LACEY, Wash. – Saint Martin's trailed by 15 at the half, only scoring 26 points in the first two quarters and responded with a massive 60-point second half performance led by Tierney DeDonatis to rally back and defeat Simon Fraser at home.
 
DeDonatis led the way for the Saints with a new career high 29 points (4-6 from three) and five assists. Claire Dingus (16 points and 11 rebounds), Emily Nelson (14 points) and Chenoa Louie (12 points and eight rebounds) all were major contributors to the Saints comeback efforts.
 
The Saints (10-6, 2-5) struggled to find their footing early allowing Simon Fraser (6-10, 2-5) to hold an 11-point, 24-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The second half was more of the same as SFU continued to push them tempo and hit shots from deep but SMU managed to stop the bleeding at a 15-point deficit and went into the locker room down, 41-26.
 
The Saints found their mojo over the break and came out with renewed energy and determination. DeDonatis blew by the defense for a quick layup to start the second half and jumpstart the Saints into an 8-0 run that was capped off with free throws from Nelson.
 
Simon Fraser responded with some points of their own and the Saints went on an 18-5 run that was highlighted by Rian Clear's stepback three-pointer to close out the third quarter and bring the deficit down to just one point at, 56-55.
 
Saint Martin's gained momentum and DeDonatis saved her best buckets for the closing act as she found the lane for a layup that gave the Saints their first lead since the six minute mark in the first quarter. Louie imposed her will on the defense for some clutch buckets down the stretch and the Saints held on to a 69-65 lead with five minutes left in regulation.
 
SFU made one last push to bring the game to one possession before Claire Dingus nailed a jumper to halt their momentum and back-to-back threes from DeDonatis and Lauryn Morris put the game out of reach.
 
DeDonatis finished the game off with free throws to complete her career night and the gym erupted as their monster comeback was officially in the books.
 
The Saints get a short break before they head across the border for a rematch with Simon Fraser on February 1, at 7 PM PST.