ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Despite playing without their two leading scorers, Demonte Malloy, and Alex Schumacher, the Saints nearly found a way to erase a large second half deficit and comeback against Alaska Anchorage on the road Thursday night.
 
CJ Jennings nearly grabbed his first double-double of the season, going for 26 points and nine rebounds, and led the charge in the second half comeback attempt. Alex Clinton and Logan Rooney combined for 34 points, with Clinton connecting on five 3-pointers, and Rooney collecting seven boards. Saint Martin's (4-16, 2-9) shot the ball well on the night, connecting for over 50 percent from the field, and 40 percent beyond the arc.
 
The Seawolves (14-8, 7-4) quickly established control of the game, jumping out to an 11-4 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Alaska Anchorage scored 12 of their first 14 point from beyond the arc.
 
Saint Martin's managed to trim the lead down to one over the next couple possessions, but the Seawolves never gave up the advantage. With the lead hovering around five at the halfway point of the first half, Alaska Anchorage broke open the score with a 15-2 run. The Saints' offense got rolling again before the break, but stared down a 59-41 score at halftime.
 
With an opening 3-pointer from the Seawolves, their lead eclipsed 20 points in the second half. However, the Saints began to chip away at the lead. Over the course of eight minutes, the Saints outscored the Seawolves by 15, and were within five at 68-63 after another Jennings' basket.
 
Despite the sudden offensive explosion from the Saints, Alaska Anchorage was able to handle the run. Five points were the closest the Saints would get to a comeback in the second half, while the Seawolves' lead stretched back out into double-digits. Saint Martin's connected on a couple late baskets, but ultimately fell 92-81 to the Seawolves.
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 32-for-59 (54.2 percent) from the floor, 14-for-33 (42.4 percent) beyond the arc, and 3-for-6 at the free throw line. The Saints outrebounded the Seawolves 35-to-23, along with 18 assists on 15 turnovers, three blocks, and one steal.
 
The Saints continue northbound, traveling to Fairbanks on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. game against the Nanooks. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.