FAIRBANKS, Alaska – 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.
 
"This was a big step in the right direction for us," said head coach Alex Pribble. "Road wins are always tough, and we have a very difficult time matching up with that team. With that said, our guys made adjustments throughout the game and did a great job on the defensive end."
 
Alaska got the first edge of the game, taking a 19-14 lead with 11:10 left in the first half. The Saints offense had scored just one basket in the last three minutes and needed a lift. Off of an offensive rebound by Henderson, Standley knocked down the 3-pointer and the Saints began run to retake the lead.
 
Boyce, Redix and Standley became the offense of the Saints, scoring a combined 17 points in a row, and Saint Martin's turned tide from a six point deficit to a six point lead. In the final minutes of the half, the Saints' lead reached a peak of double-digits at 37-27 with 1:43 left to go until halftime. However, the final 103 seconds went all for Alaska, as the Nanooks closed out the half with back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the score to 37-33.
 
In the opening possessions of the second half, Alaska managed to get the score down to two on multiple occasions; however, the Saints never relinquished the lead. Within the matter of three minutes on the clock, the Saints knocked down multiple 3-pointers and Henderson converted two baskets in the paints, and the lead was back to double-digits.
 
Standley began to take over the game, hitting just about everything and anywhere on the court that he wanted. The 25 points provided the spark the Saints had been looking for in the last couple games. Over the final ten minutes, Saint Martin's pulled away and cruised to an 86-68 victory.
 
On top of Standley's career night, Redix managed 16 points, and Jordan Kitchen finished with six points and team-leading nine rebounds. 68 of the Saints' 86 points came from just four players, with Boyce adding 12 points and Henderson with 10.
 
"BJ was fantastic tonight," proclaimed Pribble. "We've been struggling with our confidence on the offensive end, and BJ is such a tough competitor that he took our offense by the reigns and got us going. His effort, along with some big offensive rebounds from Jordan, Tavian, and Jared (Mathews) were really the difference for us offensively tonight."
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot exceptionally well, 33-for-64 (51.6 percent) from the field, 11-for-29 (37.9 percent) from beyond the arc, and 9-for-12 from the line. The Saints outrebounded the Nanooks to a tune of 35-to-27 and also collected seven steals and two blocks.
 
"We'll need to get reset for a tough Anchorage game on Saturday night," said Pribble. "This one of the most challenging road trips of the year, and we'll need to be at our best if we want to come away with another win Saturday."
 
Saint Martin's travels to Anchorage to face the Seawolves on Saturday, starting at 8:00 p.m. PST. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.