HILO, Hawaii — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team won a closely-contested matchup at Hawaii Hilo, 70-68, in Hilo, Hawaii on Saturday, November 15.

The Saints held a significant advantage in team rebounding and saw standout offensive performances from Kaden Hansen and Dae'Kwon Watson. The win improved SMU's record to 2-0 on the season.

How It Happened

First Half

• After Hawaii Hilo held an early lead, Dae'Kwon Watson tied the game at 7-7 with a three-pointer at the 15:26 mark.
• The game was tied at 12-12, before the Saints built an early 22-14 lead with a three-pointer by Kaden Hansen with 11:37 remaining in the half.
• The Vulcans came within five points at 11:07, after which the Saints pushed the lead back to 28-19 with 9:12 to go in the half.
• The Vulcans embarked on a 6-0 run, trimming the Saints' lead to one possession with 7:09 remaining (28-25). 
• The Saints shot 13-33 (39.4%) in the first half and converted 9-11 free-throws in the first half. Dae'Kwon Watson led the way with 19 points and Kaden Hansen tallied 12, as the Saints went into halftime leading 40-34.

Second Half

• Despite a large rebounding advantage for the Saints, SMU struggled shooting in the second half as Hawaii Hilo picked up the offensive production and closed the gap.
• After an exchange of baskets, a jumper by Mark Clegg Jr. pushed SMU's lead to 50-40 with 12:45 remaining.
• The Saints led by 12 points with 11:30 left in regulation, as Kaden Hansen converted a layup.
• A late 9-1 run by the Vulcans saw the Saints' lead trimmed to 61-60 with 4:46 remaining. Kaden Hansen responded with a three-pointer to push the lead back to 64-60.
• Hawaii Hilo responded with a three-pointer, free-throw, and layup to recapture the lead, as Saint Martin's trailed 66-64 with 2:22 to go.
• Mark Clegg Jr. recaptured the lead for the Saints, going 1-2 at the free-throw line and then hitting a jumper with 1:29 remaining in regulation to put the Saints up 67-66.
• The Vulcans attempted a three and a jumper in the ensuing possessions, but the Saints held defensively and extended the lead to 69-66 with a pair of free-throws by Kaden Hansen with 26 seconds remaining.
• The Vulcans hit a jumper with seven seconds remaining to trim SMU's lead to 69-68.
• Mark Clegg went 1-2 at the free-throw line with one second remaining, and the Saints held defensively on the final possession to win 70-68.

Top Performers

• Kaden Hansen led all players with 23 points, scoring 12 in the first half and 11 in the second. He shot 8-8 at the free-throw line and added two steals and two rebounds.
• Dae'Kwon Watson totaled 21 points off 5-11 shooting, and added four rebounds, four steals, and four assists.
• Mark Clegg Jr. totaled a game-high 16 rebounds and scored nine points.

Team Stat of the Game

• The Saints dominated the boards, holding a 45-29 advantage in team rebounding.
• SMU converted 23 free-throws, shooting 79.3% at the line.

Up Next

The Saints will remain in Hawaii for a matchup at Hawaii Pacific at 9 p.m .PT on Nov. 18.