The Saint Martin’s women’s basketball team scored 23 points off turnovers and handled Simon Fraser 66-55 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey.
It was a close matchup throughout, but the Saints outscored the Red Leafs 34-23 in the second half to pull away and improve their record to 12-8 overall and 8-4 in GNAC play.
Jada Travis put in her second-biggest performance of the season for Saint Martin's, scoring 27 points on 9 of 18 shooting. She also shot 5 of 10 from the 3-point line while adding eight rebounds and two assists. Travis scored 15 of her points in the first half.
Saint Martin’s built a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game, hitting four 3-pointers. Simon Fraser went on a 7-0 run to pull within 14-11 with 3:08 left in the quarter. The Saints entered the second quarter with a slim 19-17 lead.
Things continued to be tight with Simon Fraser trailing 23-22 with 7:30 on the clock before half. The Saints went on a 6-0 run and had a 31-22 lead midway through the stanza. The Red Leafs notched a 9-1 run of their own to make it a one-point game, 32-31, heading into halftime.
Saint Martin’s opened up the second half on a 7-1 run to take a seven-point lead, but a flurry of 3-pointers by both teams and another rally by Simon Fraser made the score 44-44. Before the end of the third, the Saints took a 46-44 lead.
In the fourth, Saint Martin’s went on a 9-0 run to go up 53-44 to prompt a timeout by Simon Fraser. After that stoppage, Travis hit a 3-pointer at the seven-minute mark and the Saints had a comfortable 56-44 to cruise to victory.
Avery Oaster added 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals, three assists, and two blocks for the Saints, while Laiken Hill tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
The Saints will travel to play Montana State Billings on Feb. 5 and Seattle Pacific on Feb. 7.
