PORTLAND, Ore. – Rebekah Baugh put the Saints up 79-78 with a 3-pointer and only a minute left on the clock. Concordia; however, was able to wrestle away the victory by going 5-for-5 at the free throw line and escape with the 85-81 victory over SMU.
 
Mackenzie Kaech, with her team trailing by four with 17 seconds left, scored on a jumper and was fouled in act. With a chance to cut the score to one, she missed the attempt; however, Makenna Schultz scooped up the offensive board. Out of a timeout, with 11 seconds left, head coach Christy Martin drew up a play to get Claire Dingus a 3-pointer to put SMU back on top. Despite the look, the shot did not connect and Concordia sealed the game with a pair of free throws.
 
The game could not have started any better for the Saints, as they began on a 13-2 run. Sara Bowen and Bria Thames supplied 11 of the Saints' first 15 points of the game. Dingus added in another six points in the quarter, and the three combined for 22 of the 24 points as SMU led 24-15 at the break.
 
Saint Martin's lead held strong throughout a majority of the second quarter, but a late run put Concordia on top for the first time in the game. A 9-3 run in the final five minutes gave CU a 39-37 lead at halftime.
 
Both sides traded the lead back and forth over the first six minutes of the third quarter. During that time, there was four lead changes and one tie, with the game remaining close at 64-60 heading into the final ten minutes of action.
 
Saint Martin's managed to continuously cut into the Cavaliers' lead, limiting it only one point on multiple possessions. A layup by Kaech with 1:47 left to go knotted the game at 76 and following a Concordia tip-in, Baugh came down the court and buried a 3-pointer. However, the 79-78 lead would be short lived as CU scored on the following possession and never looked back. Concordia remained perfect at the free throw line (17-for-17) with their final five attempts and wrapped up the 85-81 victory.
 
Bria Thames eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time in career at Saint Martin's, shooting 8-for-13 from the field. The junior nearly grabbed another double-double, ending with nine rebounds, and three steals and three assists. Dingus finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while Bowen and Kaech combined for 23 points, six boards, and six assists.
 
Saint Martin's shot well from the floor, going 33-for-59 (55.9 percent); however, was only 3-for-12 beyond the arc and 12-for-20 at the free throw line. The Saints collected 33 rebounds, along with 17 assists on 14 turnovers, seven steals and two blocks.
 
Saint Martin's concludes the 2018-19 season with a road tilt against Western Oregon on Saturday. Live stats and video links will be available on smusaints.com.