LACEY, WA — Saint Martin's Men's Basketball (19-7, 8-5 GNAC) geared up to take on the Simon Fraser Red Leafs this past Thursday at Marcus Pavilion.

Immanuel Oludele, the transfer from Simon Fraser University, was the hot hand for the Saints. After the tip and a few possessions, Oludele was the first to score for the Saints, sinking back-to-back threes early on. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner and Dyson Lighthall would get involved with the scoring effort early, helping the Saints find their rhythm. The Red Leafs would be quick to respond to SMU's attack, however, closing the deficit as the first half started to wind down. It was a back-and-forth battle with two minutes left in the first and Saint Martin's would find themselves trailing by three points at halftime, 33-30.

The Saints started the second half with a tough bucket by Jayshawn Moore. The Red Leafs tried to expand their lead early, but Diego Trejo-Delgado and Nielsen-Skinner would be fierce opposition. Trejo-Delgado showcased his strength and ability to step out behind the arch as a key player for this game, while Skinny applied pressure all across the floor defensively and landed some tough shots to keep the Saints in it. Both teams would continue to shoot well as the second half continued, with Simon Fraser barely maintaining their lead through the back 20 minutes. The Saints would keep it close into the home stretch, even taking the lead with under five minutes to play, but the Red Leafs would continue to find the basket in an efficient scoring day. Simon Fraser would land a series of paint points and free throws at the end of the contest to defeat Saint Martin's, 67-60. Senior Nielsen-Skinner ended the night with 14 points, four assists, and three steals while Omer Ege Peksari added 12 points of his own in his best performance as a Saint.

SMU Men's Basketball will be back in action on Saturday, February 15th, at 5:15 PM in Marcus Pavilion as they host the Western Washington Vikings. You can get tickets here.