BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Saint Martin's Women's Basketball team lost a closely-contested GNAC quarterfinal matchup 69-61 against Montana State Billings in Bellingham, Washington on Thursday

The Saints overcame a 16-point deficit midway through the game to later lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Yellowjackets pushed ahead late and ended the Saint Martin's conference tournament run. Avery Oaster posted a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Saints.

How It Happened
First Quarter

• The Saints ended their first offensive possession with a layup by Kiana Rios to go up 2-0, before both teams went scoreless for over 2:20 of gametime.
• The Yellowjackets responded with a 6-0 run to put the Saints down 6-2 midway through the frame.
• An Avery Oaster and-one and a Harper Wagner layup brought the score to 8-7 MSUB with 2:37 on the clock.
• After Kiana Rios hit a jumper at the 1:07 mark, Kailtlin Grossman responded with a jumper at the 31-second mark, as Saint Martin's ended the first quarter down 14-11.

Second Quarter

• With 7:31 on the clock in the second quarter, a three-pointer by Harper Wagner knotted the game at 16-16.
• A four-point play by Billings moved the score to 20-16, before a Grossman jumper at 5:30 put the Saints behind 22-16.
• The run for the Yellowjackets extended to 10-0, prompting a Saints timeout at the 4:27 mark down 26-16.
• Another four-point play for MSUB put the Saints down 30-18 with 3:17 left in the half, before Avery Oaster responded with a layup on the following possession.
• The Yellowjackets pushed the lead to 36-20 with 1:28 on the clock.
• A three-pointer by Laiken Hill with 46 seconds left trimmed the deficit to 36-25. A layup by the Yellowjackets with 18 seconds left in the half pushed the score to 38-25 at halftime.
• Montana State Billings shot 50% in the first half.
• Avery Oaster led the Saints with nine points in the first half.

Third Quarter

• After a flurry of scoring by both teams to start the second half, Kiana Rios hit a three-pointer from the right side to bring the score to 44-35, prompting a MSU Billings timeout at 6:13 on the clock.
• Both teams exchanged baskets, until back-to-back layups from Karyss Lacanlale and Avery Oaster trimmed the deficit to 50-43 with 2:37 left in the quarter.
• MSU Billings responded with a three-pointer to go ahead 53-43.
• Avery Oaster hit a layup and went 1-2 at the free-throw line on the following drive, pulling the Saints within 53-46.
• Oaster hit two free-throws with 33 seconds left in the quarter, as Saint Martin's went into the final quarter trailing 53-48.
• The Saints out-scored the Yellowjackets 23-15 in the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• Three straight layups by Kiana Rios to spark a 6-0 run out of the gates gave the Saints a 54-53 lead with 7:38 on the clock, the Saints' first lead since 2-0.
• The teams played out a 56-56 tie at the 5:19 mark.
• At the four-minute mark, Kiana Rios converted a three-pointer to put the Saints ahead 59-58.
• The Yellowjackets answered with a 6-0 run, putting the Saints behind 64-59 with 1:19 remaining in regulation.
• The Saints came within three points down the stretch, but MSU Billings went 5-6 at the free-throw line down the stretch and held Saint Martin's scoreless for the final minute, as the Saints fell by a final score of 69-61.

Top Performers

• Avery Oaster's 22-point, 12-rebound performance marked her eighth double-double of the season. She added four assists and one steal.
• Kiana Rios totaled 19 points and added six rebounds.
• The Saints capitalized off 34 points in the paint.

Team Season Stats

• With a 14-4 record in GNAC play this season, the Saints tallied the second winningest GNAC record in program history.
• The Saints held a 9-2 record at home this year, the best since the 2019-20 season.
• Kiana Rios increased her career points total to 1,260.