LACEY, Wash. – After the Saints' offense had struggled to produce offense the last few games, the freshman Makenzie Kaech put together a 17-point, six rebound performance to lead the Saints to their first GNAC victory over Concordia, 81-68.
 
In only 22 minutes of action, Kaech scored more points against Concordia, than she had in the Saints' first six games. The freshman dominated the paint, along with Simpson-Patu's 18 points, and Makenna Schultz's 14, the Saints put together one of their most efficient offensive nights.
 
The Saints jumped all over Concordia in the early goings, outscoring the Cavaliers 23-9 in the first quarter. 3-pointers by Schultz and Simpson-Patu powered the Saints, opening up a lead as many as 15 in the first eight minutes.
 
Concordia managed to completely flip the script in the second quarter, outscoring the Saints to a tune of 23-7. Concordia eventually took their first lead of the game at 32-30 after a 14-2 run by CU closed out the quarter in the final three minutes and change.
 
Saint Martin's came out the halftime on fire, retaking the lead on a 3-pointer by Jayla Russ and extending their lead after a Claire Dingus basket. Concordia managed to cut the score to as little as one in the quarter, before SMU opened another double-digit lead by the end of the quarter.
 
Kaech and Simpson-Patu continued to provide the Saints in their offensive surge in the second half, as SMU outpaced Concordia 51- 36 in the second half. The Saints eclipsed the 20-point mark in three of the four quarters, and clinched their first win in GNAC play with a 13-point victory over Concordia.
 
Simpson-Patu and Kaech combined for 35 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for SMU on both ends of the floor. Schultz came off the bench with her 14 points, while Megan Nilsson added six points and a team-high nine rebounds. Russ managed 10 points and six rebounds, and Emma Kennedy contributed five points.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's was 27-for-64 (42.2 percent) from the floor, 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) beyond the arc. And 21-for-29 (72.4 percent) at the free throw line. SMU scored 33 bench points, 40 in the paint, and 21 off second chance opportunities.
 
The Saints remain at home, hosting NAIA opponent Northwest Christian on December 7 at 5:15 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.