LACEY, Wash. – The pressure and responsibility of being the Conference Preseason Player of the Year do not come lightly. With the game on the line, Luke Chavez, stepped up and carried the 18th-ranked Saints to an 87-80 overtime thriller victory over Alaska inside Marcus Pavilion.
 
Chavez, who has battled multiple injuries all season, has yet to be 100 percent on the court. However, despite the struggles, he continues to showcase his elite talent, and unmatched clutch ability. The senior led the Saints with 25 points, including five of the team's eight 3-pointers, and scored 17 points in the second half to force an overtime period against Alaska. In overtime, Chandler Redix sealed the game at the line, going a perfect 8-for-8, as Saint Martin's outscored UAF 15-8 in overtime to clinch their 12th win of the season.
 
The Saints lead grew to as many as 15 in the first half, and the game looked to be almost out of reach at that point. The Saints entered the night on top of the GNAC standings, while Alaska was tied for last. Trailing by 15 with six minutes to go, the Nanooks mounted a comeback to close the score to 42-40 by halftime.
 
The momentum continued in the second half for Alaska, as they finally captured their first lead since the 6-4 mark, with a 3-pointer at the 11:17 mark. Alaska continued to put pressure on the Saints, and opened up a 57-51 lead, their largest of the game.
 
With the Saints' back to the wall, and no offense coming from just about everyone, they turned to their senior leader in Chavez. Chavez scored seven straight points, and 14 of the next 18 points to pull SMU within one with only two minutes left in the game.
 
After a couple defensive stops by the Saints, Redix, with 41 seconds left, found a driving lane and scored the go-ahead layup to put SMU back on top. However, the lead did not last long as Tymoryae Glover quickly converted the jumper in the paint with just 22 seconds remaining to give Alaska a 72-71 lead.
 
With the game on the line, the Saints turned to Chavez once again, but Chavez missed the 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Off the miss, Rhett Baerlocher came up with a critical offensive rebound and found Redix, who was fouled with five seconds left, driving to the hoop. Redix converted the first, but missed the second free throw, tying the game at 72-72. The last second, half-court shot by Glover, bounced off the front of the rim, and the game went to overtime.
 
In the extra five minutes of basketball, Redix proved to be the difference maker, scoring all eight of his points from the line, and single-handily scored as many points as Alaska in the overtime period. Jordan Kitchen converted a clutch old-fashion 3-point play, and Tavian Henderson capped off the period with a signature dunk as Saint Martin's survived the upset scare with an 87-80 victory.
 
Chavez led all scorers in the game with 25 points, along with nearly a team-leading seven rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Chavez ended the night 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the team was 3-for17. Redix ended with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Henderson came off the bench for 14 points, and five rebounds. Baerlocher led the way on the glass with eight rebounds, and BJ Standley added nine points and five assists.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot the ball 33-for-64 (51.6 percent) from the field, 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) from beyond the arc, and 13-for-16 (81.3 percent) at the line. The Saints grabbed 35 boards, along with 13 assists on 16 turnovers, while collecting five steals and two blocks.
 
The Saints travel to Western Oregon next Thursday for a matchup between the two top teams in the GNAC to date. The rematch of the GNAC Championship and NCAA Tournament games will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. with live stats and video on smusaints.com.