The Saint Martin’s men’s basketball team had two chances to tie and take the lead late after storming back from a 13-point deficit in a 76-72 loss to Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Seattle Pacific at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey on Saturday, Jan. 31.
The Saints shot 44.4% from the field but were peppered by the Falcons, who hit seven 3-pointers and shot 57.1% from the field. Still, Saint Martin’s never trailed by double digits in the first period. Seattle Pacific led 24-18 at the 10-minute mark, but the Saints pulled to within 36-31 with 53 seconds left in the half thanks to a 3-pointer by Patrick Kilfoil.
Seattle Pacific hit a triple with five seconds left before halftime for the 39-31 advantage at the break.
That continued to be a trend as the Falcons hit seven more 3-pointers in the second half. Seattle Pacific went on a 7-0 run to take a 46-33 lead four minutes after the break. Saint Martin's responded with a 7-0 run of its own to pull within 46-40.
The Falcons eventually tried to pull away, making it 71-58 with 4:39 left in the game, but the Saints channeled the home crowd energy and posted a comeback that saw Kaden Hansen hit a pair of free throws, a Pablo Navarro jumper and then two more free throws to draw within 71-65.
With 55 seconds left, Hansen hit a layup to make the score 72-69. The Falcons responded with two free throws, but Hansen came back with a 3-pointer to make the score 74-72.
The Saints, however, missed a layup, jump shot and 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game, which could have tied or taken the lead in the game.
Hansen led the Saints with 29 points, shooting 11 of 21 from the field. He also had three assists and two steals. Anthony Simo notched 13 points and 10 rebounds, while adding two steals. Diego Trejo-Delgado tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The loss dropped Saint Martin’s to 17-4 overall and 9-2 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Saints will go on the road and play at Western Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 4:15 p.m.
