SEATTLE – 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.
 
The Saints will have over a week off before returning to Marcus Pavilion to host Oklahoma Christian on Dec 19 at 5:15 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.