RIVERSIDE, Calif – Five Saints score in double-digits, including Jared Mathews' 19 points as Saint Martin's upsets No. 7 Cal Baptist 93-88 to wrap up the Cal Baptist Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The Saints (5-1) handed the Lancers (6-1) their first loss of the season after shooting over 50 percent beyond the arc, along with 38 bench points in offensive shootout, to extend their win streak to four.
 
EJ Boyce provided the Saints with a spark in the early going, connecting on two 3-pointers, as the Saints hit four of their first five attempts outside the arc. Saint Martin's led 14-7 with 15:41 left in the half. The Lancers rallied with an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 15-14 with 13:56 remaining in the first half.
 
Cal Baptist took the 23-17 lead on back-to-back threes before five straight points from Jared Mathews and a layup by Tavian Henderson cut the score to 25-24. Jordan Kitchen connected on a jumper to SMU ahead by one with 9:43 minutes left in the half. Kitchen capped off the 11-2 run with a bucket in the paint.
 
Cal Baptist slowly chipped away at the Saints' lead to regain the lead at 32-30 with 6:38 left in the half. A 3-pointer by Boyce and a layup by Matt Dahlen threw the edge back to the Saints in the following possessions. The Saints scored five straight points in the closing minutes of the half to take a 44-41 lead into halftime.
 
Both sides traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half with the Saints holding a 54-50 lead with 15:53 remaining. The Saints began attacking down low with buckets by Kitchen, Henderson and Mathews to take their largest lead of the game at 64-56 with 12:46 remaining.
 
The Lancers trimmed SMU's lead to within one possession multiple times over the next four minutes; however, key field goals by Dahlen and Henderson kept the Saints on top. Cal Baptist tied the game at 73-73. The Saints responded quickly when Chavez found Mathews at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer to put SMU back up 76-73 with 6:26 remaining.
 
The Lancers took the 78-76 lead with exactly 5:00 minutes left, before Chavez hit an off-balance 3-pointer to give SMU back the lead. After the Lancers responded with a bucket, Chavez found a cutting Henderson for an open dunk and an 81-80 lead. Chavez struck again with a 3-pointer on the following Saints' possession with only 3:00 minutes remaining.
 
The Saints' lead extended to 88-83 after baskets from Dahlen and Henderson in the paint. A 3-pointer by Cal Baptist brought them to within one; however, once again, Dahlen and Henderson connected in the paint to extend the lead to five. Chavez iced the game with two free throws with three seconds left as Saint Martin's upset No. 7 Cal Baptist 93-88.

"This one is special," said head coach Alex Pribble. "Our guys really came together on this road trip; they've started to trust each other and that trust led to the result tonight. Everyone that stepped on the court gave great minutes, found a way to contribute and make their teammates better. I'm so proud of these guys. Jared Mathews put together a great performance against some of the top big men in the West Region. He sparked us offensively, but we had five guys in double figures. It was really a team win tonight."
 
Mathews recorded a career-high 19 points, on 7-for-11 shooting and 3-for-3 beyond the arc. Dahlen added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double in a Saints' uniform. Chavez (17 points, 5 assists), Kitchen (14 points, 7 rebounds) and Henderson (10 points, 2 steals) all reached the double-digit mark in scoring. The five Saints combined for 76 of the 93 points for SMU.

"Cal Baptist and Coach Croy have done an incredible job making this program so tough," Pribble said. "The environment is great, the players are all talented and well coached. Those are the things that make this road win even more special for us. We know how good they are."
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot the ball efficiently going, 34-of-63 (54.0 percent) from the floor, 11-for-20 (55.0 percent) beyond the arc, and 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) at the line. The Saints recorded 28 rebounds, 17 assists on only nine turnovers, with five blocks and eight steals. The Saints shot 63.3 percent from the floor in the second half.

"As coaches we try to find out what our team's potential is, and then hold them to that standard everyday," stated Pribble. "Now we know our guys have a very high ceiling, the challenge will be to find consistency with that type of performance."
 
Saint Martin's begins conference action next week, November 30 against Central Washington in Ellensburg, Wash. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with live video and stats links available on smusaints.com.