Monday, January 22, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. –  The Saint Martin’s men’s basketball team is on a roll. The Saints picked up their ninth consecutive win last week to move to 6-1 in conference play and earn GNAC Team of the Week honors.

The defending champion Saints are in impressive form and head into the second half of the conference slate on the heels of a 69-63 win over Montana State Billings last Thursday and an 89-71 victory over Seattle Pacific last Saturday. The two wins last week saw the No. 3 Saints to improve to 16-1 on the season and 6-1 in league play in their pursuit of the top spot in the conference standings.

“Our guys have continued to grow and get better,” head coach Aaron Landon said. “I’m proud of the way they defended two very good teams this past week. Our seniors have done a great job of leading this group, and we need to lean on them this week as we head to Alaska on a tough GNAC road trip.”

Saint Martin’s opened its week by handing Montana State Billings its first loss of the GNAC season with a hard-fought six-point win. The Saints weathered a strong offensive performance by the Yellowjackets with their own dose of firepower led by senior guard Tyke Thompson with 18 points off the bench on 7 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc. Thompson just missed out on a double-double, also finishing the night with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block.

Sophomore guard Kaden Hansen and senior guard Kyle Greeley made it three SMU players in double digits with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Hansen also notched a career-high five assists against the Yellowjackets to go along with five rebounds, two steals and a block. Greeley added seven rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal of his own as well. As a team, the Saints maintained their status as one of the most efficient teams in the conference by shooting 41.8% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range.

On Saturday, the Saints picked up their ninth straight win with a strong performance that included an utterly dominant first half. The  Saints put the hammer down through the first 20 minutes, pouring in 48 points while allowing the Falcons just 18 to head into halftime with a staggering 30-point advantage. Greeley and Thompson were leading forces in the high-octane first half for SMU, both finishing the first frame with 11 points. Greeley went on to lead the team with 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists on a night where six Saints finished with double-digit points.

Saint Martin’s was defensively exceptional in the first half, holding the Falcons to just 25.93% from the field and 11.11% from beyond the three-point arc. On the night, the Saints allowed just 35.4% from the field and 31% from long range while shooting an impressive 52.3% from the field themselves.

Thompson was one of two SMU players to put up 14 points in the victory along with junior guard Myles Samuels. Thompson added two rebounds while Samuels notched five rebounds and three steals on the night. Junior guard Marcel Stevens finished with 11 points followed by junior guard Jaden Nielsen-Skinner and senior center Shakeem Alcindor with 10 points apiece. On the night, 10 of the 11 players to suit up for SMU recorded at least two points.  

After packing the pavilion at home last week, Saint Martin’s will be back in action on the road this week in Alaska looking to maintain its perfect 9-0 record away from Lacey (7-0 away, 2-0 neutral). The Saints will face the Nanooks on Thursday before taking on the Seawolves on Saturday.