LACEY, Wash. – Complete team effort by Western Washington lifts Vikings over Saint Martin's to a tune of 79-51, inside Marcus Pavilion on Thursday.
 
Entering the game, Western Washington (11-12, 7-8) had defeated Saint Martin's (6-17, 2-13) for 21 straight games, and the Vikings put together a full 40-minute effort to extend the streak to 22 games.
 
The Vikings jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter after a 3-pointer. Within the matter of 27 seconds, the Saints rattled off seven points, five from Makenna Schultz, to tie the game at 9-9 with 6:38 left in the quarter. However, Western Washington answered back with a 12-0 run, stretching over four minutes, to regain control at 21-9 with 2:12 left. WWU extended their lead to 12 after one quarter.
 
The Saints struggled to find their offense in the start of the second quarter, going nearly seven minutes with only one made field goal. Meanwhile, Western Washington stretched the lead to as many as 20. In the final four minutes, the Saints looked to pick up momentum, outscoring WWU 8-4, including 3-pointers by Hannah Reynolds and Rebekah Baugh. SMU cut the score to 42-26 going into the locker room.
 
Saint Martin's and Western Washington traded baskets throughout most of the third quarter, with the lead staying within the 15 point range. The Vikings closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run to push the score to 60-39 entering the final quarter.
 
Western Washington's lead touched as many as 30 in the fourth quarter as four Vikings scored in double-digits to lead WWU to the 79-51 victory. The Vikings shot 10-for-20 beyond the arc and outrebounded the Saints 45-23 to control the paint for all 40 minutes.
 
Saniah Simpson-Patu led the Saints with 13 points, along with five rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of action. Mercedes Victor put together an efficient game, shooting 6-for-12 and finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and two steals for Saint Martin's. Baugh and Schultz combined for 16 points and five rebounds.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 19-for-55 (34.5 percent) from the field, 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) beyond the arc, and 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints recorded 23 rebounds, nine assists on 14 turnovers, with eight steals and one block.
 
The Saints will host Simon Fraser on Saturday inside Marcus Pavilion at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.