BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The 19th-ranked Saints held a lead for a majority of the game against the always difficult Western Washington Vikings. Leading by seven with five minutes, the Vikings were able to storm back and hit two clutch closing 3-pointers to pull off the upset 75-68.
 
Playing once again without the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Luke Chavez, the Saints were unable to put away the Vikings, despite multiple opportunities. The Vikings fought all game to stay close to the Saints, and knocked down the timely shots at the end of the game to hand Saint Martin's its' first loss since November 12.

"Credit Western Washington for being more prepared than us tonight," said head coach Alex Pribble. "Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the focus and effort level that we need if we're going to win on the road."
 
Defense proved to be the tone of the game in the early goings, with Saints limiting the Vikings to only nine points in the opening ten minutes. The Saints opened up the first sizable lead of the game at 16-9 after a 3-pointer by BJ Standley and a basket from Chandler Redix.
 
SMU's lead never expanded past seven points in the first half, and Western Washington continued to hang close. Despite trailing by seven four different times, the Vikings managed to trim the lead down to one possession, 33-30, heading in the break.
 
In the opening possessions of the second half, the Vikings captured their first lead since the 4-3 mark after a 7-0 run. Saint Martin's responded with a 10-2 run of their, capped off by a 3-pointer by Boyce to claim their largest lead of the game at 49-39, with 12:56 remaining.
 
Western Washington began to chip away once again at the Saints' lead by attacking the paint, and hitting two timely 3-pointers. With the lead down to one possession, 57-55, Redix converted an attempt in the paint, followed by a Rhett Baerlocher knocking down a 3-pointer, the Saints opened up a seven point lead.
 
In the closing five minutes, the Vikings controlled the entire tempo. Western Washington closed out the game on a 16-2 run, hitting two 3-pointers, and converting at the free throw line seven times. The Saints went over five minutes without a field goal, and only two attempts at the line down the stretch.
 
Boyce and Redix led the team in scoring with 16 points apiece, and combined for five rebounds, BJ Standley ended the night with 12 points, and five rebounds, while Rhett Baerlocher added 11 points and three steals. Jared Mathews, Tavian Henderson, and Robert Little combined for all 13 points off the bench and Henderson managed a team-high six rebounds.

"These games come down to possessions, and we didn't do a good job rebounding the ball tonight," said Pribble. "We will go to the film, learn, and move forward as a team. Hopefully this will be a good lesson for us moving forward. Robert Little gave us great spark tonight. His energy led to a nice second half run, but we weren't consistent enough to pull out a win on the road."
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 23-for-57 (40.4 percent) from the field, 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) beyond the arc, and 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) at the free throw line. In the second half, SMU was 4-for-15 from deep. The Saints collected 26 rebounds, along with eight assists on 13 turnovers, 10 steals, and three blocks.
 
The Saints return home to host the pair of Alaska schools' starting with Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available, along with internet radio by Bryant and Clark Sports Connection on smusaints.com.