LACEY, Wash. – Despite a career-high performance from
Alex Schumacher and his 29 points, the Saints' second half comeback ran out of steam to Northwest Nazarene, 90-to-80, on Friday night.
The sophomore was held scoreless in the first half, but it only took him 15 seconds to find the hoop in the second half. Schumacher scored 16 points over 10 minutes to lead the Saints (0-5) on 29-to-8 run to open the second half, and turn an 18-point deficit into a 3-point lead. However, the Nighthawks (7-1) did not back down, rallying late in the second half, and finishing the game with 13 points in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
It was a defensive grind to open the game as both teams were unable to find any momentum. Northwest Nazarene held a slight 30-to-26 lead with only three minutes left to go in the half.
The Saints' defense, which had held the Nighthawks' offense in check for the first 17-minutes, was unable to contain them in the final minutes. Northwest Nazarene jumped on the Saints for a 18-to-4 run to close out the half, and stretch the lead to 48-to-30 at halftime.
Tyke Thompson and Schumacher jumpstarted the Saints' offense in the second half, scoring the first nine points in the frame. With momentum building for the Saints, the defense locked in.
Northwest Nazarene scored only six points in the first 10 minutes, and their first field goal came over seven minutes into action. Meanwhile, the Saints had managed to not only erase the lead, but take the lead on a Schumacher 3-pointer at the 9:36 mark.
When the Saints looked to have full control of the game, the Nighthawks responded with a 12-to-3 run to quell the storm, and regain momentum. The Saints got to within four on multiple possession but were never able to close the gap once gain.
Saint Martin's shot 27-for-66 (40.9 percent) from the field, 10-for-31 (32.3 percent) beyond the arc, and 16-for-20 (80.0 percent) at the line. SMU was outrebounded 42-to-26, while collecting 10 assists on only six turnovers, along with seven steals and three blocks.
The Saints and the Nighthawks meet again on Saturday, Jan. 30 to conclude the back-to-back. The game is scheduled for a 3:00 PM tip-off with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.
