BILLINGS, Mont. — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team notched a 87-68 road victory over No. 23 Montana State Billings on Saturday, January 3. 

After a tight-knit first half, the Saints erupted for a massive second half, in which the team out-scored the Yellowjackets by 20 points. The Saints compiled a stellar offensive performance, shooting 54.5% from the field, the team's highest percentage against a Division II opponent this season.

The win improved Saint Martin's winning streak to nine straight wins, and improved the team's record to 12-2 on the year and 4-0 in GNAC play.

How It Happened
First Half

• The Yellowjackets took an early edge in the game, going up 14-6 through just under five minutes of play, as MSUB started off 4-4 from the field. However, it was the Saints' stellar shooting that kept the team in contention in the first half, and ultimately powered Saint Martin's to a victory.
• A 9-0 Saints run was capped off by a pair of Kaden Hansen free-throws, tying the game at 14-14 with 11:40 on the clock. From this point on, neither team led by more than two possessions for the next 10 minutes of game time, as the lead bounced back and forth.
• The Yellowjackets went up 39-33 with 1:06 left in the first half, before the Saints saw a three-pointer from Kaden Hansen and a layup by Anthony Simo to head into halftime trailing 39-38. Hansen led the Saints with 10 first-half points, while Simo added eight.

Second Half

• Kaden Hansen opened the second half scoring with a three-pointer at the 19:02 mark, giving Saint Martin's a narrow 41-39 lead. 
• Much like the first half, the opening ten minutes of the second half saw the scoreline teetering for either team to pull away. A three-pointer by Kaden Hansen put the Saints up 49-43 with 16:16 on the clock, before the Yellowjackets tied up the game at 49-49 with 14:31 to go.
• An 8-0 run by the Saints saw the visiting team go up 57-49 with 12:13 remaining in regulation. Pablo Navarro hit a three-pointer, before Omer Ege Peksari hit a jumper and three-pointer.
• Despite the Saints taking a solid lead, the Yellowjackets once again rallied back into contention, cutting the Saint Martin's lead to 59-58 with 9:13 on the clock.
• It was at this point in the second half the Saint Martin's sparked a massive momentum swing, embarking on a huge run and limiting MSUB's offensive efforts. The Saints rallied for a 12-0 run, which saw three-pointers by Kaden Hansen and Dae'Kwon Watson, putting Saint Martin's up 71-58 with 5:58 remaining in regulation.
• After the big run, the Saints continued to put their foot on the gas, holding a consistent double-digit lead and pushing the advantage to upwards of 19 points down the stretch. In addition to a strong offensive output down the stretch, Saint Martin's also limited Montana State Billings to just one field goal in the final nine minutes, going on to win 87-68.

Top Performers

• Kaden Hansen led all players with 25 points off 8-19 shooting, his sixth 20-point performance of the season.
• Dae'Kwon Watson totaled 18 points off 4-6 shooting from the field, 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and 7-7 shooting at the free-throw line. He added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
• Pablo Navarro scored 14 points off 6-9 shooting, and added eight rebounds and three blocks.
• Anthony Simo tallied 13 points and four rebounds.
• Omer Ege Peksari totaled eight points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Team Stat of the Game

Saint Martin's shot 54.5% from the field as a team, the Saints' highest field goal percentage against a Division II opponent this season. Additionally, the Saints also limited the Yellowjackets to 31.7% shooting from the field, the second lowest opponent field goal percentage in a game this season by a Division II opponent.

Up Next

The Saints will host Western Oregon (5-7, 0-3 GNAC) at 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 10.