Monday, December 20, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Saint Martin’s women’s basketball is rolling heading into the holiday break.

The Saints have won eight of their first 10 games and were ranked in the Top 25 before a loss to then-No. 1 Alaska Anchorage, but SMU is trending upwards towards the polls again with a three-game win streak, punctuating by two wins in back-to-back nights last week.

Led by veteran Claire Dingus and breakout freshman Rian Clear, the Saints defeated Pacific (Ore.) 71-49 on Thursday and Simpson (Calif.) 76-65 on Saturday. The unblemished run earned them selection as GNAC Team of the Week.

“It’s an honor to be named Team of the Week and I’m proud of our team effort, focus and dedication to this point,” head coach Chrissy Martin said. “We have a lot to work on prior to conference play and we’re excited to get into the thick of it.”

On Thursday, Saint Martin’s hosted Pacific, who were picked to finish second in a strong Division III Northwest Conference. The Boxers played well in the first half, taking a one-point advantage into the break, but the Saints clamped down on defense from there.

Saint Martin’s held Pacific to just 31 percent shooting, including 23 percent in the second half, while the SMU offense rolled to 43 points after halftime to turn a potentially tight contest into a 71-49 rout.

Clear, a freshman from Walla Walla HS, scored a career-high 24 points and matched career-highs with eight rebounds and four assists. Clear did damage by being an efficient offensive scorer, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, including 2 of 3 from three-point range and 2 of 2 from the line. Dingus had 15 points and seven rebounds, while redshirt freshman Lauryn Morris tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists.

Taking the court less than 24 hours later against Simpson, the Saints found it easy to carry over the momentum from the Pacific game, blitzing the Red Hawks in the first half. The Saints scored 30 in the first quarter alone and then doubled Simpson’s output in the second quarter, leading to a 48-23 halftime advantage that ensured the game was practically over after 30 minutes. As a team, the Saints outshot 62 percent from the field in the first half while holding their opponents to half that number at 31 percent.

Once again, the Saints’ leading scorer had 24 points, but this time it was the junior Dingus pacing the offensive output. Dingus was nearly perfect from the floor, making 8 of 9 attempts from the field while also sinking 8 of 10 free throws. Starting center Emily Nelson also got to the line against the Red Hawks, going 4-for-10 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the stripe for a 15-point night. Nelson and Morris led the team with seven rebounds apiece.

For the week, Dingus averaged 19.5 points per game, with Clear next at 15 and Morris at 11.5 points per game. The Saints rank fourth in the conference with a +7.5 scoring margin for the year and lead the conference with 17.5 assists per game. Like the rest of the GNAC, Saint Martin’s will take a holiday break until December 30, when conference play kicks off in earnest. The Saints will face Simon Fraser before a clash with No. 10/8 Western Washington on New Year’s Day.