Coming Up – Puget Sound (November 17, Tacoma, Washington, 6:00 p.m.), Pacific Lutheran (November 18, Tacoma, Washington, 2:00 p.m.).

COMPLETE MEDIA GUIDE
 
Live Stats/Live Video – Live Stats and Live Video of both of SMU's Basketball Games will be available with links found on smusaints.com. Live stats and video will be produced by the Host School.
 
Social Media – Follow the Saints on Twitter (@Saints_WBB) 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 six dollars. Seniors/Military/Non-SMU Students get in for four 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 Fall To Athletic Cal State San Bernardino –The Saints' offense struggled to find their shots in a 69-44 loss to Cal State San Bernardino to begin the 2017-18 season and the GNAC/PacWest Challenge, hosted by Western Oregon. Elin Johansson and Saniah Simpson-Patu started the game off with baskets before Hannah Reynolds connected for a 3-pointer to give the Saints (0-1) an 8-2 lead. After a basket for the Coyotes (1-0), Shyler Sullivan connected beyond the arc to extend the Saints' lead to 11-4 with 4:11 left in the first quarter. In closing seconds of the quarter, Johansson knocked down a shot inside the paint to give Saint Martin's a 14-9 lead. Cal State San Bernardino scored the first seven points of the quarter to take a 16-14 lead before Rebekah Baugh tied the game on a layup with 5:37 left in the half. After a made layup for the Coyotes on the following possession, Lauren Lindley worked in a layup to tie the game again at 18-18. The Coyotes broke open the score with 15 unanswered points as part of a 17-2 run to close out the half with CSUSB leading 35-20. The Coyotes began the third quarter like the second, opening up on a 13-2 run. The Saints' offense connected on four shots throughout the quarter as they were outscored 26-10 and trailed 58-30 going into the final quarter. Simpson-Patu led the Saints in the fourth quarter. scoring five of the Saints' seven unanswered points in the opening minutes. The Saints outscored the Coyotes 14-11 in the fourth: however, CSUSB limited the Saints to only seven second half field goals en route to the 69-44 victory. "We played undisciplined defensively," said head coach Christy Martin. "We were unable to keep the ball handler in front and we did a poor job of keeping their bigs off the glass. We lacked the heart that I know we have." Johansson led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds while Simpson-Patu added 11 points and five boards. Reynolds, was the only other Saints to reach five more points, ending with six points.  "Offensively, we were tentative and failed to move the ball," Martin said. "We went over dribbles and went away from our offense. We need to work on using our teammates and sharing the ball. I'm confident in our players; we just need to get our team to be confident in each other and themselves." As a team, Saint Martin's shot 14-for-52 (26.9 percent) from the floor and 2-for-8 (25.0 percent) beyond the arc. At the free throw line, SMU converted 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) attempts. The Saints committed 22 turnovers with six assists, seven steals and two blocks. SMU scored nine points off turnovers compared to 24 for CSUSB.
 
Second Half Surge Nearly Lifts Saints Over Dixie State –Opening the second half with a 10-0 run and outscoring Dixie State by nine in the second half was not enough in the 81-74 loss for Saint Martin's to wrap up the GNAC/PacWest Challenge. After trailing by 16 at halftime, the Saints (0-2) made adjustments to trimmed Dixie State's (1-1) lead to two in the second half. The Trailblazers shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc to stave off the Saints' comeback attempt. Dixie State jumped out early in the first quarter, backed by an 8-0 run, to take a 12-4 lead with 4:08 left in the quarter. Two free throws by Makenna Schultz led to two baskets in the paint for Saniah Simpson-Patu, cutting the score to 12-10 in only two minutes. The Trailblazers extended their lead out to 19-12 with a closing 7-2 sprint. Simpson-Patu and Lauren Lindley knocked down a pair of free throws to pull the Saints' within one possession to open the second quarter. Hannah Reynolds scored on the fastbreak to put Saint Martin's down one with 7:32 left in the half. Dixie State responded with 25-6 run to pull ahead and carried a 16 lead into halftime. Coming out of the locker room, the Saints looked like a different team. Beginning with a layup from Elin Johansson, the Saints began chipping away at the score. Jayla Russ, Rebekah Baugh, and Johansson all connected on their shots to pull the Saints within in six on a 10-0 opening run. Dixie State stretched the lead back to 51-41 with 6:16 left in the quarter until baskets from Russ and Reynolds put SMU within one possession again, 52-50, at the 2:55 mark. However, the Trailblazers closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run and a 60-52 lead. A pair of free throws by Johansson and a corner 3-pointer by Baugh once again drew Saint Martin's to within one possession at 60-57. Dixie State was able to hold off the Saints' second half rally by knocking down a couple baskets in the paint, along with two key 3-pointers, clinching the 81-74 victory. "We struggled to execute our game plan in the first half," said head coach Christy Martin. "We adjusted at half and did a better job of running their shooters off the 3-point line, which put us in a better opportunity to compete. I was pleased with the fight and competitive spirit to come back. Today was a building block. We need to use these early games to get better with each game so we can be competitive in league play." Johansson led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, along with three rebounds. Simpson-Patu put together a complete game with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Reynolds added 13 points, six rebounds and a team-leading five assists. Baugh, Russ and Shyler Sullivan combined for 19 points and six rebounds. As a team, the Saints shot 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor, 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) beyond the arc and 26-for-34 (76.5 percent) at the free throw line. Saint Martin's collected 39 rebounds, one shy of Dixie State, with 13 assists on 14 turnovers and three steals.  The Saints recorded 36 points in the paint along with 14 off turnovers and 14 from the bench.
 
Freshman Simpson-Patu showcases all-around skills – It did not take the freshman from Rainier Beach High School long to make an impact on the court for the Saints. Saniah Simpson-Patu recorded 11 points and five rebounds in her first collegiate game before posting a 15-point, nine rebound, four assist performance against Dixie State. Simpson-Patu leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 per game including five offensive boards. In her 57 minutes of action, she has only committed five turnovers and has taken 25 attempts at the free throw line.
 
Johansson picks up from last season – After earning All-Conference honors last season and being named to the preseason All-Conference team, Elin Johansson has not missed a beat in the early goings. Her scoring has improved 2.3 points per game from last season to 15.5 points per game. Johansson ranks seventh in conference in scoring. In the first two games, Johansson has collected 12 total rebounds, eight on the defensive end. Converting on 52.2 percent of her attempts, which ranks eighth best in the GNAC with 20 attempts or more.
 
Hannah Reynolds nearly averaging double-digits – In her senior season, Hannah Reynolds ranks third on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game. Leading the offense, Reynolds has recorded six assists, which ranks tied for 12th best in the GNAC. Reynolds has also improved her rebounding, up from 1.7 rebounds per game last season to 4.0 per game this year.
 
Schultz providing major minutes off bench – Sophomore Makenna Schultz turned some heads with her 20-point performance in the preseason and has been the Saints' number one option off the bench this year. In her two games, Schultz has played 43 minutes, fifth most on the team while averaging 3.5 points per game.
 
GNAC Recap – Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene have begun the season with three straight wins to put themselves tied atop the standings. Montana State Billings, Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon and Western Washington all have started 2-0 this year. Simon Fraser dropped their last game to fall to 2-2 while Alaska, Central Washington and Concordia all have one win and one loss. Saint Martin's rounds out the standings.