ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Despite massive scoring nights from Rian Clear, and Claire Dingus, Saint Martin's fell on the road 90-75 to Central Washington on Thursday night.
 
Central Washington (10-4, 3-2 GNAC) had no answer for Clear in the opening 20 minutes as the freshman led the way with 26 points. Clear finished the night with a career-high 34 points on 14-for-20 shooting. Dingus, who was quiet in the first half with four points, ended with 23 along with seven rebounds, and three steals. However, Central Washington shot nearly 58 percent from the field, and refused to allow the Saints (9-5, 1-4) to close the gap late in the fourth quarter.
 
Clear began the game with a 3-pointer off the glass, sparking the electric 26-point opening half for the freshman. Both sides traded baskets back-and-forth with the score tied 10-10 four minutes into the game. Central Washington used an 11-2 run to open a lead and finished the first quarter with a 24-16 edge.
 
The Wildcats continued their offensive output in the second quarter, shooting nearly 80 percent from the floor at 11-for-14. Despite Clear going for 16 points in the second quarter, the Wildcats' lead extended to 51-38 at the break.
 
Central Washington led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but the Saints were able to work down the lead into the single digits in the second half. The Saints made multiple runs but was unable to slow down the Wildcats' offense enough to close the gap completely.
 
Dingus, who had four points at half, led the charge in the second half with 19 points. Tierney DeDonatis added six points, and 11 assists with three steals, and Josie Matz went for seven points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals in 26 minutes of action.
 
Saint Martin's returns to action on Saturday, taking on Northwest Nazarene in Nampa for a 4:15 PM tip-off. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.