MONMOUTH, Ore. — The No. 21 Saint Martin's Men's Basketball team earned its 10th GNAC victory of the season, defeating Western Oregon 74-55 in Monmouth, Oregon on Saturday, February 7.

After a close-knit first half, the Saints erupted for a huge advantage in the second half behind the team's best shooting performance of the regular season. The win improved the Saints' record to 18-4 overall and 10-2 in GNAC play.

How It Happened
First Half

• Both teams shot over 50% in the first half, as the Saints held a narrow, single-digit lead for most of the first half.
• The teams played out an 11-11 tie at the 12:44 mark, before the Saints pulled ahead 21-14 at the 10-minute mark behind a run that saw back-to-back jumpers from Patrick Kilfoil. The seven-point lead was the largest of the first half.
• The Wolves responded with an 8-0 run that saw the Saints fall behind 22-21 with 5:35 on the clock.
• The lead went back-and-forth, until the Saints pushed ahead 35-32 at the halftime break.

Second Half

• The Saints shot a stellar 14-23 (60.9%) from the field in the second half, as the game tilted heavily toward Saint Martin's in a lights-out second half.
• The second half started off tightly-contested, as the Wolves tied it up at 35-35 and the Saints later held a narrow 44-42 lead with 12:15 on the clock.
• Saint Martin's erupted for a massive 12-2 run that saw the team jump ahead 56-44 with 5:58 on the clock.
• The momentum carried through the rest of the half, as a layup by Pablo Navarro with 3:59 left in regulation put the Saints up 62-46.
• With 1:33 on the clock, a layup by Patrick Kilfoil put the Saints up 72-51, all but sealing the victory. Saint Martin's held off any late push from Western Oregon, winning 74-55 at the final buzzer.

Top Performers

• Patrick Kilfoil led all players with 20 points, doing so off 7-9 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from three-point range. He added five rebounds and four assists.
• Diego Trejo-Delgado totaled 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.
• Pablo Navarro tallied his fourth double-double of the season, totaling 13 points and 10 rebounds. He added three steals, one block, and one assist.
• Anthony Simo finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
• Kaden Hansen tallied 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Team Stat of the Game

The Saints shot 56% from the field and 54.5% from three-point range. The field goal percentage is the highest in a game this season against a Division II opponent.

Up Next

The Saints will continue a three-game road stretch, facing Simon Fraser on Feb. 12 and Western Washington on Feb. 14.