PORTLAND, Ore. – A career game from Saniah Simpson-Patu lifted Saint Martin's on the road over Concordia 74-65 for head coach Christy Martin's first GNAC victory on Saturday.
 
Simpson-Patu carried the Saints (5-4, 1-1) with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists while Johansson added 19 points and six boards as the Saints held off the Cavaliers' (5-3, 1-1) fourth quarter comeback attempt.
 
Both sides traded baskets in the early goings of the game, with Elin Johansson and Saniah Simpson-Patu scoring the first field goals for SMU. The Saints took their first lead of the game at 6-4 after a layup by Johansson at the 6:08 mark. Saint Martin's lead extended to 13-8 after a 3-pointer by Simpson-Patu and back-to-back buckets by Lauren Lindley, with 3:38 left in the quarter.
 
Rebekah Baugh drilled a 3-pointer to highlight the 11-2 run for the Saints as they carried a 20-10 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Cavaliers quickly responded in the second quarter, scoring eight straight points in the first two minutes and trimming the lead to 20-18. Jayla Russ stopped the run by Concordia with a layup at the 7:06 mark. A basket by Johansson and free throws by Hannah Reynolds held off the Cavaliers' comeback attempt until the final possession of the half. A jumper with eight seconds left put Concordia on top at 35-34 going into halftime.
 
Out of the locker room, a jumper by Johansson put SMU back on top. Simpson-Patu blocked a 3-pointer attempt and converted on the other end to extend the Saints' lead 40-37 with 7:27 left in the third quarter. The Saints continued to slowly increase their lead with field goals by Lindley and Simpson-Patu to 49-44 with 2:09 remaining.
 
The Cavaliers trimmed the score to one possession in the final minutes of the third quarter, with the Saints claiming the 50-49 lead.
 
Concordia took back the lead at 57-55 with 7:43 left in the game. The Saints' defense held the Cavaliers without a field goal for nearly two minutes to change the momentum back to SMU. A second chance bucket by Johansson and a 3-pointer by Simpson-Patu but SMU up 60-57.
 
Johansson knocked down two final baskets before fouling out with four minutes remaining. Baugh extended the Saints' lead to 67-60 with 2:33 left in the game. The Saints closed out the game on the free throw line, connecting on six of their final eight attempts to win 74-65 over Concordia.

"We shared the ball very well and played great team defense," said Martin. "Despite giving up far too many rebounds we were able to put enough pieces together for the win. Concordia is a very good team and is well coached. This is a big boost for our confidence moving forward to next week's game against Seattle Pacific."
 
Simpson-Patu put together a complete game, setting a new career-high in points with 23 while recording six rebounds and four assists. Johansson was second with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Baugh added 11 points and six rebounds while Lindley added seven points and six rebounds off the bench.
 
The Saints shot 23-for-44 (52.3 percent), 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) beyond the arc and 24-for-31 (77.4 percent at the free throw line. SMU recorded 29 rebounds, 12 assists on 12 turnovers, with four blocks and seven steals.
 
The Saints will take a week off before traveling to Seattle to face Seattle Pacific on Saturday, December 9 at 2:00 p.m. Live Stats and video links can be found on smusaints.com.