BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A massive second quarter output by the Vikings was enough to stop Claire Dingus' 20-point 9-rebound performance as Western Washington knocked off the Saints 66-50 on the road.
 
14 points for Dingus came from the free line; however, the Saints' next leading scorer only logged seven points. Saint Martin's did how a lead in the second quarter, 23-18, before Western Washington rattled off 16 of the next 17 points and held SMU to zero field goals for the final 6:48 of the first half. In the second half, Western pulled away with a 21-11 third quarter and never looked back as SMU fell on the road.
 
The first quarter was a teeter totter affair with the Saints winning the battle. The Saints gained the edge with scoring all 16 of their points either in the paint or at the free throw line. Saint Martin's relied on Dingus and Saniah Simpson-Patu, as the two combined for nine points, and SMU held a 16-13 lead at the break.
 
Dingus and Simpson-Patu continued scoring in the opening possessions of the second quarter, dropping the first two field goals. Makenna Schultz hit the Saints' first 3-pointer at the 6:48 mark to extend their lead to the largest of the game at 23-18. However, after the make, it was all Western Washington. WWU held SMU to zero field goals, and only one free throw and stormed back with 16 points to take a 34-24 lead into halftime.
 
The third quarter continued how the second one ended, with Western Washington stretching their double-digit lead to 18 points. By the end of the quarter, the Vikings' lead had doubled to 55-35.
 
In the final quarter, the Saints managed to trim the lead down to as little as 13; however, their efforts were too late, as Western Washington cruised to the 66-50 victory.
 
In 36 minutes, Dingus scored 20 points, her third of the season, and first since the Saints' Hawaii trip in December. She nearly completed the double-double with nine rebounds, along with one block and one steal. Simpson-Patu and Schultz combined 3-for-20 from the field for a total of 13 points, while Bria Thames and Megan Nilsson added five points apiece. Rebekah Baugh came off the bench for three points and seven rebounds.
 
The Saints shot the ball poorly as a team, going 11-for-49 (22.4 percent) from the field, 3-for-15 (20.0 percent) beyond the arc, and 25-for-30 (83.3 percent) at the free throw line. Saint Martin's collected 29 rebounds, along with six assists on 16 turnovers, and four steals and one block.
 
Saint Martin's travels north of the border, heading to Simon Fraser on Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.