Chavez_Luke
Ron Smith

Men's Basketball Media Guide - Week 15

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Live Stats/Live Video – Live Stats and Live Video of all of SMU's Basketball games will be available with links found on smusaints.com. Live stats and video will be produced by the host school.
 
Social Media – Follow the Saints on Twitter (@SMUSaints_MBB) and follow SMU Athletics on Facebook (Saint Martin's Saints), Twitter (SMUAthletics), Instagram (saints_athletics) and YouTube (SMU Athletics).
 
Ticket Information – Tickets for all Saints' home games can now be purchased online at smusaints.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate of the event for eight dollars for adults, and seven for seniors, military, and six dollars for kids 8 and up. All kids under the age of 8 are free. Tickets can be purchased with cash, or debit and credit card.
 
Marcus Pavilion and TwinStar Court – All home Saints' basketball matches are played inside Marcus Pavilion, located on the campus of Saint Martin's. The Pavilion just celebrated its' 50th anniversary in 2017. The newly named TwinStar Court is located inside Marcus Pavilion.
 
Listen On Bryant and Clark Sports Connection - All Saint Martin's Men's Home games will be broadcasted on the Bryant and Clark Sports Connection with links to broadcast found on smusaints.com. Follow them on Facebook (The Bryant and Clark Sports Connection).
 
Saints Digital Network – The Saints Digital Network is your home all Saint Martin's Athletics. Live stats and video broadcast are available of every home game this season for free, and can be found on smusaints.com.
 
Saints' Potential Starting Lineup –
 
G          Luke Chavez                (12.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G         Chandler Redix            (11.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G          EJ Boyce                      (12.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G         Rhett Baerlocher        (8.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.3 spg)
F          Jordan Kitchen            (6.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
 
SMU Leaders –
 
Scoring                        Boyce (12.9), Chavez (12.2), Redix (11.9)
Rebounding                 Henderson (5.7), Baerlocher (5.2), Kitchen (5.0)
Assists                         Standley (3.4), Redix (2.7), Chavez (2.6)
Steals                           Standley (1.6), Chavez (1.3), Baerlocher (1.3)
Blocks                          Kitchen (1.0), Henderson (0.6), Redix (0.4)
 
Saints' Offense Catches Fire In Alaska Behind Standley's 30 Points - After a few games of having inconsistent play on the offensive end of the floor, the Saints got hot deep in the tundra of Alaska, led by BJ Standley and his career high 30 points to led No. 18 SMU to an 86-68 victory over Fairbanks.
 
The first half was a back and forth battle with the Saints holding onto a slim 37-33 at the break. Standley had scored only five points at the break but all that changed in the second 20 minutes of action. 8-for-10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and Standley amassed 25 points to account for half of SMU's 49 second half point barrage. Chandler Redix dropped 16 points, while EJ Boyce added 12 and Tavian Henderson nearly reached a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
No. 18 Saints Complete Road Sweep With Win Over UAA – For the first time since the GNAC Championships a year ago, the Saints returned to the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. The Saints, last year, came up some of their most important wins in program history. This season, the 69-53 road win marked capped off a sweep of the Alaska schools to put SMU back into sole possession of first place of the GNAC.
 
BJ Standley, who started the road trip with 30 points against Fairbanks on Thursday, followed it up with a 17-point, five assist, three steal performance. Luke Chavez, and EJ Boyce, who had struggled to find their rhythm in previous games, tied for the scoring lead with 19 points each, and combined for 8-for-11 3-point shooting. The three guards totaled 59 of the Saints' 69 points and outscored UAA on their own. Tavian Henderson and Jordan Kitchen scored the remaining 10 points, with six and four respectively.
 
Reaching New Heights - After an 8-1 start to the 2018-19 season, the Saints have achieved their highest ranking in program history, reaching 11th in the media. The Saints moved up from 15 to 11, eclipsing their No. 13 ranking back in 2009.
 
Luke Chavez Selected To Bevo Francis Top 100 Watchlist - The senior guard has played in 16 games this season, and is second on the team in scoring 12.9 points per game. In 26 minutes of action, Chavez averages 2.6 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, and 1.3 steals per game. Chavez has been efficient on the offensive end of the floor, shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.3 percent at the line. Luke Chavez becomes the first ever Saint to be named to the Watchlist since it was created in 2015.
 
The Saints Are Ranked – The Saints went on the road last week, and not only managed to knock off both Alaska schools, they did so in convincing fashion. With their two wins, the Saints moved up to 14th in the country in both the NABC and D2SIDA polls on Tuesday.Saint Martin's rebounded strong after falling at home to Simon Fraser a few weeks ago. Their two wins improved them to 19-3 overall on the year and 12-2 GNAC action. The Saints also moved up in the regional poll after UC San Diego suffered multiple losses. SMU now sits only a couple votes back of Point Loma once again for the lead in the West Region. Northwest Nazarene joins Saint Martin's as the only other GNAC school in the national poll, receiving votes in the media poll and coaches poll.
 
GNAC's Longest Win Streak – Dating back to their home opener win over Northwest Christian on November 19, the Saints put together an eight game win streak, lasting until January 5th at Western Washington. The streak marks the longest of the season in the GNAC.
 
Saints Named GNAC Team of the Week - Coming off a week where the 13th-ranked Saints handled Seattle Pacific at home, before traveling to Billings, Montana to stage an epic comeback victory over the Yellowjackets, Saint Martin's was named the GNAC Team of the Week.
 
