LACEY, Wash. – A tale of two quarters for the Saints, falling behind as many 12 in the opening frame, before outscoring Seattle Pacific 18-to-6 in the final quarter to secure a 55-to-54 comeback victory on Thursday.
 
Seattle Pacific (4-4) controlled the game through the first 28 minutes, building up a lead that stretched as many as 16. However, the Saints (3-3) outscored SPU 23-to-6 in the final 12 minutes of action to pull off another dramatic come from behind victory. Tierney DeDonatis led all scorers with 14 points, while Claire Dingus added 11 points, and five rebounds. Rian Clear came off the bench with three points, but led with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
 
The game started exactly how Seattle Pacific had drawn up, slowing down the Saints' offense, while converting on turnovers. SMU turned over the ball six times, while the Falcons' quickly opened up a double-digit lead.
 
Saint Martin's started to find their footing in the second quarter, cutting the lead down to single digits with just minutes left in the half. Back-to-back baskets from DeDonatis helped the Saints gain some momentum heading into half down 11.
 
To open the second half, the Saints came out on fire, with Emily Nelson scoring four points, and DeDonatis connecting on a 3-pointer. But the Falcons responded right back, opening up their largest lead of the game with just two minutes left to go in the third. A DeDonatis jumper, and Mallory Vivola 3-pointer once again helped turn momentum back to the Saints entering the fourth quarter.
 
The Falcons' struggled to adjust to the Saints' 1-3-1 zone defense, converting on only two field goals in the entire quarter. Meanwhile, the Saints were able to break out into transition offense and chip away at the lead. With just 2:29 left, the Saints took their first lead, but the Falcons regained with a layup with just a minute left.
 
On the following possession, Claire Dingus got the call, driving to the rim, and drawing the shooting fall. The junior connected on both free throws, and a Tierney DeDonatis free throw next possession iced the victory.
 
Saint Martin's shot 17-for-51 (33.3 percent) from the field, 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) beyond the arc, and 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) at the line. The Saints were outrebounded 35-to-32, while collecting six assists on 15 turnovers, along with five steals and blocks.
 
Saints and the Falcons tip-off tomorrow, Friday night, at 6:00 PM to conclude the season series. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.