HONOLULU, Hawaii – For the second-straight game in Hawaii, a Saint eclipsed her career-high in scoring, this time the freshman Claire Dingus blew her mark out of the water. Ending with 21-points along with nine rebounds, Dingus and the Saints muscled their way to a 69-59 victory over Chaminade.
 
Her previous career-high stood at 12 points; however, Dingus scored 15 alone in the second half, including 9-for-10 at the free throw line. Saniah Simpson-Patu ended with a double-double, marking 12 points and 10 boards. Makenna Schultz, despite not being able to find their shot from deep, still contributed with seven points, five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
 
The offense came slow for the Saints in the opener in Hawaii yesterday; however, they turned the page and were able to stifle the offense of Chaminade in the early goings. The Saints, with the scoring of Dingus, jumped out to a 12-3 lead before the swords rattled off six points to wrap up the first quarter 12-9.
 
Using the last six points of the first quarter, Chaminade fired off the first 10 points to complete a 16-0 run. Trailing 19-12 with 5:45 left in the half, Rebekah Baugh connected on two 3-pointers and in just three minutes, the Saints were leading 24-21 again. Chaminade hit a last second 3-pointer to send the game tied into halftime at 24-24.
 
The Saints took the lead back on a free throw by Megan Nilsson, over five minutes into the third quarter at 34-33. SMU continued to build on their lead down the stretch, with Dingus connecting with two baskets, and Nilsson adding six more points to hold a 45-40 lead, heading in the final ten minutes of action.
 
Chaminade managed to pull within one possession in the fourth quarter, until Dingus continued to dominate in the paint. With multiple offensive rebounds, and drawing three fouls, Dingus made her living at the line. Hitting seven free throws in the fourth quarter, she wrapped up the game and carried SMU to a 69-59 victory.
 
Jayla Russ and Nilsson combined for 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Baugh came off the bench for three 3-pointers, equaling her nine points. Baugh also ended with four rebounds, and Bria Thames was the seventh Saint to score, adding four points, but also gathering six rebounds.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's was 20-for-56 (35.7 percent), 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) beyond the arc, and 24-for-30 (80.0 percent) at the line. SMU grabbed 43 rebounds, compared to Chaminade's 34, along with 10 assists on only seven turnovers, eight steals and five blocks.
 
The Saints remain in Hawaii and travel to Hilo for their final game of the road trip, taking on the Vulcans of Hawaii-Hilo on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PST with ways to follow live on smsuaints.com.