Chandler Redix Named GNAC Player of the Week - Redix, provided the 13th-ranked Saints a major spark both at home and on the road, averaging 20.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in two games. He began the week with a team-leading 24-point, six rebound performance over Seattle Pacific. He followed it up with a 16-point, three assist night in Billings, Montana. In both games, Redix shot a combined 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the field, and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, all the meanwhile, only committing two turnovers in 60 minutes of action.
 
Luke Chavez Named GNAC Player of the Week - After leading the nationally-ranked Saints' basketball to two victories, Luke Chavez was named GNAC Players of the Week. The GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, after missing last week due to injuries, returned to the court in style. Chavez started the week off with a 15-point performance against Alaska Anchorage, in 26 minutes of action. He followed it up with a 25-point effort, including 17 in the second half, as the Saints overcame Alaska in overtime. For the week, Chavez averaged 20 points per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game.
 
EJ Boyce Named GNAC Player of the Week - EJ Boyce connected on eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 28 points as Saint Martin's routed Dixie State 76-59. For his efforts, Boyce was named the GNAC Player of the Week on December 20. Boyce began the game by hitting five 3-pointers in the opening ten minutes to give the Saints a 30-10 lead. The onslaught from the outside continued as Boyce hit two more 3-pointers to close out a 23 point first half performance. He ended the night with 28 points, which broke his career-high and earned him his first GNAC Player of the Week award.
 
Leading The League In Threes – Saint Martin's has focused their offensive game around the 3-pointer all season, and with multiple weapons in the back court who can effectively hit from long range, SMU is once again near the top. For the season, the Saints are shooting 37.3  percent from beyond the arc. Their 10.7 3-pointers made per game, leads the conference, and is the only team in double-figures. It also places SMU 23rd in all of the NCAA.
 
Can't Miss Tavian – After shooting an other-worldly 72.1 percent last season, Tavian Henderson continues to connect from the floor. In his sophomore campaign, Henderson leads the GNAC in field goal percentage once again, with a 69.6 percent clip. On the year, Henderson has had four perfect nights on the floor.
 
Swiping Saints – Saint Martin's continues to deliver havoc to the backcourts of their opponents. On the season, the Saints have a total of 180 steals, and their 8.2 steals per game is second best in the GNAC.
 
Standley, Cool As Ice From The Stripe – Standley has reached the foul line 65 times this season, and in those attempts, he has converted 58. His 89.2 free throw percentage is not only tops on the team, and second best in the GNAC. His clip is also 24th best in the NCAA.
 
Top 20 In The Country – The Saints' winning percentage currently sits at 86.4 percent with their 19-3 overall record. Their winning percentage is tied for the 11th best in all of the NCAA.
 
Laundry List Of AwardsLuke Chavez was named to the D2CCA All-West Region, and NABC West Region team, along with the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, first team All-conference and was a three time GNAC Player of the Week last year. He was voted the 2018 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year to begin the 2018-19 campaign.
 
Saints Ranked In Two Preseason Polls - After coming off a 25-8 season, and reaching the NCAA Tournament, and advancing to the Round of 32, the Saints have caught attention of the national stage. Saint Martin's received 32 votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Preseason Poll, and 27 votes in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) Preseason Poll.
 
Setting Records – The Saints' 25 wins last year was most ever in the NCAA-era in program history... and the first time since the 1982-83 season (28).
 
Boyce All-ConferenceEJ Boyce was named honorable mention All-Conference last year after averaging over 11 points per game and shot almost 44% from beyond the arc.
 
Playing In The Spotlight – The Saints played in the first ever nationally televised game in school history. The GNAC Championship game was broadcast on ESPN 3. Their second nationally televised game came against BYU on the BYU.tv network.
 
Pack The Pavilion – Over 10,000 people attended SMU Basketball games last season... One of only four programs in the GNAC to reach the 10,000 mark.
 
Championship Time – The Saints reached their first ever GNAC Championship game in school history after Luke Chavez hit the buzzer beater over Western Washington in the semifinals.
 
Saints Go Dancing – SMU went to the big dance for the first time in program history... being selected as an at-large bid in the West region.
 
Advancing In The Tournament – Another first in school history, the Saints defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 66-58, to advance to the Round of 32.
 
Bring On The D-I's – Over the course of the last four seasons, the Saints have faced some of the premier D-I basketball programs to begin the years. During that stretch, SMU has traveled to Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State, and most recently BYU.
 
Positional Preview (Guards) – The Saints return one of the best backcourts not only in the GNAC, but in the West Region, headlined by All-Region selection Luke Chavez. With two transfer guards starting last season, along with seasoned veteran Rhett Baerlocher, there was a lot of optimism, but also a lot of question marks. Chavez and EJ Boyce quickly erased any questions and established themselves as one of the top backcourts in the NCAA West. This season, there are no question marks or uncertainties. The Saints look to rely on the sharp shooting and quickness of their guards in order to return to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Positional Preview (Forwards) – The Saints lone loss from last year's squad was center Matt Dahlen; however, head coach Alex Pribble, returns two seniors, Jordan Kitchen and Jared Mathews, along with sophomore Tavian Henderson, and adds transfer center Marky Adams to the mix. Dahlen provided leadership and improved his offensive game as the season went on, and will be difficult to replace in the lineup. With the likes of Kitchen, a four year starter, and Mathews and Henderson being an integral part to the team last year, the Saints looked poised to step up and produce one of the most efficient front courts in the region.
 
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