LACEY, Wash. – Despite a GNAC Tournament single game record 36 points by senior Tyler Copp, Saint Martin's 2016-17 season came to an end against Western Washington, 91-79, in front of the largest crowd inside Marcus Pavilion this year.

With the Vikings' lead cut to only 73-70 after two made free throws by Brandon Kenilvort late in the second half; Daulton Hommes' back-to-back lay-ups proved to be the dagger as Western Washington advanced to the GNAC Championship game.

The Saints struggled offensively to open up the game, not scoring a basket for the first five minutes of the game. Cole Preston broke the silence with a 3-pointer, which started a 14-0 run by the Saints and gave SMU the 14-11 lead with 11:09 left in the half.

WWU responded later in the half with a 9-2 run of their own to give them a 27-24 edge at the 6:28 mark. Western Washington ended the half on a 3-pointer by Jeffery Parker and took the 39-32 lead into the locker rooms.

SMU opened the second half on a 3-point play from center Fred Jorg and a trey from Copp to cut the score to 39-38; however, it was the closest the Saints came the rest of the night. Once again, WWU answered the call with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a breakaway dunk from Parker.

Copp, in his final game in a Saints uniform, scored 16 of the next 19 points for SMU over the next 10 minutes of the second half. Copp drilled a long range 3-pointer, followed by baskets in the paint from Jordan Kitchen, Preston and Kenilvort to pull the Saints within one possession. GNAC Player of the Year, Taylor Stafford sealed the victory with a perfect 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line, and a matchup against Western Oregon in the title game.

"I am tremendously proud of these guys. They battled for 40 minutes and they left it all out on the floor" said head coach Alex Pribble. "This is a special group of guys. They've worked hard, every day, to put themselves in a position to compete in these playoffs. Western Washington is a great team and we gave them a run tonight".

Copp, who broke the single-game scoring record with 36 points, shot 13-21 from the floor. 4-9 beyond the arc and 6-8 at the free throw line, along with four assists and three rebounds. Preston played all 40 minutes for a second straight night, almost finished with a double-double at 17 points and nine assists. Kenilvort provided 10 points off the bench while Kitchen finished with nine points and five rebounds. Jorg and Rhett Baerlocher combined for seven points as six Saints scored all 79 points.

"There was a lot of emotion tonight. It's not disappointment, it's more pride and happiness. The seniors that played their last game tonight, they deserve to go out on their home floor" said Pribble. "If you take on look at the packed gym tonight, at the excitement about Saint Martin's basketball – that's a credit to Preston, Kenilvort, Jorg and Copp. They've accomplished a great deal during their time here".

As a team, Saint Martin's shot the ball efficiently, 29-56 (.518) from the field, (6-19) beyond the arc, and 15-21 (.714) at the charity stripe. The Saints lost the rebound battle (43-23) but managed to collect more assists (14-9) and steals (8-4) than the Vikings.

"Thank you to everyone who came out to support us tonight" Pribble said. "The crowds have been terrific. I'm already looking forward to continuing the momentum next year. Go Saints!".

Recap: The Saints close the out the campaign 17-13 overall and their win over Concordia University in the quarterfinals was the first ever win in the GNAC Tournament in school history. Four Seniors will be leaving the team this offseason in the form of Copp, Preston, Jorg and Kenilvort.