LACEY, Wash. - Behind Elin Johansson's new career-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Saniah Simpson-Patu's 16-points, the Saints extended their win-streak to three games with a 69-59 victory over Biola University inside Marcus Pavilion.
Biola (1-2) attacked the offensive boards to trim a Saints' (3-2) 16-point fourth quarter lead to one possession; however, SMU held Biola without a field goal in the final 2:36 to pull away and secure the double-digit victory.
The Eagles jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in the opening minutes before a layup by Jayla Russ and a 3-pointer from Makenna Schultz jump started the Saints' offense. Biola used a quick 7-2 run to regain the lead at 13-10 at the 2:12 mark in the first quarter. Schultz connected on a jumper, and in the following possession, knocked down a 3-pointer to put SMU up 15-13. Two free throws by Johansson gave Saint Martin's the 17-16 edge at the end of one.
Both sides traded leads for a majority of the second quarter. With the Saints trailing 28-24 and 4:11 left in the half, Johansson converted two attempts in the paint and a Schultz runner swung the momentum in favor of SMU. Lauren Lindley came off the bench to make a basket in the paint and a free throw in the final minute of the half, and give Saint Martin's the 33-28 lead at halftime. The Saints held Biola scoreless in the final 4:11 minutes of the half.
Baskets by Simpson-Patu and Johansson extended the lead to 38-28, capping off the 14-0 run, with 7:37 left in the third quarter. In the next two minutes, Biola went on an 8-1 run and trimmed the score to 39-36. The Saints' defense stood tall once again, shutting down the Eagles' run and holding them scoreless for nearly four minutes as the Saints went on a 13-2 run to close out the third quarter.
A 3-pointer by Hannah Reynolds gave Saint Martin's their largest lead of the night at 57-41 with 7:01 left in the game. The Eagles crashed the boards, collecting eight offensive rebounds in the final seven minutes to spark a 15-4 run and close the Saints' lead all the way to 61-59 with 1:10 left. On the next Saints' possession, Simpson-Patu drove the lane and knocked down the clutch layup while being fouled. She converted the and one as the Saints finished the game 6-for-7 at the line to seal the 69-59 victory.
In 38 minutes of action, Johansson set a new career-high in points with 22 after shooting 7-for-15 from the field and 8-for-10 at the line, while collecting a game-high 12 rebounds and a team-leading four assists. Simpson-Patu tied her career-high in points with 15, and finished with six rebounds, four on the offensive end. Schultz came off the bench for 14 points, and six rebounds, while Reynolds added eight points and three assists.
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 23-for-55 (41.8 percent) from the floor, 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) beyond the arc and 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints ended with 43 rebound, 15 offensive, 14 assists on 13 turnovers, two blocks, and four steals. 28 points came in the paint, 17 from the bench and 13 from turnovers.
The Saints travel to Bellingham, Washington for the Lynda Goodrich Classic, starting Friday against Academy of Art at 12:00 p.m.. Live stats will be available for the game, with links on smusaints.com.
