NAMPA, Idaho – Saint Martin's suffered its first GNAC loss of the 2019-20 season on Thursday night, falling to Northwest Nazarene 82-71.

The Saints got off to a great start, leading 44-37 by halftime and shooting 50 percent behind and beyond the arc. However, Saint Martin's struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm in the second half. Bria Thames led all Saints with 14 points, and 12 rebounds, marking her second double-double of the year. Despite the effort, Northwest Nazarene outscored SMU 47-25 in the second half, and came away with the victory.

Bria Thames hit an and-one shot to put the Saints in the lead 12-11 in the first quarter. Makenna Schultz followed with a steal then a 3-pointer to widen the lead, making the score 15-11. After an and-one shot by the Nighthawks to tie it up, Mallory Vivola made a 3-pointer with just one second left of the quarter to put the Saints in the lead 20-17.

At the start of the second quarter, SMU struggled to find momentum, going back and forth with the Nighthawks in the beginning minutes. The Saints changed this by rattling off seven straight points; however, the Nighthawks responded with nine unanswered points to gain the lead 37-36. Vivola fueled an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer, and Schultz finished the half with a buzzer beater shot to put the Saints in the lead 44-37.

After a Saint Martin's 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter, the Saints struggled to keep their lead. Northwest Nazarene gained the lead with an 8-0 run. Both teams tied four different times, with the score tied 58-58 at the end of the fourth. 

Saint Martin's opened up the fourth quarter strong with a five point run just a minute and a half in. NNU tied it up at 63-63, and SMU gained their last lead from a jumper by Thames. The Saints' offense went cold and the Nighthawks capitalized by scoring eight straight points. A layup by Thames cut the deficit to two at 71-69; however, the Nighthawks were hot beyond the arc, and iced the game 82-71.

Vivola and Schultz combined for 24 points, each scoring 12 in the game. Sutterlict led the Saints with four assists, along with eight points. Claire Dingus managed eight points and five boards in 37 minutes of action. Tierney DeDonatis provided a spark off the bench with nine points in just 19 minutes.

Saint Martin's shot 26-for-58 (44.8 percent) from the field, 10-for-26 (38.5) beyond the arc, and 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints collected 33 rebounds, with 15 assists on 18 turnovers, along with four steals and two blocks.

Saint Martin's continues their road series with another GNAC matchup against Central Washington on Saturday, December 7. The game will be available with live stats and video on smusaints.com.