Coming Up – Simon Fraser (January 11, Burnaby, Canada, 7:00 p.m.), Western Washington (January 13, Bellingham, Washington, 7:00 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.
 
Central Washington Edges Saints In Defensive Struggle – In a defensive struggle between Central Washington and Saint Martin's, the Wildcats escaped Marcus Pavilion with a 49-46 victory over the Saints. Early foul trouble for the Saints' (5-8, 1-4) leading scorers, Elin Johansson and Saniah Simpson-Patu, proved to be too much for SMU to overcome, despite trimming a Central Washington (7-6, 3-2) double-digit deficit to one possession in the final moments of the game.
 
Turnovers Prove Fatal In Loss To Northwest Nazarene –  After staying within three points at halftime, the Saints committed 14 second half turnovers as Northwest Nazarene pulled away 79-61 inside Marcus Pavilion on Saturday night. Saniah Simpson-Patu recorded her second career double-double at 13 points and 13 rebounds while Makenna Schultz set a new career-high in points with 22 to lead the Saints (5-9, 1-5); however, the Nighthawks' (9-2, 5-1) used a 26-4 run to overpower Saint Martin's and earn the road conference victory.
 
Johansson Chasing History – After 13 points last week, Elin Johansson has scored 949 points in her career, which ranks third in school history. She is 11 points away from claiming second in SMU history and only 51 points away from becoming only the second player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark in the NCAA-era.
 
Johansson Remains Near The Top Of Conference Leaderboard – Johansson, who battled four trouble in both games last week, combined for 13 points and eight rebounds. Despite the foul trouble, she still ranks third in scoring (16.2), third in field goal percentage (51.5), fifth in minutes played (31.1), sixth in blocked shots (1.0), ninth in rebounding (6.9), and 11th in defensive (4.6) rebounding.
 
Simpson-Patu Rises On Leaderboards After Hot Start – One of the top freshman in the conference and country, Simpson-Patu rose up on the GNAC Leaderboard after three explosive games. She began the conference season 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 against Oklahoma Christian and seven points and nine rebounds against MSUB. She now ranks third in defensive rebounding (5.9) sixth in rebounding (7.7), eighth in minutes played (30.4) and ninth in scoring (13.6).
 
Schultz, Developing Into A Star – Sophomore Makenna Schultz is finding her way, inside a competitive GNAC, after scoring a then 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. She was once again a spark off the bench against MSUB with 15 points and six rebounds. She earned a spot in the starting lineup and reward Christy Martin with a 13-point, 3-steal performance against CWU and a new career-high 22 points versus NNU. Schultz is now third on the team in scoring at 11.6 ppg, which ranks 19th in conference, along with 3.3 rpg and 1.6 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, followed by stuffing MSUB to 29.6 percent. Both WOU and CU struggled to find space beyond the arc as well, going 5-for-19 and 5-for-20 respectively. SMU followed up those performances by silencing CWU to 32.7 percent from the field. The Saints rank fourth in conference, holding their opponents to 37.1 percent overall.
 
Saniah Simpson-Patu Named Saint of the Month – Every month Saint Martin's selects one male and female athlete as Saint of the Month. Simpson-Patu after dominating opponents in the month of December and proving to be one of the best players in the conference, has earned the Saint of the Month award. The award marks her first of the collegiate career. 
 
Simon Fraser Preview – The Clan enter the week at 7-7 overall and 2-4 in conference action after falling to Concordia 79-69 on the road. Simon Fraser features a small team, with only eight players playing on a regular basis. Leading the Clan in scoring and rebounding this season is Sophie Swant at 13.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg while managing 1.1 bpg. Nicole Vander Helm is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg along with 4.5 rpg while Tayla Jackson averages 11.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Jessica Jones is the final Clan who scores in the double-digits on a nightly basis, coming in at 10.4 ppg while leading the team in steals at 1.7 spg. Tia Tsang and Taylor Drynan combine for 14.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg while Drynan leads the team in assists at 4.0 apg. As a team, Simon Fraser averages 70.8 ppg while allowing 68.9 ppg. The Clan shots as a unit 39.8 percent from the field, 33.8 percent beyond the arc, and 77.0 percent at the line. SFU records 31.8 rpg, the lowest in conference, 14.6 apg on 15.8 turnovers per game, along with 8.5 spg and 2.6 bpg.
 
Projected Starters For SFU:
G Taylor Drynan, G Nicole Vander Helm, G Jessica Jones, F Sophie Swant, C Tayla Jackson
 
Western Washington Preview – The 6-8 Vikings are 2-4 in conference action and before they host Saint Martin's, will face Seattle Pacific on Thursday. In their last five games, WWU is 1-4, with their lone win coming over Alaska. Leading the way for Western Washington this season is Hannah Stipanovich, who leads the team in scoring at 13.1 ppg, and is second in rebounding at 7.0 rpg. Stipanovich also ranks first on the team in steals at 2.0 spg. Gracie Castaneda and Dani Iwami have been reliable scoring options for the Vikings, coming into the week at 10.7 and 10.4 ppg. Just coming back for WWU is Nikki Corbett, who in two games is averaging 10.5 ppg and 2.5 rpg. Lexie Bland and Anna Schwecke have each made 12 starts and combine for 14.7 ppg, 10.6 rpg, with Schwecke leading the team in rebounding at 8.6 rpg. Emma Duff, Kelsey Rogers and Amanda Lance have all seen action in every game for Western Washington this season. As a team, WWU is averaging 66.5 ppg, while allowing 64.0 ppg. The Vikings are shooting the ball 40.5 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.1 percent at the line. WWU records 39.8 rpg, 14.8 apg on 19.5 turnovers per game, along with 7.0 spg, and 3.4 bpg.
 
Projected Starters For WWU:
G Gracie Castaneda, G Dani Iwami, G Lexi Bland, F Anna Schwecke, F Hannah Stipanovich
 
GNAC Recap – Alaska Anchorage once again won both conference games and improved to 6-0 in conference action and 13-1 overall. Northwest Nazarene fell to 5-2 in conference and 9-3 overall but remains in second place. Seattle Pacific, Concordia, and Montana State Billings are all tied for third in the standings at 4-2 while Central Washington remains close behind at 4-3. Simon Fraser, Western Washington, and Western Oregon are all gridlocked at 2-4 while Saint Martin's and Alaska round out the standings at 1-5 and 0-6 in conference.