Coming Up – Oklahoma Christian (December 19, Lacey, Washington, 5:15 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 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.
 
Large Performances Not Enough Against Seattle Pacific - Despite 21 and 20-point performances by Saniah Simpson-Patu and Elin Johansson, the Falcons staved off the Saints inside Brougham Pavilion on Saturday. The Saints (5-5, 1-2) led early over Seattle Pacific (7-1, 2-1) behind the efforts of Simpson-Patu who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Johansson before the Falcons rallied in the second half and closed out the game on a 9-0 run. Seattle Pacific jumped out the early 7-3 lead before the Saints stormed back with an 8-2 run and took the 11-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Makenna Schultz with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The lead traded back and forth over the final minutes of the quarter, with a jumper by Schultz pushing the Saints in front 21-19 after one. The Falcons opened the second quarter by scoring eight of first 10 points to regain the lead at 27-23. A layup by Johansson and one cut the lead to 27-26 with 6:08 remaining in the half. Free throws by Mercedes Victory, playing in her first game of the season, starting a run by SMU that ended with a layup and one by Simpson-Patu to tie the game at 33-33 at the 2:56 mark. The Falcons extended their lead to six before Schultz hit a buzzer beater to send the game to halftime with a score of 41-37. Out of the break, the Saints tied the game at 41-41 on a layup from Johansson and a fastbreak bucket by Simpson-Patu. Seattle Pacific created some space with a 9-0 run over the course of three minutes. Points by Johansson and Schultz brought SMU back to within four before SPU closed out the quarter with an 11-point lead. The Saints continued to battle in the final quarter, using a 7-2 run, to cut the lead to 72-66 with only 3:28 remaining in the game. The Falcons clinched the victory 81-66 with a 9-0 run in the final minutes. Simpson-Patu added to her season totals with her first career double-double with 21-points and 14-rebounds (career-high). Johansson went 7-for-14 from the floor for a total of 20 points while grabbing six rebounds. Schultz came off the bench for 14 points and six boards, raising her scoring average to 10.3 ppg. As a team, Saint Martin's shot 24-for-63 (38.1 percent) from the floor, 2-for-10 (20.0 percent) beyond the arc, and 16-for-20 (80.0 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints recorded 40 rebounds with only three assists on 14 turnovers while managing six blocks and five steals.
 
Johansson Remains Near The Top Of Conference Leaderboard – After a 15-point, 8-rebound performance against Western Oregon and the 19-poin, 4-rebound, 3-assist night against Concordia, Johansson continued her run on the GNAC Leaderboard with a 20-point, 6-rebound, 2-block performance at Seattle Pacific. She ranks second in scoring (18.7), third in minutes played (33.4), fourth in field goal percentage (53.7), sixth in blocked shots (.90), eighth in rebounding (7.3), and tenth in offensive (2.4) and defensive (4.9) rebounding.
 
Simpson-Patu Rises On Leaderboards After Big Game – One of the top freshman in the conference and country, Simpson-Patu rose up on the GNAC Leaderboard after three explosive games. She began last weekend with 16-points, seven rebounds and two assists, in 29 minutes against Western Oregon. Leading the Saints over Concordia, Simpson-Patu scored a career-high 23 points, along with six rebounds, four assists on 9-for-15 shooting. She continued her run with a 21-point, and career-high 14-rebounds, for her first collegiate double-double. She now ranks fifth in scoring (14.9), tied for eighth in rebounding (7.3), eighth in defensive rebounding (5.3) and 15th in blocked shots (.60).
 
Schultz, A Scoring Weapon Off The Bench – Sophomore Makenna Schultz is finding her way coming off the bench after scoring a career-high 20 points against Western Oregon. She shot 8-for-13 from the field with two 3-pointers along with setting a career-high in rebounds with eight. Schultz eclipsed the double-digit scoring average with a 14-point performance at Seattle Pacific, along with six rebounds. Schultz is now third on the team in scoring at 10.3 ppg, which ranks 26th in conference, along with 3.3 rpg and 1.8 apg.
 
Saints' Defense Locking Down On Opponents – Defense has proven to be one of the Saints' strengths this season, holding Western Oregon and Concordia to .342 and .328 percent respectively from the field last week. Both WOU and CU struggled to find space beyond the arc as well, going 5-for-19 and 5-for-20 respectively. In the five games the Saints' have held their opponents to under .350 percent from the field, SMU is 4-1. The Saints rank fourth in conference, holding their opponents to 37.3 percent overall.
 
Efficient Offense Powers Saint Martin's – Much like their defense, Saint Martin's has proven to be effective on the offensive end of the floor. After shooting a season-high .523 percent from the field (23-for-44) against Concordia, the Saints improved to .422 percent overall. Their .422 percent ranks fourth in the GNAC.
 
Saints On National Leaderboards – Elin Johansson, 36th in field goals made (72), and 46th in points per game (18.7).
 
New Coach vs Legendary Coach – Two coaches on opposite sides of their careers face off with Christy Martin in her first year coaching the Saints with five total wins, while Stephanie Findley returns for her 33rd season and 604 career wins. Findley is one of only 65 coaches in women's collegiate basketball history to reach the 600-win mark.
 
Oklahoma Christian Preview – Traveling all the way from Oklahoma, the Eagles upset No. 24 Seattle Pacific on Monday night 75-70 to improve to 3-9 on the season. The Saints will have to stop Addy Clift who leads the team at 22.0 points per game and is third in rebounding at 4.1 per game. Clift recorded 42 points against Emporia State earlier this season, the most points scored by a single player to date in the 2017-18 season. Clift also leads the team in steals (15), minutes played (30.4) while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 37.5 percent beyond the arc, and 76.9 percent at the line. Audrey Hayes is second on the team with 8.2 points per game and leads with 4.8 rpg, while Katie Mayo averages 8.2 points per game and 4.4 rpg. Maddison Collyer and Delyssa Miller combined for 15.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. As a team, the Eagles are averaging 78.4 points per game while allowing 82.4 per game. The Eagles shoot 40.4 percent from the floor, 32.8 percent beyond the arc, and 74.0 percent at the line. OC averages 41.1 rpg, 13.4 assists per game on 16.7 turnovers per game, while managing 6.4 steals per game and 3.6 blocks per game.
 
GNAC Recap – After the weeks of GNAC action, Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings came out unscathed with 3-0 and 2-0 records respectively. Seattle Pacific's win over Saint Martin's leaped them up to third in the standings at 2-1. Northwest Nazarene, Concordia, Western Oregon, Western Washington, and Central Washington all remained tied at 1-1 with Saint Martin's closely behind at 1-2. Simon Fraser and Alaska both are looking for their first wins at 0-2 and 0-3 respectively.