LACEY, Wash. — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team was victorious 88-74 against Central Washington at Marcus Pavilion on Saturday, February 21.

The Saints shot a stellar 53% from the field and were led by 30 points from Kaden Hansen, building a double-digit first-half lead that put the Saints in control of the game. The win improved the Saints' record to 21-5 overall and 13-3 in GNAC play. 

First Half

• The Saints came out of the gates on an 8-2 run into the first media timeout at 15:57, shooting 66.7% and limiting the WIldcats to 1-5 from the field in the early stages.
• Saint Martin's pushed the lead to 13-6 with a three-pointer by Kaden Hansen at the 14:06 mark.
• The Wildcats cut the Saints' lead to 13-12, before a layup by Patrick Kilfoil ended a 6-0 run and put the Saints up 15-12 with 11:42 on the clock.
• With 10:18 on the clock, Dae'Kwon Watson came off the bench returning from injury, converting a three-pointer to put the Saints up 18-14.
• Watson later hit a three-pointer at the 8:56 mark, followed by a three by Kaden Hansen on the following possession, pushing the Saints' lead to 26-14 and prompting a CWU timeout at the 8:24 mark.
• Central Washington responded with a 6-0 run, trimming the Saints' lead to 26-21 with 6:13 to go.
• The Saints built a steady lead down the stretch of the first half, going up 37-25 with a Kaden Hansen three-pointer at the 3:36 mark. Saint Martin's built its lead to 41-29 heading into halftime.

Second Half

• Both teams exchanged runs throughout the second half, as the Saints maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the half and never let the Wildcats come closer than within eight points.
• Back-to-back layups from Diego Trejo-Delgado and Patrick Kilfoil put the Saints ahead 57-42 with 13:12 left in regulation.
• An emphatic dunk by Nari Jordan at the 9:43 mark gave the Saints a 63-48 lead with 9:43 on the clock.
• A 7-2 run by the WIldcats pushed the Saints' lead to 65-55, but Diego Trejo-Delgado responded on the ensuing possession with a layup assisted by Kaden Hansen. After a defensive hold, Hansen added two free-throws to give the Saints a 69-55 advantage with 6:23 to go.
• The Wildcats pulled within 10 points (69-59) with 5:34 to go, but the Saints responded with a 6-0 run that put the home team up 75-59 with 3:36 remaining.
• The Saints converted free-throws down the stretch and held off any late comebacks, pulling away to win 88-74.

Top Performers

• Kaden Hansen scored 30 points off 11-22 shooting, and added four rebounds and three assists.
• Patrick Kilfoil totaled 19 points, two rebounds, and one assist.
• Diego Trejo-Delgado tallied a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 boards.

Team Stat of the Game
The Saints shot 53.3% as a team, the fourth time in GNAC play that the team has shot over 50%.

Up Next
The Saints will head to Alaska, facing Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 26 and Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 28.