LACEY, Wash. – No win comes easy in the GNAC. It takes 40 minutes of grinding and determination to pull one off, and the Saints needed all 40 minutes to do so against Alaska Anchorage. The return of the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, Luke Chavez, and 18 points from Jared Mathews were exactly what 18th-ranked SMU needed in their 70-68 victory over UAA.
 
Playing in his first game in almost a month, Chavez showcased his skills with a 15-point performance, in only 26 minutes of action. However, his largest points of the game came with only seven seconds left, knocking down two free throws to ice the game. The Saints, who averaged 11.7 3-pointers per game, a GNAC best, only connected on four attempts, but focused their offense down low instead. Mathews scored on eight of his 10 shots, while Tavian Henderson added eight points and five rebounds, to highlight the Saints' 36 points off the bench.
 
It took the Saints some time to find any kind of success on the offensive end of the court. Trailing 10-2, over six minutes in the game, Henderson stepped in the paint, and slammed home back-to-back dunks to reboot the offense. Mathews scored the next five points to pull the game even at 11-11 with 10:59 remaining in the first half.
 
Both sides traded baskets down the stretch in the first half, until the 5:56 mark. Brennan Rymer, who led the Seawolves in scoring with 16, hit a 3-pointer to pull UAA within two. However, the basket proved to be the final made field goal of the half for Alaska Anchorage, as the Saints held UAA to only two free throws in the final six minutes. Meanwhile, Saint Martin's was able to pull ahead with a seven point lead, and carried it into halftime.
 
The field goal drought continued for the Seawolves in the second half, going until the 16:27 mark. Rymer connected on another 3-pointer, finally ending the nearly ten minute period without a field goal. In that time, the Saints' lead grew from only two points, to a 15-point lead with the scoreboard reading 37-22.
 
The Saints' lead topped off at 16 points, 44-28, with 14:47 remained on the clock, and the game looked to be all but over. However, the Seawolves did just the opposite. Hitting six straight free throws seemed to spark Alaska Anchorage's offense back to life, as they slowly crawled back into the game.
 
Over the next minutes of the game, Saint Martin's 16 point lead had dwindled all the way down  to 59-53, with only six minutes left to go. After a pair of free throws by Jordan Kitchen, the Seawolves connected on a deep ball to pull within four. Kitchen, on the following possession responded by hitting his own 3-pointer, from the top of the key, putting SMU back up 66-59 with 3:29 left.
 
The 3-pointer by Kitchen proved to be the final field goal converted by the Saints in the game, as SMU had to make due at the free throw line. Chandler Redix hit two attempts, but Alaska Anchorage continued to score. A 3-pointer, followed by two more free throws by Rymer, the game was now a one possession game at 68-66 with eight seconds left. With the game on the line, Pribble turned to his star player in Chavez hit win the game. Chavez calmly got both attempts to fall and the Saints managed to hold on 70-68, and held on to a share of the top spot in the GNAC standings.
 
Mathews led all scorers with 18 points, while Chavez was second on the team at 15 points. Redix ended with double-figures, scoring 11 points, and recording two blocks. Rhett Baerlocher and the Saints' leading scorer, EJ Boyce, finished with only two points; however led the team in rebounding with six and five respectively. BJ Standley added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists off the bench.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot an efficient 25-47 (53.2 percent) from the floor; however, only 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) beyond the arc, and 16-for-21 (76.2 percent) at the line. The Saints grabbed 29 rebounds, along with 11 assists on 16 turnovers, five blocks, and three steals.
 
Saint Martin's plays host to fellow Alaska school, Fairbanks, on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video, along with an internet radio broadcast by The Bryant and Clark Sports Connection will be available on smusaints.com.