Coming Up – Hawaii at Hilo (November 14, Lacey, Washington, 7:00 p.m.).

COMPLETE MEDIA GUIDE
 
Live Stats/Live Video – Live Stats and Live Video of SMU's Basketball Games will be available with links found on smusaints.com. Live stats and video will be produced by the Host Team.
 
Listen On Bryant and Clark Sports Connection - The Saint Martin's Men's game will be broadcasted on the Bryant and Clark Sports Connection with links to broadcast found on smusaints.com.
 
Social Media – Follow the Saints on Twitter (@SMUSaints_MBB) and follow SMU Athletics on Facebook (Saint Martin's Saints), Twitter (SMUAthletics), Instagram (saints_athletics) and YouTube (SMU Athletics).
 
Ticket Information - SMU students get in free to all SMU home games with a valid student ID card and tickets are available for only five dollars. Seniors/Military/Non-SMU Students get in for three dollars. Children under the age of 11 get in free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling Abbey Bergquist at 360-438-4305.
 
Saints Show Off Offense In Fresno Pacific Victory EJ Boyce and Jordan Kitchen combined for 44 points as the Saints shot lights out in the 95-79 victory over Fresno Pacific at the GNAC/PacWest Challenge, hosted by Western Oregon. The Saints (1-0) found their grove early, going on a 15-0 run to open the game and used 14-for-28 shooting beyond the arc to cruise to a 16-point victory over Fresno Pacific (0-1). Luke Chavez and Boyce connected with back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game before Kitchen and Matt Dahlen made baskets to put the Saints up 10-0. Another bucket for Dahlen and a 3-pointer by Rhett Baerlocher capped off the 15-0 start with 17:54 left in the first half. The Saints continued their barrage from beyond the arc over the next six minutes, drilling four more 3-pointers to extend their lead to 31-10 at the 11:19 mark in the first half. The freshman combo, BJ Standley and Tavian Henderson, found each other in the paint for dunk and a 23-point lead, their largest of the game. The Sun Birds began slowly chipping away that SMU's lead before a 10-0 run by Fresno Pacific cut the score to 44-33 with 2:45 left in the half. Caden Smith came off the bench to provide a run snapping 3-pointer and sparked a 10-5 run by the Saints to close out the half at 54-38. Fresno Pacific began the second half on a 7-1 run in the opening five minutes, while the Saints' offense failed to score their first field goal until Kitchen's dunk at 14:28 left in the game. A basket by Kitchen and back-to-back 3-pointers by Boyce stretched the Saints' lead back to 16 at 57-41 with 12:17 left in the half. Standley scored seven of the next eight points for the Saints as SMU and Fresno Pacific traded baskets down the stretch. Saint Martin's extended their lead out to 19 before closing out the game for a 95-79 victory to open up the 2017-18 regular season. "It's nice to start the season off with a win," said head coach Alex Pribble. "But this is much more about the process than the result for us. We shared the ball well offensively, but we have to improve upon on the defensive end." EJ Boyce led the game with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor and 7-for-10 beyond the arc, along with three rebounds and three assists. Jordan Kitchen, the 2017-18 Preseason All-Conference selection, opened up the year with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Rhett Baerlocher and BJ Standley scored 11 and 10 points respectively while combining for eight rebounds and five assists. Luke Chavez added nine points with four rebounds and four assists while Tavian Henderson provided eight points and three rebounds off the bench. "We got a great performance from Jordan (Kitchen) tonight," said Pribble. "He brought consistent energy and rebounded the ball well. EJ (Boyce) also shot the ball very well for us." The Saints as a team shot effectively from the floor, 33-for-67 (49.3 percent) and 14-for-28 (50.0 percent) beyond the arc. At the free throw line, SMU converted 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) chances. The Saints won the battle on the boards against Fresno Pacific to a tune of 43-to-32. Saint Martin's collected 14 assists on 14 turnovers, with five blocks and three steals. "We will have a great test against Point Loma tomorrow night," Pribble said. "They are a very good offensive team, so it will be a good challenge to see if we can improve on that end of the floor."
 
