Box Score

Senior Kerstin Hayes scored a game-high 15 points and passed out five assists to lead the Spalding University women's basketball team to a 61-56 win over Fontbonne University.

With the win Spalding improves to 2-7 on the season and 2-1 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) play.

The Lady Eagles fell behind 6-4 early in the first half. A pair of Kallie Ash free throws knotted the game at six and SU scored seven unanswered points, taking a 13-6 lead on an Ash three-pointer.

Fontbonne responded with a 6-0 run, cutting Spalding's lead to one at 13-12. SU pushed their lead back to as much as seven, and took a 35-30 lead into halftime.

The Griffins outscored SU 16-7 to start the second half, taking a 46-42 lead with 12:34 left in the game.

Kerstin Hayes connected from long range and Jessica Guy knocked down a pair of free throw to complete a 5-0 Spalding run to regain a 47-46 lead for SU.

Fontbonne would retake the lead 52-51 on an Erika Kuhn free throw with 5:17 remaining. Freshman Dee Sliter took over in the final five minutes, scoring seven of Spalding's final 10 points as SU won 61-56.

Spalding finished the game with a 34.4% from the field, while holding Fontbonne to 26.2% shooting from the floor. The Golden Eagles also held a 57-51 advantage on the boards and passed out 16 assists on 22 made field goals.

Kallie Ash and Dee Dee Sliter joined Hayes as players that scored in double figures. Ash scored 14 points, while Sliter added 13 points.

Jessica Guy paced SU on the boards, tallying a game-high 13 rebounds. Guy also scored six points and blocked two shots in 25 minutes of action.

Nicole Joerger led Fontbonne with 13 points, going 4 of 10 from the field. Olivia Hollander recorded a double-double for the Griffins, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The Lady Eagles will be back in action Tuesday, January 7 as they host Blackburn College. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m., ET at Derek Smith Gymnasium (DSG).