LACEY, Wash. – For the second straight night, the Saints pulled away from Northwest, 84-to-59, behind dominating performances from Claire Dingus and Rian Clear.
 
The two forwards combined for 46 points, nearly outscoring Northwest (0-3) entirely. The Saints (5-4) fell behind at one point, 24-to-22, in the second quarter but from that moment on outscored Northwest 62-to-35 to secure their fifth win of the year. Ten different Saints scored on the night, while Iternite Reed with her six points, six boards, four assists, and three steals, and Janealle Sutterlict's five points, four rebounds, and six assists leading the effort off the bench.
 
Turnovers disrupted the Saints' offense in the early minutes of the game. Saint Martin's turned the ball over five times in the opening quarter. With the disruption, Northwest was able to hang within a couple baskets throughout most of the first quarter.
 
The Eagles only lead of the weekend came at the 6:28 mark in the second quarter after a 3-pointer put them on top 24-to-22. Emily Nelson gave SMU the lead back just a minute later, and the Saints never looked back. By halftime the Saints' lead sat at nine, and just moments into the second half, SMU held an 18-point lead.
 
Saint Martin's led by as many as 30 in the second half, and rolled to a 25-point victory at home.
 
The Saints shot 28-for-61 (45.9 percent) from the floor, 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) beyond the arc, and 21-for-28 (75.0 percent) at the line. Saint Martin's out rebounded the Eagles 48-to-35, while collecting 19 assists on 19 turnovers, along with 12 steals, and four blocks.
 
Saint Martin's host Western Washington next week for their first showdown in 2021. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 26 at 6:00 PM. Live stats and streaming will be available on smusaints.com.