LACEY, Wash. – 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.
 
Seattle Pacific jumped on the Saints early and scored six unanswered points before Dingus drained a jumper to get SMU on the board. SPU pushed their run to 11-2, before Saint Martin's found their footing offensively and scored some baskets to close out the quarter down 11-6.
 
Dingus and DeDonatis took turns carving up the Falcons defense in the second quarter, accounting for all of SMU's points while the Saints' defense prevented Seattle Pacific from going on any runs to extend their lead any further. Saint Martin's went into the locker room down 26-21 at halftime.
 
The Saints offensive woes continued but their defense stood strong as their left the third quarter with a nine-point deficit, 40-31.
 
Josie Matz was the catalyst for Saint Martin's comeback efforts, scoring six consecutive points before Rian Clear nailed a three-pointer to bring SMU within two points of the Falcons with seven minutes left in regulation. From here Seattle Pacific went on a massive run to put the game out of reach and defeat the Saints.
 
 
Saint Martin's next game will be on the road at Montana State Billings on Thursday, February 10 at 6:00 PM. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.