BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, downing the Saints in Carver Gym to a tune of 93-to-47 on Thursday night.
 
The Saints (6-6, 1-4 GNAC) struggled all 40 minutes to find their footing on the offensive end, shooting 21.2 percent from the floor. Tierney DeDonatis proved to be the only Saint to score double-figures, leading with 12 points. Claire Dingus nearly grabbed another double-double, ending the night with nine points, and 13 rebounds.
 
In the opening quarters, turnovers continuously hampered the Saints' on the offensive end, committing eight in the opening ten minutes. The Saints' offense as a result was unable to find a groove and fell behind 27-to-7.
 
DeDonatis and Janealle Sutterlict provided 12 second quarter points in an attempt to jumpstart the offense. However, the Vikings (9-4, 3-2 GNAC) continued to connect from all over the floor, outpacing the Saints once again the quarter. Entering the break, Western Washington's lead had swelled to 50-to-25.
 
Dingus knocked down a field goal on the second possession of the second half. The Saints proceeded to go without a made basket for the next eight minutes until a Mallory Vivola 3-pointer. Saint Martin's scored seven from the free throw during the stretch, while the Vikings' lead continued to grow.
 
Jayla Russ connected on one of the Saints' four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, while Dingus added another four points in the action. Western Washington ended the game how they started, playing lock-down defense, and connecting from both inside and outside the arc, and sealing the victory.
 
The Saints continue their road trip, traveling north of the border to face GNAC school Simon Fraser on Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.