BILLINGS, MT — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team (5-0) traveled to the state of Montana to compete in the GNAC-PacWest Crossover this past weekend.

The Saints would open up Crossover play against the University of Hawai'i-Hilo who they faced the week before at the CCA Canadian Tip-Off Classic. The Vulcans, much like in their previous matchup against the Saints, would start scoring early and work at a fast pace, but SMU would take control of the game quickly as they would build up to an 11-point lead by halftime. Diego Trejo-Delgado would take the lead in the team's scoring efforts, as he would drop 20 by the end of the game. He would also record seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in his final stat line, being a menacing presence in all phases of the game. Myles Samuels, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, would tally a double-double by scoring 18 points and snatching 12 boards during the contest. The Saints would keep their distance from the Vulcans through the entire second half thanks to the efforts of Dyson Lighthall, who put in work in the paint to grab eight boards and contribute nine points. The Saints would go 13/32 (40.6%) from the three-point line in what wound up being another balanced win with a final score of 74-69.

On Saturday, Saint Martin's would face the Westmont Warriors in their second and final contest of the Crossover event. Westmont would keep pace with the Saints through most of the first half, but the tandem of Lighthall and Trejo-Delgado would once again be too much for the opposing defense to handle, with Dyson dropping a team-high 19 points with Diego close behind at 16. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner would also show out, leading the team with five assists, grabbing three rebounds, and contributing 13 points of his own. The Saints would take their 39-27 lead into halftime and expand the point differential to as much as 16 during the second half, with impressive defensive performances across the board preventing Westmont from clawing back into the game. The Saints would ultimately win 80-72 and claim their fifth-straight victory to kick off the 2024-2025 season.

Head Coach Aaron Landon is impressed with how the team handled a packed first two weeks of the season but knows that they will need to stay on course after an impressive 5-0 start:

"I'm really proud of our resilience through adversity. Playing five games on the road in nine days is a great challenge, but our group has embraced that opportunity with passion and energy. We've got a ton to work on and improve, but with the balance of academics, travel, and getting healthy we need to approach this one day at a time."

The Saints will play their first contest at home on Monday, November 11th, against Douglas College at 7:00 PM. Get tickets here.