ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The freshman sensation, Claire Dingus, continued her impressive tear, grabbing 14 rebounds, and a new career-high 22 points in the 85-82 road loss to Central Washington.
 
The Saints held an eight point lead entering the fourth quarter; however, the regionally ranked Wildcats saved their best offense for last. Outscoring the Saints 25-14 in the fourth quarter, Central Washington knocked off the Saints by three. 30 points came off the bench for the Saints, led by Makenzie Kaech and her 12 points, along with five rebounds.
 
Central Washington controlled the game in the early goings, claiming a 13-4 lead in the first four minutes. By the end of the quarter, the Saints trimmed the lead down to four, with Rebekah Baugh hitting a 3-pointer, and Kaech scoring twice down low.
 
Saint Martin's continued to chip away at the lead throughout the second quarter, until a fastbreak layup by Claire Dingus with 4:08 left tied the game at 34-34. SMU's first lead of the game came on the following possession, as Makenna Schultz buried a 3-pointer, en route to her 12 point performance. Saint Martin's lead swelled to as many as six but entered halftime with a 46-44 edge.
 
The game remained close at the start of the third, 49-48, before Saint Martin's rattled off a 12-2 run, capped off by a deep ball from Sara Bowen. Dingus and Kaech combined for 11 points in the quarter, while Schultz and Saniah Simpson-Patu each hit critical 3-pointer to put SMU on top 68-60 with ten minutes left to go.
 
Central Washington, one of the top teams in the GNAC and the West Region, finally found their groove offensively in the fourth quarter. Within the matter of four minutes, the Saints' nine point lead was down to one. Part of a 13-4 in the middle of the quarter, Central Washington managed to take an 83-77 lead with only two minutes left to go. Simpson-Patu and Bria Thames connected on field goals in the closing possessions in an attempt to tie the game; however, the efforts came up short as Central Washington completed the fourth quarter comeback.
 
Dingus never came off the court for the Saints, playing all 40 minutes, and finished 10-of-17 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. The freshman grabbed 11 defensive rebounds, and three on the offensive glass, and compiled three assists. Simpson-Patu ended with 18 points, and six rebounds, while Schultz added 12 points and a team-high seven assists. Along with Kaech's 12 points off the bench, Thames and Bowen combined for 15 points.
 
Saint Martin's as team shot the ball well, going 35-for-76 (46.1 percent) from the floor, 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) beyond the arc, and 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) at the line. SMU grabbed 38 rebounds, along with 18 assists on 13 turnovers, and four steals.
 
The Saints' schedule gets no easier, traveling to the third-ranked Nighthawks of Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.