Point Loma Escapes Saints' Comeback Attempt –Point Loma converted their final attempts at the free throw line to hold off the Saints comeback attempt in an 85-77 game to conclude the GNAC/PacWest Challenge, hosted by Western Oregon. Four Saints scored in double-digits with Luke Chavez leading the way with 20; however, Point Loma won the battle on the boards (37-23) and connected for 38 points in the paint to secure the victory. The Saints (1-1) jumped out to quick 5-2 edge over Point Loma (2-2) on baskets from Chavez and EJ Boyce. The Sea Lions responded by taking a 21-10 lead, fueled by a 15-1 run with 12:05 left in the first half. SMU marched back, starting with a 3-pointer by Rhett Baerlocher, followed up by baskets from Jared Mathews, BJ Standley and Boyce. Matt Dahlen grabbed the offensive board and got the tip-in to put the Saints ahead 29-27 at the 6:38 mark. Saint Martin's lead stretched to seven twice in the following minutes with the Saints up 38-31 at 1:53 left in the first half.  The Sea Lions closed out the half with 10 unanswered points to take a 41-38 lead into the locker room. Out of the break, Dahlen and Chavez hit baskets in the paint to put SMU back up 42-41. Point Loma regain the lead at 45-44 before Chavez knocked down the 3-pointer to respond back at 47-45 with 16:32 left. A 9-2 run by Point Loma looked to be the turning point as the Sea Lions' lead extended to five. Free throws by Tavian Henderson and Standley put the Saints back within striking distance for Baerlocher, who knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer, 62-60, at 8:07 left in the game. The Sea Lions jumped back out front, with the Saints closing the gap to one after a Chavez 3-pointer at the 5:11 mark. In the final five minutes, Point Loma converted 7-of-8 free throws along with a key 3-pointer to outlast the Saints' comeback and secure the 85-77 victory. "We have to credit Point Loma," said head coach Alex Pribble. "They are a very good team, and they are very physical. This game was ultimately determined by our inability to rebound the ball, and get defensive stops at crucial moments. We need to watch film and improve on the defensive end. Our guys played hard, but we had a number of position breakdowns and mental lapses, and when you play good teams, those lapses cost you." Chavez shot the ball efficiently (7-for-12) for a team-leading 20 points, along with his two assists and one rebound. Dahlen (14 points), Baerlocher (12 points) and Standley (13 points) combined for 39 points and eight rebounds. Henderson provided seven points, team-leading five rebounds and three assists off the bench in 23 minutes of action.  As a team, the Saints shot 27-for-55 (49.1 percent) from the floor, 9-for-22 (40.9 percent) beyond the arc, and 14-for-19 (73.7 percent) at the charity stripe. The Saints collected 12 assists on 12 turnovers with 23 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. "We're excited to get back home and play in front of our home crowd on Tuesday," Pribble said. "Hopefully we'll see a lot of people back at Marcus Pavilion."
 
Hawaii Hilo Preview – The Vulcans dropped their first game of the GNAC/PacWest Challenge, 87-75, to Simon Fraser before upsetting Nationally Ranked Western Washington, 80-76, in Bellingham, Washington. In their two games, Hawaii-Hilo's offense has focused around three scorers. Ryley Callaghan leads the team with 22.0 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc. Former Saint Martin's Saint, Trey Ingram, is second on the team with 19.5 points per game with Devin Johnson adding 12.0 points per game. Eric Wattree III and Denhym Brooke have combined for 15.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. Johnson leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game with Brooke adding 6.0 boards per game. Callaaghan has proven to be passer along with a scorer, leading the team with 4.0 assists per game. As a team, the Vulcans are scoring 77.5 points per game on 41.6 field goal percentage and 31.5 3-point field goal percentage. At the line, Hawaii-Hilo is an above average team, shooting 75.6 percent. The Vulcans average 38.0 rebounds per game, 14.0 assists per game on 11.5 turnovers per game, along with 4.0 blocks and steals per game.
 
GNAC Recap – Beginning the 2017-18 season off perfect is five GNAC teams with four going 2-0. Concordia, Montana State Billings, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon all began the season perfect at 2-0 with Northwest Nazarene winning their season opener. Simon Fraser's 2-0 start marks the first time since SFU transitioned to the NCAA. Alaska, Central Washington, Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific, and Western Washington all split their opening two games. Alaska Anchorage began the season with a victory before dropping their next two for a 1-2 record.