LACEY, Wash. – Saint Martin's battled in the final minutes of the game against Western Washington on Friday night; however, it was ultimately WWU who pulled away with the win with clutch last second baskets.
Saint Martin's (5-5) came back from an 18-point deficit in the first half to tie up the game with Western Washington (1-0) with 52 seconds left on the clock. However, SMU struggled to hold possession of the ball and struggled to come up with a comeback win.
WWU jumped out to an early lead off a quick nine-point run to make the score 11-4. The Saints struggled to put up points on the board for the remaining of the quarter, and the Vikings held an eight-point lead heading into the second quarter.
The Saints' offensive struggles continued in the beginning of the second quarter, shooting 1-for-5 in the first three minutes. WWU capitalized on this and went on a 12-2 run to give them their largest lead of the game. Saint Martin's responded with a 13-2 run of their own to cut the lead and head into the second half 32-25.
Rian Clear got the Saints going out of halftime with a jumper to cut the lead down, but the Vikings responded with a basket of their own. A layup by
Mallory Vivola and jumper by Clear put the Saints within three, but WWU responded again to hold their lead. Both teams went back and forth to end the quarter 48-41 with Western Washington on top.
Saint Martin's opened up the final period with a pair of free throws and a layup to put them back within three. It wasn't until
Claire Dingus made a pair of free throws that the Saints tied up the score for the first time in the game. With the clock at 52 seconds and the score tied, Western Washington made a jumper, then iced the game with a couple free throws the take the victory 58-54.
Dingus led the Saints offensively and defensively with 12 points and 11 rebounds, marking her second double-double of the season. Clear followed with 10 points, six rebounds, and one assist.
Emily Nelson added 11 points while Itnernite Reed scored eight.
Saint Martin's shot 17-for-50 (34 percent) from the floor, 0-for-9 beyond the arc, and 20-of-30 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints grabbed 45 rebounds with eight assists on 20 turnovers, along with seven steals.
The Saints and Vikings will close out the doubleheader tomorrow with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off in Lacey. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.
