ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Saint Martin's rallied in the final minutes of the game in a comeback attempt; however, ultimately fell to nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night, 59-56.

Saint Martin's (9-9, 4-7 GNAC) came back from an 11-point deficit, to tie the game up with 40 seconds left on the clock in the final quarter. However, SMU struggled to hold possession of the ball, and couldn't find the winning basket in the final seconds. Bria Thames scored half of the Saints' points, with a career-high 28, going 10-14 from the floor. Thames acquired her tenth double-double of the season, adding 12 rebounds and two assists. Claire Dingus grabbed 10 boards while recording six points, while Jayla Russ ended the night with eight points and five rebounds.

Saint Martin's opened up the game strong, with Thames scoring all baskets for the Saints to lead 6-5 early in the first quarter. After an Alaska Anchorage (20-2, 10-1 GNAC) basket, the Saints went on to take the lead that held for the rest of the quarter. Thames ended the quarter with a basket with seconds left on the clock to hold the lead 13-11 at the end of the quarter.

Alaska Anchorage tied up the score at the start of the second quarter, which was quickly shut down by Thames with two free throw shots. After another tie, Saint Martin's held the lead for the next three minutes, leading by as many as seven. However, a 12-2 run by the Seawolves gave them a 29-24 advantage heading into the break.

Both teams went basket-for-basket in the opening minutes of the second half. UAA scored six straight points to extend their lead 38-29. UAA continued to lead as many as 11, which the Saints cut to four at the three-minute mark. However, this did not hold long, and the Seawolves took the advantage 51-43 heading into the fourth quarter.

Alaska Anchorage's offense went cold, and Saint Martin's held them scoreless for six minutes. SMU capitalized by scoring eight points to tie it up 56-to-56 with 40 seconds left on the clock. A UAA free throw shot put them back in the lead, then followed by icing the game to take the victory over the Saints, 59-56.

Saint Martin's shot 21-for-54 (38.9 percent) from the floor, 4-for-19 (21.2 percent) beyond the arc, and 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) at the free throw line. SMU outrebounded the Seawolves 40-to-33, along with 13 assists on 20 turnovers, four steals, and two blocks.

Saint Martin's will face Alaska on Saturday, February 2 at 2:00 p.m. for another GNAC matchup. Live stats and video will be available at smusaints.com.