ST. GEORGE, Utah – With the Saints only trailing by two, 56-54, with less than two minutes in the game, Colorado Mesa knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to seal the 66-54 win. After starting the game hot from beyond the arc, the Saints struggled to continue their flow from deep, shooting 8-for-24.
 
Six different Saints (1-1) scored six or more points, led by Makenna Schultz and her 13 points, along with her six assists. Claire Dingus followed up her 14-rebound collegiate debut with seven points and seven rebounds. The Saints and Mavericks (1-0) battled closely throughout most of the game, with SMU taking an early lead before Colorado Mesa managed to take the lead at the end of the first quarter. The Mavericks continuously held a small lead over the Saints and closed out the game on a 10-0 run to secure the win.
 
Schultz started the game by hitting all three of her shots from deep and push the Saints out to a 13-4 lead, their largest of the game. Colorado Mesa managed to quickly erase the deficit and even took a lead by the end of the quarter, using a 12-1 run.
 
Each time the Saints managed to find some offensive flow and trim into the lead, Colorado Mesa always had an answer. After a Rebekah Baugh 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark of the second quarter, Colorado Mesa connected on a 3-pointer of their own. Saint Martin's cut the score to 32-27 at the break after ending the half with a 3-point play by Baugh, and a pair of free throws for Saniah Simpson-Patu.
 
Both sides traded baskets for a majority of the third quarter, with Colorado Mesa stretching their lead to as many as nine. A 3-pointer by Jayla Russ and a basket in the paint by Megan Nilsson at the end of the quarter pushed the score back down to 47-43.
 
After Colorado Mesa holding a lead through the whole second and third quarter, at the 5:10 mark, the Saints managed to tie the game. A 3-pointer by Dingus, and another layup from Nilsson knotted the game at 51-51. However, in the final minutes of the game, with the Mavericks leading by one possession, back-to-back 3-pointers a fast break layup and a pair of free throws gave Colorado Mesa the punch they needed to fight off the Saints for a 66-54 win.
 
Schultz, after hitting nine points in the first quarter, finished the game with 13 points, but led the team with six assists, and only had one turnover. Dingus had another seven boards, with three coming on the offensive glass. In 22 minutes, Russ scored nine points, including two 3-pointers. Simpson-Patu, Nilsson, and Baugh combined for 22 points, and 13 rebounds.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 18-for-46 (39.1 percent) from the floor, 8-for-24 (33.3 percent), and 10-for-13 (76.9 percent) from the line. The Saints scored 14 points in the paint, six points off turnovers, and 11 points coming from the bench.
 
The Saints quickly turnaround and face the host team Dixie State, tomorrow, Saturday, November 17 at 12:00 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available with links on smusaints.com.