LACEY, Wash. – The Saints offense never had an off moment in their opener against Northwest Christian, shooting over 50 percent from the floor, scoring 94 points, and having 11 different players score. The Saints cruised in the second half to a 94-74 victory over the NAIA opponent out of Eugene, Oregon, the Beacons of Northwest Christian.
 
Chandler Redix and BJ Standley combined to shoot 11-for-19 from the floor and led the Saints (3-1) in scoring with 15 and 14 points respectively. Rhett Baerlocher added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and EJ Boyce and Luke Chavez combined for 16 points and six assists. The Saints had it all working on the offensive end all game, and after allowing 50 points in the first half, limited the Beacons to only 24 in the final 20 minutes.
 
"We have to give a lot of credit to Northwest Christian," said head coach Alex Pribble. "They are a good offensive team and shot the ball well. With that sided, we have a lot to learn defensively and this will be a great game to learn from and make improvements. We had some great contributions from Chandler Redix and BJ Standley. They both did a remarkable job of taking care of the ball and making some plays for their teammates."
 
Jordan Kitchen and Redix started the Saints off on the offensive end of the court, scoring seven of the first 10 points. Northwest Christian matched each basket in the early goings, with the game tied at 10-10 just over three minutes. The Beacons converted a 3-point and took their largest lead of the game at 13-10.
 
The Saints quickly answered right back, with Tavian Henderson connecting with Baerlocher for a dunk. Baerlocher, on the next offensive possession, drilled his first 3-pointer of the night to put SMU back on top. The Saints went on a 11-2 run including Henderson's and Baerlocher's baskets to open up a 21-15 lead.
 
Using the run, the Saints' offense found its flow and the baskets continued to come from every Saints who took the court. All 10 Saints that saw action in the first half, scored at least two points in the first 20 minutes. With that the Saints' lead grew to as many as 15 with 4:43 left in the half.
 
When it looked like the Saints had the game put away, the Beacons managed to end the half on a 16-7 run. With that run, lead shrunk from 15 to only six, and the easy victory for the Saints was put on hold.
 
SMU came out of the break with some offensive spark, with Baerlocher hitting the layup, and Chavez managing a 3-pointer to put the lead back into the double-digit range. Northwest Christian continued to hang around, trimming the lead back to six with 16:08 remaining.
 
The guard play by the Saints continued to be bulk of their offense, this time Boyce and Redix fueling the drive, and opening a 72-59 lead with 10:53 left. Over the course of the remainder of the game, the Saints' defense managed to adjust and take away the strength of the Beacons, with was driving at the rim with their guards. Without the push, the Beacons settled for long range shots, which they were never able to find their stroke.
 
Saint Martin's offense neared the century mark, dropping 94 in the home opener, and limited the Beacons to only 24 points in the second half. The Saints improved to 3-1 on the season in the 94-74 win.
 
As a team, the Saints shot 50 percent or better in each of the halves, and combined for 36-of-69 (52.2 percent) from the field. SMU cooled off in the second half from beyond the arc, shooting 47 percent to 25 percent, and a total of 11-for-29 (37.9 percent) for the game. At the line, the Saints were 11-for-16 (68.8 percent).
 
The Saints collected 46 points in the paint, including 21 points off turnovers. SMU collected 45 rebounds, and had 24 assists with only 14 turnovers. The bench scored a combined 38 points in the total team effort win.
 
The Saints travel back to California for two more games this week, facing Notre Dame de Namur to start on November 23. Live stats and video of the games will be available on smusaints.com.