Women's Basketball Drops Road Matchup to Saint Mary in Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The Graceland University Yellowjackets women's basketball team fell to the University of Saint Mary 76–58 on Tuesday evening in a non-conference road matchup. The loss drops Graceland to 0–3 overall, while Saint Mary improves to 2–1. Graceland remains 0–0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.

Graceland opened the game with a strong first quarter, shooting 52.6 percent from the field and outscoring the Spires 24–12. However, offensive struggles followed as the Yellowjackets managed just seven points in the second quarter, allowing Saint Mary's to tie the game 31–31 at halftime.

The Yellowjackets were paced by Maxine Ampofo, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, going 10-of-20 from the field. Oliviya Tinoco added 11 points, while Nateonia Russell posted 9 points, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 4 assists.

Graceland finished the game shooting 34.9 percent overall (22-of-63) and 18.8 percent from beyond the arc (3-of-16). Free-throw shooting proved costly as the Yellowjackets hit just 11-of-20 attempts (55 percent). Graceland committed 9 turnovers, tallied 10 steals, and was out-rebounded 52–31.

Saint Mary was led by Saige Grampsas with 14 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. The Spires shot 36.4 percent from the field and a strong 80 percent from the free-throw line (20-of-25), and outscored Graceland 34–4 on fast breaks and 21–10 off turnovers.

Head Coach Willie Scott acknowledged the team's effort and learning moments:

"We saw some good things in the first quarter, but we need to improve our consistency and communication on both ends of the floor. These early-season games are about learning how to respond when adversity hits, and we'll take this one as a learning opportunity."

Additional contributions came from Ianara Morbidoni (7 points), Kayla Smolley (4 points, 3 rebounds), and Brooklyn Davis, who logged key minutes off the bench.

Up Next

Graceland returns to Lamoni to host Waldorf University on Saturday, Nov. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CST inside the Morden Center.

For more information on Graceland women's basketball and all Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com