LACEY, Wash. – In their first game since December 17, Saint Martin's grinded past Alaska 51-43 for their first GNAC win of the season.
 
Saint Martin's (9-2, 1-1) used a 16-3 run in the first quarter to power past Alaska (1-6, 0-2) in their return to action. Saint Martin's limited UAF to only 13 made field goals on 71 attempts, and just 3-for-25 beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Saints were led by Claire Dingus' 15 points, eight rebounds, and Rian Clear's 11 points, and eight rebounds off the bench.
 
With the game tied at 4-4 after the opening minutes, the Saints pulled away by the end of the first quarter. Saint Martin's went on a 16-3 run to close the quarter with a 20-7 lead.
 
However, the Saints' offense went cold on the offensive end in the second quarter, scoring only seven points. But the Nanooks were unable to capitalize and only closed the gap to nine points at the break.
 
Alaska outscored the Saints 16-13 in the third quarter and closed the gap to just three points. A Clear 3-pointer at the buzzer put the Saints up six heading into the final quarter.
 
In the final ten minutes of action, back-to-back baskets from Tierney DeDonatis, and another 3-pointer from Clear allowed the Saints to coast down the stretch to their fourth straight victory.
 
Saint Martin's returns to action on Saturday, January 8 at 2:00 PM on the road against Western Oregon. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.