Avila’s Last-Second Shot at Saint Mary Falls Short

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – In a back-and-forth battle until the bitter end, Avila men's basketball (1-2, 0-1 KCAC) had a chance to pull out a victory at the buzzer, but James Ross' game-winning bid went just offline, lifting Saint Mary (5-2, 1-0 KCAC) to a thrilling 55-54 victory to begin KCAC play in the 2023-24 season on Wednesday night in Leavenworth.

The game was as much of a defensive battle and a tight contest as the final scoreline would indicate. The game featured five lead changes and a whopping 13 ties, and the largest lead either team had was six points – it was played within two possessions for the full 40 minutes, and with neither team able to shoot or score well consistently, the game was ultimately decided by one final shot.

Saint Mary's lead was just two with five minutes to play when Quentin Williams notched a steal setting up Joey Schultz for a breakaway dunk, and Deshaud St. Martin later followed with a three-pointer, giving the Spires a 54-49 edge with 2:31 to play – what felt like a commanding lead given how tightly played the whole game had been.

But the Eagles did not quit. Instead, James Ross III scored five straight points in less than 30 seconds, tying the score at 54 on a three-pointer off an assist from George Williams. St. Martin was able to make just one free throw on the Spires' next possession, giving the home team a one-point lead with 90 seconds to play. Both teams misfired on threes keeping the score the same, but even though USM got an offensive rebound on their miss, Avila got the ball right back off a steal from Robert Lee III, giving Avila a chance at midcourt.

Head coach Tyler Bredehoeft and company got a timeout in with 24 seconds left down one, setting up a play to give the Eagles a shot at a last-second win. They got Ross a shot with about five seconds left that went offline, and a scramble for the ensuing rebound ultimately ended with the ball in Avila's possession – and the Eagles got another timeout in with just seconds remaining.

After a review, it was determined that 1.1 seconds were left on the clock. Avila had another chance to snag a last-second win. After USM countered with a timeout to set its defense, Jaren Miller stepped in to inbound the ball with hardly any time remaining and somehow got it to Ross once again – but once again, the shot went offline, and the Spires managed to escape their home gym with a 55-54 win.

St. Martin turned in yet another strong performance in his USM career with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds; Schultz scored 15 points with four assists and three steals. Ross has emerged as an offensive catalyst for the Eagles, and led the team with 15 points; Jehoiada Goins had his best game as an Eagle, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting along with four boards.

Up next, Avila men's basketball returns to Mabee Fieldhouse for their first home game of the 2023-24 season this Saturday, November 18 against Southwestern. Tipoff is set for 3 PM, following the conclusion of the women's game; as always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Kansas City.