LACEY, Wash. – The Saints tied the school record for most wins in a single season in the NCAA-era with a 75-68 victory over Central Washington, to wrap up the 2017-18 regular season.
 
Inside a packed and electric Marcus Pavilion, four Saints scored in double-digits, as the Saints (22-6, 15-5) grinded for all 40 minutes to take down Central Washington (15-12, 10-10) on senior night. The Saints and Wildcats will meet for a third time to open up the 2018 GNAC Championships, next week in Anchorage, Alaska.
 
Central Washington caught fire early, rattling off a 13-2 run in the opening minutes, in an attempt to bury the Saints. SMU began slowly chipping back with 3-pointers by Rhett Baerlocher and baskets by Luke Chavez and BJ Standley. With the lead down to just five with 12:34 remaining in the first half, Central scored six unanswered points to stretch the lead back to double-digits.
 
Once again, the Saints responded, going on a 14-3 run over the course of five minutes, taking the lead on a dunk by the senior Matt Dahlen. In the closing seconds of the first half, Chavez knocked down a jumper, and Tavian Henderson connected at the free throw line to put SMU on top 36-34 at halftime.
 
Central Washington started the second half off hot, scoring eight of the first ten points to recapture a four-point lead. The Wildcats' lead grew to as many as six in the second half, and held for a majority of the half. However, the Saints slowly fought their way back into the game to pull the score within one possession.
 
With the Saints trailing by four with 9:18 left the game, EJ Boyce connected on two of his biggest 3-pointers of the year, lifting the Saints on top by one and SMU never looked back. The Saints scored nine straight points in the closing minutes of the game, including another clutch 3-pointer by Boyce. Saint Martin's managed to find a way to pull out the 75-68 victory, earning their 22nd win of the season, tying the school record for most wins in the NCAA, set back in 2008-09.
 
Chavez led SMU with 19 points along with five rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes of action. Dahlen finished his playing career inside Marcus Pavilion with another stellar performance, ending with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and two blocks. Boyce and Baerlocher combined for 21 points and five 3-pointers. Jared Mathews and Jordan Kitchen added eight points and eight rebounds respectively.
 
The Saints shot 25-for-62 (40.3 percent) from the field, 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) beyond the arc, and 19-for-25 (76.0 percent) at the free throw line. SMU collected 40 rebounds, 16 assists on only nine turnovers, along with eight steals and four blocks.
 
The Saints and the Wildcats face each other for a third time this season, tipping off the 2018 GNAC Championships in Anchorage, Alaska on March 1. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com and gnacsports.com.