Leavenworth, Kan. – The Tabor College men's basketball team let a first half lead slip away and could not recover as the Bluejays fell on the road to the Spires of the University of St. Mary by the score of 88-79, Wednesday night in Leavenworth, Kan.

Playing without the services of starting forward Dylan Clark-Knaeble who was lost for the season due to a broken hand, the Bluejays used a four-guard lineup to spark an offensive attack that had been struggling to score as of late.

Those personnel produced 43 first-half points and helped the Bluejays take a one-point lead into the halftime break against the Spires.

In the second half Tabor continued to put points on the board but struggled to slow down the Spires offensive attack. The Bluejays would keep it close but could not come up with big baskets or stops down the stretch as the Spires hung on for the nine-point victory.

Junior Ryan Chippeaux led all scorers in the game with 18 points while fellow junior Lawson Kingsley chipped in with 15 points. Seniors Phillip Jimenez, Kyle Wallace and Joe Penn also reached double figures on the night. Jimenez added 11 points, while Wallace and Penn each chipped in 10 points.

The Bluejays finished the game shooting 44 percent from the field and 53 percent from behind the arc while dishing out 11 assists to 11 turnovers for the game. Wallace led the way with four assists, while Kingsley added three assists.  The undersized Bluejays also lost the battle on the boards by 14 at 39-25.

Tabor (4-5 KCAC, 8-12 Overall) will return home to host Southwestern College Saturday Jan. 21. The junior varsity game is scheduled for 3 p.m. with the varsity game to follow at 7 p.m.