LACEY, Wash. - The Saints jumped out to an early lead, 12-10, seven minutes into the game from back-to-back 3-pointers by CJ Jennings. The Pioneers proceeded to tighten the Saints' lead within two with a 6-0 run to make the score 28-26 with 6:41 left in the half.

Both sides traded baskets in the final minutes of the half, with the Saints holding onto their lead at the break. Jennings led all scorers with 14 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc, to lead Saint Martin's to a 37-35 advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Saints went cold offensively, and the Pioneers took advantage with an early 11-0 run to push a lead to 46-37 with 17:17 remaining. The 11-0 run was part a larger 22-6 run by the Pioneers that spanned over eight minutes, and pushed East Bay's lead to as many as 13.

The momentum began to switch when Schumacher connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by baskets from Jennings and Rooney to fuel a Saints' 14-2 response. With the lead down to five and 10 minutes left the game, Saint Martin's continued to attack at the lead.  

Down the stretch, Demonte Malloy added 11 points to spark the Saints' attempt at a comeback, including converting and-one opportunity to cut the score to 79-77 with little over a minute left on the clock. However, East Bay drilled a clutch 3-pointer on the following possession to give them back a five-point lead. The Pioneers iced the game at the free throw line by going 7-for-8 in the final minute to secure the 89-83 result.

Jennings led the Saints with 22 points, on 6-of-8 shooting from the 3-point range. Schumacher added 17 points and five rebounds. Marky Adams ended with another double-double, at 12 points and 13 rebounds, highlighted by three monster put back dunks. Malloy came close to a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-leading seven assists.

Saint Martin's shot the ball efficiently for the whole game, going 32-for-66 (48.5 percent) from the floor, 12-for-28 (42.9 percent) beyond the arc, and 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) at the line. The Saints outrebounded East Bay 43-to-36, and collected 14 assists on 18 turnovers, along with four steals and three blocks.

The Saints welcome in local rival The Evergreen State College on Sunday, December 1, starting around 5:00 p.m. The game will be the second half action of twin bill Saints' basketball, with the women hosting Texas A&M International at 3:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.