwestern created separation late in the first quarter and carried a 47-35 advantage into halftime. The Spires led 24-21 earlier in the opening quarter on a 3-pointer from
Damare Smith, but Southwestern closed the frame on a strong run capped by a buzzer-beating layup from Nigel John to seize a 12-point edge after 20 minutes.
Trailing 81-79 after a clutch 3-pointer from
Kaeden Bonner with 55 seconds remaining, Saint Mary forced Southwestern into a pressure situation at the stripe. The Moundbuilders converted one final free throw from Logan Churchill as time expired to extend the lead to three, and the Spires' comeback bid ran out of time in the road conference contest.
The Spires chipped away throughout the second half behind efficient perimeter shooting and timely defensive pressure. Saint Mary knocked down 12 3-pointers and shot 46.2% from beyond the arc, using triples from Smith, Bonner and
Jason Parson II to stay within striking distance. Smith buried a 3-pointer with 12:53 left in the second quarter to trim the margin to 58-50, and the Spires continued to answer Southwestern's baskets down the stretch.
Southwestern, however, repeatedly had an answer of their own. The Moundbuilders shot 50.0% from the field and leaned on a balanced scoring attack led by Bell's 22 points and five rebounds and Barber's 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Bell's 3-pointer with 5:36 to play pushed the lead to 74-67, and Southwestern's 32-17 advantage on the glass created extra possessions that proved critical in a game decided by one trip to the line.
Smith paced Saint Mary with a standout offensive performance, scoring a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting while going 5-of-9 from 3-point range and adding five assists. Bonner finished with 20 points, hitting 5-of-11 from deep and converting 3-of-4 at the stripe, including the late 3-pointer that brought the Spires within two in the final minute. As a team, Saint Mary shot 47.3% from the field and 71.4% at the free-throw line, but 12 turnovers and the rebounding deficit limited the Spires' ability to complete the comeback.
With this, the Spire men finish the regular season with an overall record of 19-9 and 13-9 in KCAC play. USM will enter the KCAC Men's Basketball Championhsip Tournament as the No. 7 seed and travel to the No. 2 seed Friends University on Thursday, February 26th to take on the Falcons. Game time is yet to be determined.
