LACEY, Washington – Despite a strong first half scoring, Saint Martin's could not overcome Northwest Nazarene on Saturday night.

It was a battle offensively from both teams, with the lead swapping multiple times throughout the first half. However, Saint Martin's (0-6) lost their offensive touch and struggled to gain it back in the second half. Alex Schumacher, Goy Wang, and John Moore led the offense for the Saints, combining for 41 points. 

In the opening minutes of the first half, both teams went basket-for-basket, until a quick 6-0 run by Northwest Nazarene (8-1) brought them ahead by 10. Saint Martin's cut the lead down with five straight points from Seth Coddington, followed by a John Moore layup, bringing the score 20-to-17. Minutes later, the Saints took their first lead of the game with a layup in the paint by Alex Schumacher.

The momentum flipped both ways over the next five minutes, with the lead changing several times. NNU grabbed the momentum with straight baskets with two minutes left on the clock. SMU responded with back-to-back baskets to cut the score to 49-46 heading into the second half.

Northwest Nazarene opened up the second half with a 7-0 run, and Saint Martin's returned with five straight points of their own. Over the next six minutes, both teams were unable to gain any traction. The Nighthawks built their lead to 15 at the 11-minute mark, and the Saints were unable to close the gap and attempt a comeback.

Saint Martin's shot 29-for-66 (43.9 percent) from the field, 8-for-32 (25 percent) beyond the arc, and 6-for-9 at the free throw line. Northwest Nazarene outrebounded the Saints 44-to-33, while the Saints collected 12 assists on 10 turnovers, along with five steals and three blocks.

The Saints return to action on Friday, February 12 against Seattle Pacific on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.