LACEY, WA — Saint Martin's Men's Basketball (14-2, 3-0 GNAC) squared off against the Seattle Pacific Falcons to open the new calendar year at Marcus Pavilion.

The Saints and Falcons would trade blows throughout the first half with both teams finding gaps in the opposition's defensive scheme. SPU would take an early lead, but SMU would fight back with opening points from Marcel Stevens, who would end up scoring ten points and leading the team with four steals. Immanuel Oludele would also score ten points and be a major contributor in the paint, leading the Saints with seven boards and two blocks in an impressive performance following his triple-double against Lincoln in December. Seattle Pacific would match these efforts by taking advantage of the fast pace of the game with both teams scoring a decent amount in transition and off of turnovers. The Saints would take a 30-26 lead going into halftime with the Falcons staying on pace on the offensive side of the ball.

Out of the half, Saint Martin's offense would catch fire, with Myles Samuels creating a huge momentum swing for the squad with big-time shots throughout the second half. He would score 11 of his team-leading 18 points in the final 20 minutes of the contest, including back-to-back three-pointers with about eight minutes left to put the Saints firmly in control. He would be aided by Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, who would contribute to his conference-leading assist (98) and steal (26) counts on the season as he continues to make his case as the GNAC's top point guard. He would also grab four boards and score four points during the contest. Jayshawn Moore would see playing time for the first time since November 15th and would take full advantage of the opportunity, scoring nine points and snagging six rebounds. Omer Ege Peksari would follow closely behind with eight points of his own, while Dyson Lighthall, Diego Trejo-Delgado, and Jacob Harper contributed points to the team's effort. The Saints would ultimately pull away from the Falcons and win the contest 71-53 to remain undefeated in GNAC play.

Associate Head Coach Tyler Velasquez was proud of how the team performed coming out of the holiday break:

"The first games back after a long Christmas break are always the toughest. We expected to be rusty and knew the game would be a little sloppy. I am proud of the way our guys competed when the shots weren't going in. This was a true team win with a lot of different guys stepping up and making plays in different ways than just scoring."

The Saints will be back in action this Saturday, January 4th, at 5:15 PM against a tough Montana State Billings squad. Saturday will also be SMU's first Warming Up With The Saints of the season, so get your tickets ahead of time to tailgate before the game!