LACEY, Wash. – Taylor Peacocke's last second layup toppled the Saints as Western Washington held on for the 59-57 victory inside the Marcus Pavilion.

After a game-tying 3-Pointer from Bayle Olsen knotted the game at 57-57 with just nine seconds left, Peacocke drove the length of the floor and rolled-in the game-winning bucket.

Both teams fought to gain an early advantage, but remained grid locked at 12-12. Western Washington (21-3, 15-1 GNAC) took a 14-12 lead on Peacocke's free throws, who finished with 17 points. Elin Johansson answered back for Saint Martin's (5-19, 1-15) with a basket to end the first quarter 14-14.

The Saints jumped out to the first significant lead after opening the second quarter on a 14-6 run, highlighted by buckets from Mercedes Victor and Johansson. SMU extended their lead to 30-20, their largest of the game, before taking the 30-22 lead into halftime.

The Vikings responded well out of the locker room, beginning the new half on a 14-5 run, shaving SMU's lead to 35-34 with 5:16 remaining. The lead traded sides four times in the next two minutes; however, SMU ended the quarter on a 3-Pointer from Hannah Reynolds and a 45-41 lead.

Saint Martin's lead extended to six before the Vikings countered with an 11-3 run to capture the 53-50 lead with 2:35 left in the ballgame. Johansson gave the Saints the lead back on a layup before a pair of free throws from two Vikings gave WWU a 57-54 lead. With 16 seconds left, head coach Tim Healy drew up a play to give Olsen the ball for an open three. Olsen knocked down the clutch game-tying basket with only nine seconds remaining. WWU counteracted with a layup from Peacocke and their 15th consecutive victory.

"Man what a tough loss. I thought we played so well tonight. Certainly well enough to win but it just didn't happen for us" said Healy. "I thought we executed the game plan very well, shared the ball and played with a lot of energy. The difference in the game was they shot 12 free throws in the second half and we shot four. In a two-point game, it's hard to overcome that disparity".

Reynolds led all SMU players with 17 points on 6-15 shooting, while Johansson added 15 points and three rebounds. Victor was the third Saint to score in double-figures with 12 points on 5-9 shooting and Olsen provided a spark off the bench with seven points. No Saints finished with five or more rebounds.

As a whole, SMU shot 22-55 (.400) from the field, 3-15 (.200) beyond the arc and went 10-12 (.833) at the free throw line. 11 of their 57 points came off the bench and the Saints grabbed 23 rebounds and collected 11 assists and six steals.

"I'm super proud of our effort and we look forward to practice Monday and another chance to get better" said Healy.

Up Next: The Saints make the long trip to University of Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 16 with a tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.