LACEY, Wash. – The two top defensive teams in the GNAC were set to square off inside Marcus Pavilion on Saturday, and the billing lived up to the hype. No. 14 Saint Martin's limited Western Oregon to only 25 percent from beyond the arc, while dropping 12 made 3-pointers, led by Rhett Baerlocher's 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, as Saint Martin's knocked off the Wolves 64-56.
 
Half of the Saints' made field goals came from the deep ball, with Baerlocher leading the charge with five makes. Luke Chavez added three 3-pointers, ending with 11 points, while BJ Standley came off the bench for two 3-pointers as well. As well as the Saints played on the offensive end, they continued to elevate their play on the defensive end. SMU held Western Oregon to just 5-for-20 shooting beyond the arc in the game, and 29.2 percent from the field in the first half. The Saints also shut down the Wolves' leading scorer, Riley Hawken, who averages 12.1 ppg, to only three points and four shot attempts.
 
"This game was really important for us," said head coach Alex Pribble. "The guys did a great job defensively, finding ways to keep them out of rhythm, and making adjustments throughout the game. It was a team effort, and everyone who stepped on the floor was locked in defensively. Western Oregon is a good team. They play hard, they're well coached, and they play a style of basketball that can be really tough for us. With that said, I thought our guys did a great job staying composed and executing."
 
Western Oregon jumped out the early lead, 10-3, in the first three minutes of the game. Chavez and EJ Boyce sparked the Saints' when they needed it the most, hitting three 3-pointers, and scoring the first 11 points for SMU. At the 12:00 minute mark, Baerlocher connected on his first 3-point attempt and gave the Saints a 14-12 lead, one they never gave up.
 
The Saints proceeded to go on a 13-4 run, highlighted by two Baerlocher's three's and a fastbreak dunk from Tavian Henderson. With 6:54 left to go in the first half, the Saints had turned a seven point deficit into a seven point lead.
 
Western Oregon managed to trim the lead down to one possession in the closing minutes of the half, but the Saints answered right back. Chandler Redix converted an attempt in the paint, and Baerlocher hit another three to extend the lead back to eight. Standley dropped the seventh made 3-pointer of the half, and then connected with Henderson on a buzzer beating dunk to put SMU on top 33-22 at halftime.
 
Jordan Kitchen, who was held scoreless in the first half, was the offense for SMU in first possessions of the second. The senior scored all six of his points, including a 3-pointer, in the first four minutes.
 
The Saints' lead topped out at 12, reaching the limit twice in the second half, the last one coming at the 48-36 mark with 10:24 left to go. Over the next six minutes, Western Oregon began chipping away at the score. The lead was cut in half to 57-51 with 4:19 remaining and Saint Martin's offense had struggled to find their shot against the best scoring defense in the GNAC.
 
From the eight minute mark in the second half, to just 47 seconds remaining, only one Saint scored points. Baerlocher during that stretch hit two more 3-pointers, and a layup to keep the Saints afloat. Trailing by seven, Western Oregon needed a basket to keep their comeback hopes alive; however, it was Chavez stepping in front of two passes, and came away with two steals on back-to-back possessions. Redix and Standley iced the game with a pair of points each and the Saints grinded away for the 64-56 victory over Western Oregon.
 
Baerlocher collected 10 of his 12 rebounds on the defensive end, to go along with his 17 points and one block and one steal. Standley ended the game with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Chavez, Redix and Boyce combined for 24 points, and eight rebounds. Henderson came off the bench for seven points and three rebounds and three assists.
 
"Rhett was special today," Pribble said. "He is such a hard worker, and he's been working really hard to get his shot feeling comfortable. Tonight, the flood gates opened a bit, and he shot the ball great. His effort on the glass was huge as well, creating extra possessions for us."
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot the ball very effectively, going 24-for-53 (45.3 percent) from the field, 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) beyond the arc, and 4-for-6 at the free throw line. The Saints outrebounded WOU to a tune of 31-29, and collected 14 assists on nine turnovers, along with six steals and three blocks.
 
"Things continue to get tougher from here as we have a really good tough Seattle Pacific team on the road Tuesday," stated Pribble. "It will be important for our guys to rest and recover quickly, so we can prepare for another big challenge."
 
The Saints hit the road on Tuesday for a matchup with Seattle Pacific. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. with live stats and video of the game available on smusaints.com.