ST. GEORGE, Utah – Points were hard to come by for the Saints as they took on Colorado Mesa in their first road game of the 2019-20 season. Claire Dingus scored 13 of the Saints' 31 points, and six of the team's 11 field goals in the 56-31 loss.
 
Colorado Mesa jumped out to an early lead on the Saints, scoring seven of the first nine points of the game. A majority of the first quarter offense came from Dingus, as she scored seven of the 10 points for Saint Martin's. The Mavericks lead held at 16-10 going into the first break.
 
In the second quarter, the Mavericks continued to extend their lead, eclipsing the double-digit mark despite baskets from Tierney DeDonatis and Megan Nilsson. However, DeDonatis, Nilsson, and Dingus were the only Saints to hit a field goal in the quarter, as Saint Martin's was limited to eight points in the quarter. Colorado Mesa as well struggled offensively, scoring only 31 points at the half, but led 31-18.
 
Makenna Schultz connected on the first attempt of the second half, hitting a 3-pointer and cutting the score to 10. However, it would be over six minutes the Saints were held scoreless, while the Mavericks went on an 11-0 run. DeDonatis broke the spell with a pair of free throws, and Dingus added a jumper on the following possession to cut the score to 48-25 at the break.
 
In the final quarter, Saint Martin's locked down on the defensive end, only allowing eight points to Colorado Mesa. However, the Saints were unable to capitalize, and put up six in the frame.
 
Dingus nearly ended with another double-double, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, along with three assists. DeDonatis followed in scoring with five points, while Bria Thames added four points and seven boards.
 
The Saints shot 11-for-52 (21.2 percent) from the field, 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) beyond the arc, and 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) at the free throw line. Saint Martin's grabbed 37 rebounds, with eight assists on 14 turnovers, and five steals.
 
SMU faces off against host school Dixie State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.