LACEY, Wash.  — The Saint Martin's Women's Basketball team lost its final home game of the season, falling in a hard-fought matchup against No. 13 Central Washington on Saturday, February 21.

Despite making an emphatic second-half comeback that saw the Saints erase a 13-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, the effort came up just short as the Saints fell by a 55-49. The loss dropped the Saints' record to 16-9 overall and 12-4 in GNAC play, snapping a six-game winning streak.

Prior to the game, the Saints honored their senior class: Madelyn Brown, Lilly Koki, Kiana Rios, and Jamari Foster.

How It Happened
First Quarter

• The first quarter was neck-and-neck, as the teams played out a 9-9 tie with 1:45 remaining in the first period.
• A layup by Laiken Hill with under one minute to go put the Saints up 11-9 heading into the second frame.
• The Saints out-rebounded the Wildcats 13-9 in the opening quarter of play.

Second Quarter

• The second quarter was challenging for the Saints, as the Wildcats out-scored Saint Martin's 17-3.  The Wildcats shot a stellar 6-10 (60%), while the Saints struggled at 1-13 (7.7%).
• Central Washington opened the quarter on a 9-0 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from Asher Cai that put the Saints behind 18-11 with 5:54 on the clock.
• Kasey Booster responded with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 18-14, but the Wildcats bounced back with an 8-0 run that saw Saint Martin's head into halftime trailing 26-14.

Third Quarter

• Out of halftime, the Saints limited the Wildcats to 4-12 (33%) and shot 7-14 (50%) to tighten the gap.
• Saint Martin's fell behind by 13 points (33-20) at the 5:04 mark, before putting together an emphatic run to close out the quarter.
• The Saints ended the third quarter with a string of effective possessions, bringing the home crowd to its feet and tightening the deficit to four points heading into the final frame. Three-pointers by Karyss Lacanlale and Jada Travis capped off a 10-2 run to close the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• The Wildcats came out swinging to start the fourth quarter, as an 8-2 run saw the Saints fall behind 44-34 with 7:42 remaining in regulation.
• The Saints responded with several defensive holds and a string of baskets, once again igniting the homecoming crowd at Marcus Pavilion. Avery Oaster and Laiken Hill each scored layups, before Jada Travis hit back-to-back baskets to trim the CWU lead to 44-43 with 5:16 to go, prompting a Wildcats timeout.
• The Saints' run continued later in the quarter, as a three-pointer by Kiana Rios put the Saints ahead 46-44 with 3:22 on the clock.
• After a CWU basket, Avery Oaster converted a layup to put Saint Martin's up 46-44 with 2:49 to go, as the Wildcats used a timeout.
• The two teams battled down the stretch, playing to a 49-49 tie with just over two minutes left in the game. The scoreline was part of a 5-0 run by the Wildcats that saw the visitors take a 52-49 lead with 49.6 on the clock.
• With 34.9 seconds to go, Capri Sims converted a layup that gave Central Washington a pivotal 54-49 lead, with time running out for the Saints.
• The Saints were unable to complete the comeback efforts, falling by a final score of 55-49.

Top Performers

• Kiana Rios led the Saints with 14 points and added five rebounds and two steals.
• Jada Travis totaled 12 points, six assists, and three steals.
• Avery Oaster tallied her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

Up Next
The Saints will head to Alaska to face Fairbanks on Feb. 26 and Anchorage on Feb. 28, closing out the regular season.