ANCHORAGE, Alaska – For the second time in the last three full seasons, the Saint Martin's men's basketball program claimed the GNAC regular season title.
Despite not ending the season exactly how the Saints (18-8, 11-6 GNAC) wanted, falling to Alaska Anchorage 85-76, ultimately, the result did not affect the standings. With Seattle Pacific's lost to Central Washington earlier in the day, the Saints clinched the 2022 regular season title before tip-off against the Seawolves.
The Saints will be the number one seed at the GNAC Championships, hosted by Saint Martin's on March 2nd – 5th. Saint Martin's will receive a bye and play their first game in the quarterfinals on March 3rd.
In Anchorage, the Saints led the game entering halftime before the Seawolves caught fire in the second half. Anchorage led the comeback with a 52-point second half to take the season finale game.
Kyle Greeley led the way for the Saints with 22 points, followed by
Brett Reed's 15 points, seven rebounds.
Christian Haffner came off the bench for an 18-point performance, scoring all 18 points on his six made 3-pointers.
Saint Martin's opened the first lead of the game, scoring eight straight points to make it a 17-10 lead. Haffner stepped up with two 3-pointers to spark the offense.
The Saints' lead never faltered in the first half, despite dipping to as little as one. Saint Martin's responded back and turned the 1-point lead into double-digits in just a minute of play. A couple last minute baskets and free throws helped Alaska Anchorage trim the lead down to 39-33 at halftime.
Alaska Anchorage had no answer for the Saints in the opening minutes of the second half, still trailing by nine with 14 minutes left on the clock. However, the Seawolves began to heat up.
UAA took their first lead since the opening minutes on a layup at the 10:20 mark, and never looked back. Despite the Saints' best efforts to close the gap, Saint Martin's fell short in the comeback bid, falling 85-76.
For Saint Martin's, the trip to the GNAC Championship tournament is their fourth in the last five full seasons, dating back to 2017. The Saints will be the host site for the first time since that 2017 season and will look to claim their first ever tournament championship.
