LACEY, Wash. – An explosive first quarter by Oklahoma Christian proved to be too much for the Saints to overcome as they fell 87-72 at home to wrap up the 2017-18 non-conference schedule.
 
Despite the Saints shooting 55.0 percent from beyond the arc, and closing the Eagles' lead to within single-digits multiple times, SMU was never able to regain the ground lost early in the game.
 
The Saints (5-6) took their only lead of the game at 3-2 in the opening minutes on a layup by Elin Johansson layup. The Eagles (4-9) established control on a 10-2 run over the course of two minutes, fueled by 3-pointers and offensive rebounds. Oklahoma Christian's lead extended out to a game-high 19 points (32-13) by the end of the quarter, after knocking down six 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
 
Saint Martin's and Oklahoma Christian traded baskets for most of the second quarter, with the Eagles remaining on top 38-24 with 3:34 left in the first half. Makenna Schultz step off the bench and provided a spark by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. Schultz's baskets sparked a 12-5 run to close out the half, with Schultz hitting one more 3-pointer before halftime to trim the score to 43-37.
 
The Eagles quickly responded in the second half, stretching the lead back to 13 (52-39) in the first three minutes. Saniah Simpson-Patu connected on multiple 3-pointers and pulled the Saints to within 10 going into the final quarter.
 
Saint Martin's continued to attack, closing the gap to 10 points on multiple occasions; however, the Eagles responded each time and secured the 87-72 road victory.
 
Leading the Saints was Simpson-Patu with 16 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists. Johansson finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds while Schultz added 10 points and three assists off the bench. Rebekah Baugh knocked down 12 points and recorded four rebounds.
 
As a whole, Saint Martin's shot 24-for-66 (36.4 percent) from the floor, 11-for-20 (55.0 percent) beyond the arc, and 13-for-20 (65.0 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints recorded 42 rebounds, 14 assists on 16 turnovers, with five blocks and 10 steals.
 
The Saints will have over a week off for the holidays and will return to Marcus Pavilion on Dec 30 at 5:15 p.m. to host Montana State Billings. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.