by LACEY, Wash. – With Saint Martin’s trailing at halftime, the Saints put together a standout performance to stun Western Washington in the fourth quarter to take the home court victory 71-63 on Saturday night.
Coming back from a 12-point deficit, Saint Martin’s (10-11, 5-9 GNAC) outscored Western Washington (16-6,10-4 GNAC) 18-9 in the final ten minutes of the game to complete their groundbreaking night. Three players for the Saints scored in double-digits, bringing Saint Martin’s to their first victory over Western Washington in 12 years. Tierney DeDonatis led the Saints with an outstanding 24 points in just 25 minutes of action, followed by freshman Janealle Sutterlict (Yakama Nation) with 17. Senior Bria Thames ended the night with 15 points, marking another standout performance on the year.
Western Washington jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with a nine-point run to put them up 13-5. Western Washington scored all of their points inside the arc, and took a 17-11 lead into the second period.
Suttlerlict opened up the second quarter with two 3-pointers to put the Saints within two at 19-17. Down the stretch, the Saints’ offense went cold for four minutes until DeDonatis broke the spell with a three to bring the Saints within three. WWU stretched their lead to as many as 12; however, seven straight SMU points cut the lead to five by halftime, making it 35-30.
Out of the break, SMU put together an 8-2 run to take a 38-37 lead at the eight-minute mark. Over the next four minutes, neither team could hold a lead and the score tied four different times. The Vikings looked to have taken the momentum with an 8-1 run; however, DeDonatis ended the quarter with an and-one shot and a three to bring the Saints within one at the end of the quarter.
The Saints came out in the fourth quarter with fire, limiting WWU to just one basket in five minutes, while DeDonatis and Thames scoring a total of eight points to bring the Saints back in the lead 62-56.
With Saint Martin’s on top at 65-60 with three minutes left in the game, SMU held the Vikings scoreless for the next two minutes. WWU sunk a three with 38 seconds left on the clock in a comeback attempt; however, the Saints held the momentum to ice the game and complete the upset.
Thames put together another player of the year performance, recording her 11th double-double of the season of 11 rebounds on top of her 15 points. Claire Dingus ended with six points and 11 rebounds, while Jayla Russ came off the bench for five points, three rebounds, and one steal.
Saint Martin’s shot 22-for-50 (44 percent) from the floor, 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) beyond the arc, and 19-for-25 (76 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints grabbed 36 rebounds, seven assists on 18 turnovers, along with four steals, and one block.
