LACEY, Wash. – After battling hard for a one-point halftime lead, Montana State University Billings came up with no answers for No. 11 Saint Martin's University in the second half, as they fell 73-56 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at Marcus Pavilion Saturday night. The Saints outscored MSU Billings 46-28 in the final 20 minutes of play and were exceptional rebounding the basketball throughout the game.
 
Jordan Kitchen paved the way to the Saint's win with 14 rebounds and eight points. Luke Chavez contributed 16 points and just missed a double-double with eight boards for SMU. Chandler Redix was especially effective in the first half and scored 15 points for Saint Martin's. Brendan Howard led MSU Billings with 13 points and six rebounds.
 
"Saint Martin's really came out of the gate in the second half and we couldn't stop them," commented head coach Mick Durham. "We had a tough time scoring and a tough time guarding them. It was an exciting environment tonight and a great experience for us as a team. We look forward to another opportunity to win games next week."
 
The Yellowjackets (13-13, 8-10) slid into a tie for seventh in the GNAC standings after back-to-back road losses this week. Meanwhile Western Washington went 2-0 to move to 8-9 in the GNAC. The 'Jackets got some help after an Alaska Anchorage overtime loss Saturday. However, Simon Fraser was the victor over UAA and they swung back into playoff contention with a record of 8-9.
 
Neither the Yellowjackets nor the Saints began with a hot shooting offense. After nearly six minutes, SMU held a meager 8-6 advantage. Zack Rollins tied the game at 10 with a deep-three point shot and the teams traded baskets until Tyler Green and Zharon Richmond found the bottom of the net from outside the arc late as the Yellowjackets headed to the locker room ahead 28-27.
 
The Saint's immediately responded on their first possession of the second half and went on an 18-6 run to take a resounding 46-34 lead. SMU's shooters seemed to get better as the minutes wore on. Chavez and Rhett Baerbacher combined for three triples in quick succession to give the Saints a 64-46 advantage, their largest lead of the night (18 points). Several MSUB players tried three pointers but were mostly ineffective and Saint Martin's stayed in front for the win 73-56.
 
Saint Martin's grabbed 46 rebounds compared to 32 for MSU Billings. The Yellowjackets shot 36.4-percent (20-for-55) from the field and 27-percent (6-for-22) from three-point range. Saint Martin's ended shooting 43.3-percent (29-for-67) and 26.9-percent (7-for-26) from beyond the arc. MSUB struggled at the free throw line and made just 10 of 19 attempts. Saint Martin's University went to the line 11 times and knocked down eight attempts.
 
Richmond and Rollins recorded 11 points apiece for MSUB and Green scored 10. Melvin Newbern Jr. played 11 minutes and had four points but was limited on the court due to early foul trouble. Chavez and Redix led the Saint's offensively with 16 and 15 points respectively. EJ Boyce had 12 points and BJ Stanley scored 11. Baerlocher played 30 minutes and pulled down nine rebounds.
 
Saint Martin's (15-3, 22-4) moved a step closer to securing the regular season title for best record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They remained in first place, just ahead of Northwest Nazarene (19-5, 14-4) and Seattle Pacific (17-6, 14-4) at the top of the league table.
 
THE BUZZ: Kobe Terashima was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for MSUB. The sophomore collected six points, six assists, and four rebounds while playing 33 minutes…Saint Martin's took the season series 2-0 after beating MSUB in Billings on January 24 by two points 76-74…The Yellowjackets are now 14-19 all-time against the Saints with their last win over SMU on February 18, 2017…Four teams have clinched a position in the conference tournament. Western Oregon became the latest to do so after a win over Central Washington Saturday night.
 
UP NEXT: MSU Billings has two games left in the regular season and both will be road contests against GNAC opponents. MSUB takes on University of Alaska Anchorage Thursday, February 28 at 7:30 AST followed by University of Alaska March 2 at 3:15 AST. The GNAC Championships, should the team qualify will be held in Bellingham, Washington March 7-9.