FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team secured the 2025-26 GNAC regular season championship, defeating Alaska Fairbanks 22-5 in Fairbanks, Alaska on Thursday, February 26.

The GNAC regular season title is the fourth for Saint Martin's over the last seven seasons and third in the last five. The victory improved the Saints' record to 22-5 and 14-3 in GNAC play.

How It Happened
First Half

• The first half was a back-and-forth battle, as neither team led by more than three points through the first 20 minutes.
• After trailing 10-7, a Kaden Hansen free-throw at the 12:47 mark capped off a spark for the Saints that saw the team take a 12-10 lead.
• Diego Trejo-Delgado sank a three-pointer at the 8:03 mark, knotting the game at 20-20.
• Trejo-Delgado later converted a tip-in to put the Saints ahead 24-21 with 5:46 left in the first half.
• The Nanooks responded with a 5-0 run that put Saint Martin's behind 26-24 with 4:37 on the clock.
• Both teams played out a closely-contested first half, as a last-second jumper by Tariq Weiser put Saint Martin's behind 36-33 heading into halftime.
• Anthony Simo and Diego Trejo-Delgado led the Saints with nine points each in the first half.

Second Half

• In the second half, the Saints surged out and held a multi-possession lead for most of the second frame, but not before Fairbanks took a 41-39 lead with 17:44 on the clock.
• The Saints responded with a 13-0 run that saw two three-pointers from Kaden Hansen and one from Patrick Kilfoil, giving Saint Martin's a 52-41 lead with 12:42 remaining in regulation.
• With 9:37 on the clock, another three from Patrikc Kilfoil gave the Saints a 13-point lead (58-45.)
• Back-to-back three-pointers from the Nanooks trimmed the lead to 58-51.
• Alaska Fairbanks made a comeback push, cutting the advantage to 61-56 with 6:13 to go. A Kaden Hansen three-pointer on the ensuing possession put Saint Martin's ahead 64-56 with just over six minutes on the clock.
• Alaska Fairbanks pushed within four points (66-62) at the 4:10 mark, before Saint Martin's went on a decisive 9-0 run that was capped off by a Diego Trejo-Delgado three-pointer to put the Saints ahead 75-62 with just under two minutes to go.
• The Saints only allowed one field goal in the final four minutes, running off with a 77-65 victory to clinch the GNAC regular season title.

Top Performers

• Diego Trejo-Delgado led the Saints with 24 points off 10-16 shooting and 3-4 shooting from three-point range. He added nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.
• Kaden Hansen scored 20 points off 7-14 shooting. 
• Patrik Kilfoil scored 11 points and added five rebounds.
• Pablo Navarro led the Saints with 11 rebounds and added four points, three assists, and two steals.

Team Stat of the Game
The Saints shot 60% from three-point range in the second half, sparking a 44-29 advantage in scoring in the second half.

Game Note
With Saint Martin's winning the 2025-26 GNAC regular season title, Aaron Landon's three career GNAC championships is tight for the most all-time by any head coach in the conference. He is the only coach in GNAC history to win three outright regular season GNAC championships.

Up Next
The Saints will conclude the regular season at Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 28.