BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Saint Martin's Men's Basketball made history in Bellingham, winning the 2025-26 GNAC Tournament Championship by defeating the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves 74-62 on Saturday, March 7.
The tournament championship, which is the first in Saint Martin's program history, caps off a historic GNAC run this season that also saw the team claim the 2025-26 GNAC regular season title. The victory clinches an automatic bid in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The win is the 25th of the season for the Saints, tying the second most total wins in a season in program history.
The Saints shot a scorching 48.2% from the field and 48.1% from three-point range, and were led in scoring by Patrick Kilfoil with 23 points, earning GNAC Tournament Player of the Year honors. Kilfoil is the first underclassmen to ever win GNAC Tournament MVP.
How It Happened
First Half
- The Saints rattled off an early 5-0 run that put Saint Martin's ahead 5-2.
- After a 7-7 tie early on, a three-pointer by Akok Machar put the Seawolves ahead 10-7 with 15 minutes on the clock.
- UAA built a 14-9 lead at the 13:19 mark, before a massive run propelled the Saints ahead.
- Dae'Kwon Watson, Patrick Kilfoil, and Kaden Hansen hit consecutive three-pointers, before Pablo Navaroo hit back-to-back layups to put the Saints up 22-14 with 8:50 left in the first half.
- Saint Martin's held Anchorage scoreless for 6:27 as the Saints embarked on a 13-0 run.
- The Seawolves responded with back-to-back buckets, before Anthony Simo hit a corner three-pointer to put Saint Martin's ahead 25-18 with 5:15 left in the first half.
- After a UAA bucket, Dae'Kwon Watson hit a three to send the Saints into the media timeout leading 28-20 with 3:44 on the clock.
- Saint Martin's pushed its lead to double-digits with 2:22 on the clock, as Omer Ege Peksari hit a three-pointer off a Dae'Kwon Watson assist.
- The Saints shot 50% in the first half as a team, taking a 34-25 lead into the halftime break.
- Patrick Kilfoil led the Saints with nine points in the first half, scoring all nine on three-pointers.
Second Half
- The Saints came out firing in the second half, embarking on a 14-4 run out of the gates to build a 48-29 lead at the 15-minute mark. Kaden Hansen and Patrick Kilfoil hit three-pointers during the run.
- Patrick Kilfoil hit an and-one at the 14:33 mark to give the Saints a 20-point advantage (51-31).
- Kilfoil later pushed his scoring total to 20 points, scoring a three-pointer at the 13:59 mark to put Saint Martin's ahead 54-33. Kaden Hansen followed up with a fastbreak layup to put the Saints ahead 56-33.
- A pair of back-to-back three-pointers from Dae'Kwon Watson and Patrick Kilfoil gave the Saints a commanding 68-40 lead with nine minutes left in regulation.
- The Saints controlled the tempo down the stretch and cruised to victory, winning by a final score of 74-62 and clinching the program's first ever GNAC Tournament Championship.
Top Performers
Team Stat of the Game
- The Saints out-rebounded the Seawolves 41-28.
- Saint Martin's shot 48.1% from three-point range, the second highest clip in a game this season versus a GNAC opponent.
Up Next
The Saints have clinched an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and will compete in the West Region Tournament next weekend.
Saint Martin's Athletics is inviting fans to attend a watch party at the Worthington Conference Center at Marcus Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. on March 8, where the NCAA Division II selection show will announce the Saints' tournament first-round designation.
