Cold Shooting Night for Saints in Home Loss - Saint Martin's struggled to find their rhythm offensively and were outmatch by Seattle Pacific, 62-42 in their home loss.
Saint Martin's (10-9, 2-8 GNAC) struggled offensively against the Falcons (9-12, 5-6 GNAC), shooting 26% percent from the field and 11% from deep. Despite this, the Saints relied on their strong defensive principles and kept the game within arm's reach. With seven minutes left in the final quarter, SPU closed out the game with a 21-3 run to secure their victory. Claire Dingus led the team in points with 14 points, five rebounds and four steals. Tierney DeDonatis had a solid outing with 11 points and five assists.
Jackets Comeback To Knock Off Saints - After leading most of the way, Montana State Billings slipped into the lead and held off the Saints' comeback attempt to hand SMU a loss on Thursday night.
Claire Dingus and Tierney DeDonatis both scored 17 points on the night, to fuel the Saints' (10-10, 2-9 GNAC) offense. However, outside of Rian Clear's seven points, and Emily Nelson's six, it was a lone 3-pointer from Iternite Reed that amounted for the rest of the Saints' 50 points.
DeDonatis' Clutch Plays Leads Saints To Overtime Win Over SPU - Trailing by six with just a minute left at Seattle Pacific, Tierney DeDonatis connected on a 3-pointer to pull the Saints within three. On the following possession, DeDonatis came away with the steal, and Rian Clear hit another 3-pointer to send the game to overtime. Saint Martin's ran away with the game in the extra five minutes to knock off the Falcons on the road.
DeDonatis led the way for the Saints (11-10, 3-9 GNAC) with 23 points, six assists, two steals, and just two turnovers. Claire Dingus nearly finished with a double-double at 14 points, nine rebounds. Along with Emily Nelson's 10 points, and Rian Clear's nine, the four combined for 56 of the Saints' 58 points.
Saints' WBB Named GNAC Team of the Week - After easily sweeping through both Pacific and Simpson at home, the Saint Martin's women's basketball program was named the GNAC Team of the Week in December.
DeDonatis' 4.00 GPA Leads Seven Saints To All-Academic Team - Headlined by Tierney DeDonatis' perfect 4.00 GPA, seven Saints from the women's basketball team were named to the GNAC All-Academic on Wednesday, presented by Barnes and Noble College.
DeDonatis, a senior Health Care Management – Grad Program major, was one of three student-athletes with a 4.00 GPA beyond their freshman year in all the conference. For DeDonatis, this marked the second straight season with a selection to the All-Academic team.
Claire Dingus, a junior accounting major, and Emma Wrede, a junior business administration major, each earned their team-high third selection to the All-Academic team. Wrede, a 3.88 GPA, and Dingus, a 3.63 GPA, were two of only 10 student-athletes to earn three or more All-Academic honors.
Janealle Sutterlict, a sophomore political science major, received her second honor with a 3.23 GPA.
Three Saints earned the honor for the first time in their careers in Maryn Budiman, Rian Clear, and Lauryn Morris. Budiman, a junior biology major, earned a 3.81. Clear, a freshman exercise science major, finished with a 3.56 GPA, and Morris, a freshman elementary education & communication double major, earned a 3.32 GPA.
Dingus' Stellar Performances Lands Her GNAC Player of the Week - There was no stopping the All-American forward down in Oregon, as Claire Dingus hit two game-winning shots to lift the Saints to a perfect week, and Dingus was named the GNAC Player of the Week.
Dingus played in all three games for the Saints, leading Saint Martin's to a perfect 4-0 start on the 2021-22 campaign. During the week, Dingus averaged 22.3 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals, while shooting a stellar 58 percent from the field.
GNAC Announces Changes To Basketball Championships - The conference’s Management Council and CEO Board unanimously voted to expand this year’s tournament to all 10 men’s and women’s programs. The GNAC Championships will run from March 2 to 5.
To accommodate full fields in both genders, the first two rounds of games will be split between Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, and Seattle Pacific University. In total, six games – two play-in contests and four quarterfinals matchups – will be contested at SPU’s Royal Brougham Pavilion. The other 12 games, including the semifinals and championship games in both genders, will be played at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin’s, which was awarded tournament-hosting rights two years ago.
Claire Dingus Tabbed As GNAC Preseason All-Conference Selection - Another season is about to begin, and another award rolled in for Saint Martin's All-American Claire Dingus. The junior forward was unanimously selected for the 2021 GNAC Preseason All-Conference team.
Jessica Jones of Simon Fraser was voted the Preseason Player of the Year. Ten players were selected to the team unanimously with Western Washington leading the way with three.
Dingus, who was a 2021 WBCA All-American honorable mention last season, averaged 17.5 points per game, and 10.2 rebounds per game. She also led the team with 1.9 steals per game and was efficient from the floor. Dingus shot 55.9 percent from the field, and 45.8 from beyond the arc.
For Dingus, the preseason award joins her long list of accolades which include being a 2020 GNAC second team All-Conference, 2019-20 GNAC Preseason Unanimous All-Conference, the 2018-19 GNAC Freshman of the Year, and a three-time GNAC Player of the Week.
Saints ranked sixth in GNAC Preseason Poll - Led by 2020-21 WBCA All-American Claire Dingus, Saint Martin's women's basketball was voted sixth in the 2021-22 GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday afternoon.
Alaska Anchorage narrowly edged out Western Washington for the top spot, with the Seawolves collecting 92 points on seven first place votes. The Vikings garnered 89 points on two first place votes.
Northwest Nazarene, who received the final first place vote, finished third with 70 points. Simon Fraser (69 points), Central Washington (60) and Saint Martin's (48) made up the middle of the pack. Rounding out the polling was Montana State Billings (47), Seattle Pacific (43), Western Oregon (20), and Alaska (12).
There will be no secret as to whom the Saints will turn to during the season. Dingus, who was the program's first All-American since 1996 and first since the Saints joined the NCAA, averaged a double-double last season. Her 17.5 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 55.9 field goal percentage ranked the best on the team, and among the best in the GNAC. During the season, Dingus was named the GNAC Player of the Week three times.
But Dingus will have an experienced cast returning with her in 2021-22, with all five starters coming back. Point guard Tierney DeDonatis returns to fold with her second-best 11.1 points per game, and team-leading 41 assists. Rian Clear, who came on strong for the Saints down the stretch, was third in scoring at 8.0 points per game, along with 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Guards Janealle Sutterlict (6.2 points per game, 27 assists), and Lauryn Morris (5.7 points per game, 22-for-22 free throws) provide always needed depth and experience in the back court. Also returning is Maryn Budiman (2.5 points per game, 12 assists) played in all 13 games, making six starts last season.
Down low, Iternite Reed (3.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds), and Emily Nelson (5.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds) give the Saints depth, and the ability to play many different styles of defense.
Saint Martin's welcomes in two newcomers to the fold in Portland transfer Josie Matz, a 5-10 junior guard, and Chenoa Louie, a 5-11 freshman forward from Ephrata, Washington.
