BELLINGHAM, WA — No. 17 Saint Martin's Men's Basketball (16-3, 5-1 GNAC) headed north to Bellingham last Thursday night to take on the Western Washington Vikings in a GNAC showdown.

Immanuel Oludele would kickstart the offense by sinking a deep three-pointer to begin the game. Moments later, Marcel Stevens followed suit, nailing another from downtown to keep the momentum alive. But the Vikings were not backing down, answering with precision shooting of their own and keeping the score tight. As the Vikings found their rhythm, they went on an impressive run and would pull ahead, 21-13. The Saints, however, refused to let the game slip away. Doubling down on their defensive intensity and attacking the paint, they clawed their way back into the contest. By the time the scoreboard read 28-27, the energy in the gym was electric. The Vikings had no answer for Diego Trejo-Delgado, who was a dominant force on both ends of the floor. His presence in the paint and ability to finish strong kept the Saints within striking distance. With just one minute left in the first half, the game would be tied at 43. The Vikings managed to sink a last-second shot to enter halftime with a slim 45-43 lead.

The second half picked up right where the first left off; fast-paced, physical, and filled with highlight-worthy moments. For the first five minutes, the Saints and the Vikings would trade baskets in a neck-and-neck battle. The Saints, riding their defensive pressure and efficient scoring, surged ahead 59-52 with 11 minutes left on the clock. As the final seconds ticked away, the game became a nail-biter. With 12 seconds remaining, the Vikings held a slim two-point lead. Trejo-Delgado once again rose to the occasion, driving into the lane and tying the game at 75 with a clutch basket at the four-second mark. The Saints' comeback hopes, however, were dashed as the Vikings' point guard raced up the court and sank a buzzer-beating floater to seal a 77-75 victory.

The Saints would shoot 29-59 (49.2%) from the field and 9-18 (50%) from the three-point line in the loss to Western Washington. The Vikings would go 18-22 (81.8%) while the Saints would go 8-16 (50%) from the free-throw line. The standout performer of the night was Trejo-Delgado, who delivered a stellar performance with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Myles Samuels and Dyson Lighthall would each contribute 12 points during the contest.

The Saints will look to bounce back against Simon Fraser on Saturday, January 18th at 7:00 PM in Burnaby, British Columbia. You can get tickets here.