SEATTLE – Despite snow on the ground in the Pacific Northwest, the Saints' offense was burning inside Royal Brougham Pavilion on Friday. Five different players reached double-digits in the Saints' 80-to-66 victory over the Falcons.
 
For nearly 39 of the 40 minutes of action, the Saints (1-6) were either tied or leading Seattle Pacific (6-2), with Alex Schumacher leading the charge with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Demonte Malloy came off the bench with another 18 points, and the Saints' defense locked down on the Falcons in the second half, allowing only 27 percent from beyond the arc. The victory marks the largest margin of victory for Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific since the Saints joined the NCAA back in 1998.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Ty Velasquez and Malloy, followed by a Schumacher layup gave the Saints the first real lead of the ballgame at 14-to-7 nine minutes in. The lead hovered around five points for the Saints throughout most of the first half. Seattle Pacific went on an 8-to-2 burst to claim a quick lead right before half.
 
However, the Saints responded last, a Tyke Thompson 3-pointer, followed by a Schumacher three allowed SMU to take a 37-to-34 lead into half.
 
Both sides traded baskets and lead in the early goings of the second half. The lead changed possession or was tied four times in the first five minutes of action. The turning point proved to be a Malloy 3-point play at the 13 minute mark that gave the Saints back the lead for good.
 
Over the final 12 minutes of play, the Saints outscored the Falcons 34-to-20, including the finishing blow in the final two minutes. An 11-to-2 run in the final two minutes helped the Saints ice the game, and secure their first victory of the year.
 
Malloy and Schumacher combined for 19 of the Saints' final 34 points, with Marky Adams and Velasquez adding five each. The Saints shot 12-for-20 in the stretch, while limiting Seattle Pacific to only 6-for-19 and five turnovers.
 
Saint Martin's as a team shot 29-for-61 (47.5 percent) from the field, 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) beyond the arc, and 15-for-23 (65.3 percent) at the line. The Saints out rebounded the Falcons 41-to-34, while collecting 11 assists on 13 turnovers, eight steals and four blocks.
 
The Saints and the Falcons meet up for the fourth and final time, tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2:00 PM in Seattle. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.