Spires Cruise to 20-Point Win Over Graceland

Lamoni, Iowa.- The University of Saint Mary Women's Basketball team played against Graceland Yellowjackets Wednesday, which resulted in a 76-56 win. The Spires are now 2-1 overall.

The first half started with a made jumper by Alanis Delgado to get Saint Mary on the board first, but Graceland responded with eight straight points to put the Spires down early. A couple of shots by Jerrica Johnson and free throws by Daija Planas got the Spires right back in the game. The Spires then went on a run as three-pointers from Demi Aamold, and Paige Pendley put Saint Mary up 17-9. The rest of the quarter saw only one more made basket for the Yellowjackets to make it a 17-11 game. After a made layup by Tanea Sims, Graceland went on a run to cut the lead to 21-19. Back-to-back layups by Alex Specht sparked a Saint Mary run as Johnson, Aamold, and Sims helped Saint Mary head into the locker room with a 38-24 lead.

Offensive production slowed for both teams coming out of halftime. Turnovers by Sant Mary helped keep Graceland in the game. A three-pointer by Aamold late in the third quarter gave the momentum back to Saint Mary. Johnson and Specht combined for eight points in the final minute of the quarter for USM. The momentum remained in favor of the Spires heading into the final quarter as strong defense from Saint Mary combined with late points by Mary Olson, and Shelby Salter helped ice the game as Saint Mary secured a big road win 76-56. Aamold and Johnson combined for 44 points on the night, while Specht led the team with nine rebounds.

Up Next

The Spires will play Park University at 6 PM on Saturday at the Ryan Sports Center.