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 (12.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G
Chandler Redix (12.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg)
G
EJ Boyce (12.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
G
Rhett Baerlocher (9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 spg)
F
Jordan Kitchen (6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
SMU Leaders –
Scoring Boyce (12.7), Chavez (12.3), Redix (12.3)
Rebounding Henderson (5.6), Baerlocher (5.4), Kitchen (4.9)
Assists Standley (3.3), Redix (2.8), Chavez (2.7)
Steals Standley (1.6), Chavez (1.4), Baerlocher (1.3)
Blocks Kitchen (1.0), Henderson (0.7), Redix/Baerlocher (0.4)
No. 13 Saints Claw Out Victory Over Western Washington - In what was a revenge match for the Saints, the second installment played out almost identical to the first one, but this time, the Saints rallied from behind. With only two minutes left to go,
EJ Boyce connected on a rare 3-pointer for SMU, and
Luke Chavez iced the game at the free throw line, hitting all six attempts in the Saints' 57-53 victory.
To stay atop the conference standings, the Saints needed to pull out all the stops to knock off Western Washington, the lone team who beat SMU in the first round of GNAC play. Western Washington held a 53-48 lead with 2:15 left to go; however, the Saints turned to their All-Conference guards in the waning possessions. After an offensive rebound by
Rhett Baerlocher, he found Boyce out on the wing, who pump faked two defenders, then stepped back, and drilled the 3-pointer to tie the game at 53-53. After a costly WWU turnover, Chavez was fouled with seven seconds left and put SMU ahead with two free throws. With a chance to tie or take the lead, the Vikings fired the ball into the stands on a turnover, and Chavez calmly knocked the two free throws on the following possession to seal the victory.
Simon Fraser Upsets No. 13 Saints Inside Marcus Pavilion – The shooting woes of the Saints continued to plague them on their home court; however, this time, Saint Martin's was unable to find a way to conjure up some magic for the win. Simon Fraser pulled off the biggest upset of the GNAC men's basketball season, knocking off the Saints 61-59 on their home court.
Offensive rebounds by the Clan, 11 in the second half, 11-for-34 3-point shooting by the Saints, and the game-winning basket with five seconds all led to win for Simon Fraser. The Saints had opportunities to pull away in the game, including a 26-13 lead, but Simon Fraser battled all 40 minutes to give themselves a chance at the win. Ultimately, on the final possessions, Julian Roche (24 points, 10 rebounds) converted the game winning shot, while the Saints' attempt missed off the side of the rim.
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 – After the shocking 61-59 loss to Simon Fraser on Saturday night, the Saints dropped to 18th in the D2SIDA media poll and 19th in the NABC Coaches Poll on Tuesday. The Saints weren't the only team to suffer a loss on the week, with eight of the 13 teams all falling. After the mass shake up in the polls, the Saints sat tied for 18th and 19th in the polls. Northwest Nazarene entered the polls, ranked 24th in the coaches poll and and 25th in the media poll, joining SMU as the only schools in the GNAC ranked.
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 36.9 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 26th 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 70.6 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 166 steals, and their 8.3 steals per game is tied for the lead in the GNAC.
Standley, Cool As Ice From The Stripe – Standley has reached the foul line 57 times this season, and in those attempts, he has converted 51. His 89.6 free throw percentage is not only tops on the team, and the best in the GNAC. His clip is also 19th best in the NCAA.
Top 20 In The Country – The Saints' winning percentage currently sits at 85.0 percent with their 17-3 overall record. Their winning percentage is tied for the 16th best in all of the NCAA.
Laundry List Of Awards –
Luke 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-Conference –
EJ 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.