BILLINGS, Mont. – After a hot start by the Yellowjackets from beyond the arc, the Saints' fourth quarter comeback came up short as Montana State Billings held off SMU 75-67.
 
Montana State Billings hit 11 3-pointers as a team, and carried a lead as large as 17 at one point. Saniah Simpson-Patu, Makenna Schultz, and Claire Dingus all reached double-digits in scoring and combined for 45 of the team's 67 points. The Saints had opportunities to draw close, outshooting the Yellowjackets 27-to-15 at the free line; however, out of their 27 attempts, SMU only converted 16 chances.
 
In first quarter, the Yellowjackets couldn't seem to miss from outside the arc, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 26 points in the quarter. The Saints struggled to find offense outside of Simpson-Patu who began the game with six points, while the rest of her team combined for only six points.
 
Montana State Billings continued to put the pressure on the Saints, driving their lead up to as many as 17 in the first half. Makenna Schultz hit the lone 3-pointer of the half, coming with only 1:53 left on the clock. The Saints shot less than 30 percent from the floor and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, and trailed 36-22 at the break.
 
Schultz provided a spark from outside in the third quarter, as the Saints trimmed the lead down to single digits. Megan Nilsson added six points in the quarter down low, but Montana State Billings closed out the quarter with two 3-pointers to push their lead back to 56-42 heading to the final quarter.
 
Saint Martin's opened the quarter on a 10-2 run, highlighted by another Schultz' 3-pointer, and within three and half minutes, the lead was down to 58-52. The Yellowjackets responded with a quick 6-2 burst to give themselves some breathing room once again. The lead shrunk back down to as little as five in the final minute; however, the late offensive surge by SMU was too late as Montana State Billings closed out the 75-67 victory.
 
Schultz led the Saints with 17 points, with 12 coming from deep, along with three rebounds and three assists. Simpson-Patu ended the game with 14 points, and four rebounds, while Dingus added 12 points and four rebounds as well. Bria Thames continued her run of solid performances with seven points and eight rebounds. Nilsson and Makenzie Kaech combined for 12 points and nine rebounds underneath.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 23-for-54 (42.6 percent) from the floor, 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) beyond the arc, and 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) at the line. SMU outrebounded the Yellowjackets 39-to-31 but only had eight assits on 17 turnovers, along with six steals.
 
The Saints get the weekend off before traveling to Central Washington on January 10 for a 5:15 p.m. tip-off to continue GNAC action. Live stats and video of the game will be available with links on smusaints.com.