Coming Up – Central Washington (January 4, Lacey, Washington, 7:00 p.m.), Northwest Nazarene (January 6, Lacey, 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.
 
Saints' Game-Tying Shot Barely Falls Short – Trailing by two points and four second left on the clock, freshman Saniah Simpson-Patu drove the middle of lane, pulled and her game-tying shot rattled around the rim and rolled out as Montana State Billings escaped the Saints' fourth quarter comeback attempt 58-56 on Saturday. After trailing by 12 points in the fourth quarter, Saint Martin's (5-7, 1-3) began chipping away at the Yellowjackets' (10-4, 3-1) lead to create an opportunity to send the game into overtime; however, Simpson-Patu's pull up jumper just missed in the final seconds.
 
Johansson Remains Near The Top Of Conference Leaderboard – Johansson put together a complete game against Montana State Billings, scoring 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. She ranks second in scoring (17.8), third in minutes played (33.4), fifth in blocked shots (1.0), fifth in field goal percentage (51.3), sixth in rebounding (7.4), and tenth in defensive (5.1) 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 last weekend 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 fifth in defensive rebounding (5.5) seventh in scoring (14.3), tied for sixth in rebounding (7.4), and 18th in offensive rebounding (1.9).
 
Schultz, A Scoring Weapon Off The Bench – Sophomore Makenna Schultz is finding her way coming off the bench after scoring a 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. Schultz is now third on the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg, which ranks 25th in conference, along with 3.4 rpg and 1.8 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. In the six games the Saints' have held their opponents to under .350 percent from the field, SMU is 4-2. The Saints rank second in conference, holding their opponents to 37.0percent 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.  
 
Saints On National Leaderboards – Elin Johansson, 49th in field goals made (82).
 
Central Washington Preview – The 6-6 overall Wildcats of Central Washington will look to jump back on the right side of win/loss column after dropping two straight games. Central features three double-digits scoring threats, led by Jasmin Edwards and Sadie Mensing, who both average 13.8 points per game. Edwards is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent beyond the arc this season, along with a team-leading 5.0 assists per game. Mensing averages 4.2 rebounds per game while maintaining a 46.1 field goal percentage. Alexis Pana is the final Wildcat over the double-digit mark at exactly 10.0 ppg, along with 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 apg. Taylor Baird and Kaelie Flores will likely get the start as well, and both combined for 18.2 ppg, and 11.9 rpg. As a unit, Central Washington is scoring 73.1 ppg while allowing a league worst 71.1 ppg. CWU shots 41.7 percent from the field, 34.2 percent beyond the arc and 66.7 percent at the free throw line. The Wildcats average 39.8 rpg, 14.4 apg on 16.5 turnovers per game, along with 7.3 steals per game and 3.9 blocks per game.
 
Northwest Nazarene Preview – Winners of four of their last five games, including convincing wins over Concordia and Western Oregon, Northwest Nazarene enters the week 7-2 overall and 3-1 in conference. NNU will travel to Seattle Pacific before making the trip to Marcus Pavilion. Under second year head coach Steve Steele, the Nighthawks feature three scorers who average double-digits on a nightly basis. Led by Lexi Tubbs at 13.2 ppg, Tubbs also creates action down low and grabs 6.8 rpg. McKenna Walker brings in 12.9 ppg along with 3.7 rpg while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. Marina Valles comes off the bench is third in scoring at 10.1 ppg along with a team-leading 15 steals on the year. Raquel Jardine and Danielle Jardine both average 9.7 ppg and combined for 10.4 rpg while Raquel gets a starting bid and Danielle comes off the bench. NNU can also turn to Avery Albrecht and Colette Gall who equal 8.0 and 7.0 ppg respectively. As a team, NNU has dominated their opponents by scoring a league best 83.3 ppg and allowing only 68.2 ppg. The Nighthawks shoot 45.8 percent from the field, 38.6 percent beyond the arc, and 70.4 percent at the line. NNU averages 39.4 rpg, 16.4 apg on 17.2 turnovers per game, along with 10.8 spg, and 3.4 bpg.
 
GNAC Recap – Alaska Anchorage continues their perfect start to the GNAC schedule with a 5-0 record. Following closely behind is Seattle Pacific, Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings, who all carry a 3-1 record in GNAC action. Concordia, Central Washington and Western Washington all remained tied for the fifth overall spot in the standings with 2-2 records. Simon Fraser, Western Oregon and Saint Martin's will look to improve their standings after 1-3 starts while Alaska looks for their first win at 0-5.