February 21, 2010
Lacey, WA – Saint Martin’s outscored Alaska Anchorage 30-3 from behind the arc on their way to a 76-59 victory on Saturday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at the Marcus Pavilion.
The Saints shot 58.8 percent (10-17) from the three while Anchorage hit just three of 24 (12.5 percent.) Roger O’Neill led the charge for SMU going four for four from behind the arc.
O’Neill finished the game with 17 points just behind Blake Poole who scored a game-high 19 points for the Saints.
The two teams vied for the advantage early in the first half; but with the score tied 15-15 with 10:06 to play SMU hit three consecutive threes, including two by Ryan Votaw, to take the lead for good
Saint Martin’s held onto a 33-24 lead at the break and never let the Seawolves get closer than seven the rest of the way.
“Fantastic team effort on both ends of the floor,” said assistant coach Dan Barfoot. “We focused on making them take shots with a hand in their face and our guys really did a great job making them work for anything.”
Nick Pacitti was the only UAA player in double figures scoring 14. Brandon Walker picked up eight rebounds to match Poole for game-high. Brady Bomber finished with seven assists and just one turnover for the Saints.
“I’m very proud of the focus and teamwork; we’ve made great strides getting better throughout the year and continue to improve everyday and every game,” said Barfoot.
The win secures the Saints’ second winning season in a row and at least the third best record in 18 years. They improve to 14-10 overall and 4-9 in the GNAC.
SMU will wrap up its home schedule next Saturday with a game against Seattle Pacific.