LACEY, WA — Saint Martin's Men's Basketball (19-6, 8-4 GNAC) hosted the Western Oregon Wolves this past weekend in a Saturday night GNAC contest.

Right from the tip, Immanuel Oludele wasted no time putting points on the board with a strong opening bucket. The game started as a back-and-forth affair, but Western Oregon soon found their rhythm, going on a scoring run that left the Saints trailing 28-15. However, instead of folding, the Saints responded. In just two minutes, they cut the deficit to five, forcing the Wolves to call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Jayshawn Moore showed his strength, finishing through contact and sinking key free throws. Meanwhile, Omer Ege Peksari showed his court vision, slicing through the Wolves' defense and dishing out passes. At halftime, the scoreboard read 42-33, Saints held the lead. 

The second half was all about the Saints' relentless energy. Oludele once again opened the scoring, this time draining a deep three. The Wolves tried to keep up, but the Saints were simply on another level. Diego Trejo-Delgado proved to be an unstoppable force in the paint, using his strength and footwork to dominate around the rim. On the defensive end, Jacob Harper applied constant pressure and locked down the perimeter. Not just a defensive menace, Harper also displayed his scoring touch, drilling four clutch three-pointers. By the final buzzer, Trejo-Delgado had notched a commanding double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds), while Peksari orchestrated the offense with six assists and three steals, and Saint Martin's would ultimately pick up the win, 81-62. The Saints would win the rebound battle in astounding fashion, grabbing 52 total boards while limiting the Wolves to just 20 for a differential of 32. 

Head Coach Aaron Landon was impressed with how the team responded to being down early, along with how the bench was a major contributor in the win:

"Any win in February is a big win. We've played 25 games and still have a lot to work on. Our starting group stumbled early, but we got some great energy off the bench led by Jacob Harper. He's one of the hardest workers in the program and tonight, all his work and preparation showed up. I'm really proud of him - we're lucky to have him in our program. Tonight, we did a really good job on the glass. To win in the GNAC, you have to be great on the glass. That was a point of emphasis and we had several guys contributing."

SMU Men's Basketball will be back in action on Thursday, February 13th, in the Pavilion as they host Simon Fraser. You can get tickets here.