MONMOUTH, Ore. – SMU showcased a balanced attack as five different Saints recorded double-digits in points to help Saint Martin's defeat Western Oregon on the road, 71-59. The win moved SMU to 5-0 in conference with a four game win streak.
Shakeem Alcindor lead the way for the Saints posting his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Kyle Greeley fell just short of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Branden Bunn (12),
Champ Spencer (11) and
Tyke Thompson (10) all scored double digits and showcased the versatility in SMU's offense.
Saint Martin's went with the starting lineup of
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, Bunn, Greeley, Alcindor and
Nathaniel Stokes. Alcindor scored the ceremonial first basket of the game with a crafty euro-step layup. After trading blows early in the contest, Saint Martin's jumped ahead with an impressive 23-5 run to put themselves ahead 29-16 with just over five minutes left in the half. WOU responded with a run of their own to trim the deficit and the Saints went into the break with 39-30 lead.
SMU did an excellent job understanding the position they were in and did not allow the Wolves to build any momentum in the second half. The play of the night came in the waning minutes of play as Nielsen-Skinner passed to Bunn on an inbounds play, who then drove baseline and elevated to the roof for a jaw-dropping slam over an WOU defender. The Saints held off Western Oregon and left Monmouth with a 71-59 victory.
Head coach
Aaron Landon praised his team's performance with, "Tonight our guys were focused on defending for 40 minutes. I loved the toughness we showed on the glass and with our interior defense. It's really hard to hold a lead for an entire game, especially on the road. I'm really proud of our guys for competing the way they did tonight."
Saint Martin's shot 38% from the field, 33% from deep and 69% from the free throw line. SMU out-rebounded the Wolves 47-38. The Saints held the lead for 36 of the 40 minutes in the contest.
Saint Martin's continues their string of road games next week as they head to Billings, Montana to face MSUB on January, 12th at 6:00 PM. Live stats and video available on smusaints.com.
