LACEY, WA — Saint Martin's Men's Basketball (15-2, 4-0 GNAC) would face a talented Montana State Billings Yellowjackets team in a clash of the GNAC's top teams this past weekend.

The Saints would be on the attack early, taking advantage of missed Yellowjackets shots from beyond the arc thanks to the team's incredible rebounding efforts. Immanuel Oludele would lead the squad with nine rebounds while almost securing a double-double with 11 points, and Dyson Lighthall would have one of his best performances of the year with 14 points, eight rebounds, a block, and a steal. An early 11-1 rebounding advantage for the Saints would help them claim an early 13-0 lead that they would never let go of with the offense keeping the pressure on the MSUB defense. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner would record his highest-scoring game of the season so far with a team-leading 18 points, three assists, three rebounds, and three steals. While Nielsen-Skinner is often highlighted as an elite ball-distributor, he shined on the scoring front to propel the Saints to a 48-32 lead going into the half. 

Saint Martin's would carry their momentum into the second half with even more Saints getting involved while playing efficiently on both offense and defense. Myles Samuels would have another efficient scoring game with 13 points while also tallying seven rebounds and four assists, while Diego Trejo-Delgado would add 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists of his own. The Saints would extend their lead to as many as 19 points in the second half thanks to the additional efforts of Marcel Stevens, Omer Ege Peksari, and Jayshawn Moore, who would combine for 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on the evening. Even with Montana State Billings converting on more scoring opportunities towards the end of the game, Saint Martin's would maintain their double-digit lead to win by a score of 82-70. SMU would end up going 32-64 (50%) from the field as a team in one of their most balanced efforts of the season.

Head Coach Aaron Landon was impressed with the team's performance, noting that the team has shown resiliency and poise in the face of adversity all season long:

"I'm really proud of our guys. MSUB is a great program; they're well-coached and we have a ton of respect for them. I thought we came out with great energy and Coach Tyler Velasquez was really sharp putting our guys in a position to be successful. Coming back after the break is really hard emotionally and physically. We've faced so much adversity this season and our guys have been very resilient through the highs and lows."

SMU Men's Basketball will be back in action following a bye. They will take on Western Oregon in Monmouth, Oregon, on Saturday, January 11th, at 4:15 PM. You can get tickets here.