LACEY — The first quarter was supposed to set the tone for the season.
Saint Martin’s, stacked with experience, wanted to enforce its will with a tenacious approach on the defensive end, as it did all of last season.
Instead, the Saints had to regroup emotionally just eight minutes into their season.
Jada Travis, a junior guard and third-year starter for the Saints, went down with a right knee injury with two minutes left in the first quarter of their 2026 opener against Cal Poly Humboldt on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and did not return.
Beyond her abilities on the court — averaging 13.4 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game through her first two seasons — Travis’ leadership is perhaps her strongest trait and most difficult to replace.
“We came together and said that we’re playing for her at this point. We were trying to stay together and get this win for her,” junior guard Laiken Hill said.
Saint Martin’s stepped up for its injured teammate and defeated Cal Poly Humboldt 49-46 in a low-scoring defensive battle at Marcus Pavilion. The Saints saw backup point guard Karyss “KK” Lacanlale fill in for Travis with 11 points and six assists, and junior Daeja Hollands knocked down a clutch shot with 1:05 remaining to give the Saints a cushion.
Head coach Natalie Marlowe isn’t opposed to winning a game by scoring only 49 points. Her goal is to hold the opponent to below 50 every night. Last season, the Saints allowed opponents to score 55.5 per game and shoot under 39% from the field, forcing 17.6 turnovers per game.
From the opening tip on Tuesday, the Saints tossed full-court pressure at the Lumberjacks’ ball-handlers.
“We try to throw a lot at teams. Our big thing is discipline. We really want to make sure that we’re staying disciplined throughout,” Marlowe said. “To hold a team under 50, that’s our goal every game. Our other goal was to win the paint and win the rebounds, and I thought that our kids were determined to go get the rebounds. Those were huge down the stretch.”
In the first quarter, the Saints struggled to maintain possessions on offense, turning the ball over five times in the first three-and-a-half minutes. Cal Poly Humboldt swarmed the Saints off the ball and jumped in the passing lane for steals.
Trailing 13-9 through the first quarter, Saint Martin’s flipped the game on its head with a 12-0 run to open the second quarter. Hill scored the first six during the spurt, including a 3-pointer. Freshman Libby Nelson cashed in a triple, and Lacanlane provided an and-one layup to give the Saints a seven-point advantage.
Lacanlale scored nine of her 11 first-half points in the second period, while Hill tallied seven of her nine points before halftime in the frame as Saint Martin’s led 32-28 at the break.
Offense was at a premium in the second half for both teams. Cal Poly Humboldt shot just 3 of 13 in the third quarter, and Saint Martin’s shot 3 of 9 as each team scored just seven points in the third. Saints freshman Jordyn Moss contributed a couple of layups off of Lacanlale dimes in the frame.
Harper Wagner and Avery Oaster helped create some wiggle room for Saint Martin’s with a 6-0 run early in the fourth, but over the next four minutes, the Lumberjacks clawed back with seven unanswered to pull within a point.
Oaster tossed a great pass to Hill for a clutch layup with 2:35 to go, pushing the Saint Martin’s lead to 47-44, and the graduate student forward also delivered a highlight-reel worthy steal, diving for the ball along the baseline and somehow staying in bounds.
After a pair of Lumberjacks free throws with 1:21 to go, Hollands drove past a couple of defenders for a layup with 1:05 remaining.
“That’s just Daeja. She’s super confident. She’s a special kid and a special athlete,” Marlowe said of Hollands. “She can do a lot of things that most kids can’t, so I’m really excited for when she releases that on everybody.”
Cal Poly Humboldt turned the ball over on its next possession and missed two shots in the final minute, sealing the Saints’ first win of the season.
Saint Martin’s held the Lumberjacks to just 18 points in the second half on 7 of 23 shooting, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range. But after their strong second quarter, the Saints never surrendered the lead in the second half.
The Saints showed impressive chemistry on the court despite losing Travis and also coming off of a chaotic offseason in which they had to commute to The Evergreen State College for practices for over a month. Marcus Pavilion’s court was recently renovated and didn’t open until late October.
But that offseason allowed Saint Martin’s to learn how to respond to adversity, which it faced plenty of on Tuesday.
“It was obviously a little bit difficult going all the way to Evergreen, but I think that’s going to make us better, especially on away trips and learning how to deal with and adapting to different situations,” Hill said. “It’s going to be really good for us in the long run.”
Hill and Lacanlale each led the Saints with 11 points apiece against Cal Poly Humboldt, and Oaster provided eight points and 11 rebounds.
Saint Martin’s (1-0) will travel to San Diego this weekend for the CCAA/PacWest/GNAC Challenge. The Saints will face Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Nov. 13 and Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Nov. 14.
