SEATTLE, Wash. — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team battled for a hard-earned GNAC victory tonight, defeating Seattle Pacific 73-67 in Seattle on Thursday, January 1.
The game saw major swings toward both teams, but ultimately came down to the final minutes as Saint Martin's earned a GNAC road victory behind a stellar shooting night from beyond the arc. The win improved the Saints' record to 11-2 on the year and 3-0 in GNAC play, while stretching the team's winning streak to eight straight.
How It Happened
First Half
- The Saints started off strong with a 7-0 run, capped off by a Dae'Kwon Watson three-pointer with 17:21 on the clock.
- A three-pointer by Watson at the 16:24 mark put the Saints up 10-3, before Seattle Pacific answered with a three at 15:59 on the clock to trim the Saint Martin's lead to 10-6.
- After the Falcons cut the Saints' lead to 13-12, Dae'Kwon Watson hit his third three-pointer of the game at the 13:42 mark, bringing his point total to 12 and putting Saint Martin's ahead 16-12.
- The first half was neck-and-neck, as the Saints and Falcons were knotted at 21-21 halfway through the first 20 minutes of play.
- A run late in the first half by SPU put Saint Martin's behind 33-25, before two more three-pointers from Dae'Kwon Watson helped trim the deficit to 36-33 heading into halftime. Watson totaled 20 points in the first half, drilling five three-pointers. The Saints stayed within contention in the first half, as the Falcons shot 48.1% from the field.
Second Half
- A layup by Patrick Kilfoil tied the game at 36-36 early in the second half, as Saint Martin's came out firing. After a three-pointer put SPU ahead 40-39 with 16:18 on the clock, the Saints responded with a 17-6 run that put Saint Martin's ahead 57-45 with 11:33 remaining in regulation.
- A 7-0 run in response by Seattle Pacific trimmed the Saint Martin's lead to 57-52 with 9:32 on the clock — Ronyo Obou ended the run with a three-pointer at 8:41 to put the Saints up 60-52.
- Seattle Pacific retook the lead (64-62, SPU) with a three-pointer at the 3:46 mark, capping off a 12-2 run.
- After nearly two scoreless minutes, a three-pointer by Kaden Hansen put the Saints up 65-64 with 1:47 remaining.
- Diego Trejo-Delgado converted a layup to put Saint Martin's up 67-64 with 1:13 remaining in regulation.
- After a defensive stand, Omer Ege Peksari helped ice the game with a layup to put the Saints up 69-64 with 18.9 seconds remaining. The Saints clinched the victory with a final score of 73-67.
Top Performers
Team Stat of the Game
The Saints shot 11-22 from three-point range, which is tied for the highest team percentage this season against a Division II opponent.
Up Next
The Saints will travel to Montana to face MSU Billings at 1 p.m. PT on Jan. 3.
