LACEY, Wash. – Saint Martin's began the game on a 15-0 run, stunning the Nighthawks. After the initial effort, Northwest Nazarene settled into the game, and used a 31-11 fourth quarter to edge past the Saints 66-58.
 
Claire Dingus led all Saints (11-11, 3-10 GNAC) scorers with 14 points, followed by Lauryn Morris at 13, and Tierney DeDonatis at 11. Emily Nelson nearly got to a double-double with eight points, and nine rebounds, and Rian Clear, and Josie Matz added six points each. The Saints led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, before the Nighthawks shot 10-for-14 from the field in the final frame.
 
The game could not have started better for the Saints, jumping out to a 15-0 lead in the opening minutes. DeDonatis scored the opening five points, followed by baskets from Morris, Nelson, and Clear. Nelson, and Morris capped off the run with another pair of baskets.
 
The Saints defense clamped down on the Nighthawks in the first half, limiting NNU to only 6-for-32 shooting for just 18.8 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Saints rolled to a 13-for-25 stat line and carried an 11-point into halftime.
 
Saint Martin's continued to hold the Nighthawks in check throughout the third quarter, leading by as many as 13. A last second jumper from Clear, on the assist from DeDonatis, carried the Saints into the fourth quarter leading 47-35.
 
Three minutes into the fourth, Saint Martin's held a double-digit lead over the Nighthawks. A 3-pointer from Northwest Nazarene at 6:52 began the 27-9 run that ended the game. Saint Martin's lead held until the final two minutes when the Nighthawks claimed their first lead on a basket in the paint. In the final two minutes, Northwest Nazarene outscored SMU 11-4 to sneak out of Marcus Pavilion with the victory.
 
Saint Martin's returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3:00 PM against Central Washington as part of senior day. The Saints final home will honor the seniors before tip-off, and live stats and video of the games will be available on smusaints.com.