2/19/26
#24 Saint Martin’s Saints 70, Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks 54
What once was a comfortable lead in the GNAC standings has suddenly shrunk to just a one-game lead for the #24 Saint Martin’s Saints Men’s Basketball team. Looking for the season sweep against Northwest Nazarene, the men returned to Marcus Pavilion after a three-game road trip.
Things were tight early, as the Saints and Nighthawks traded blows for the first eight minutes. Saint Martin’s defense was smothering, forcing the Nighthawks to struggle from the floor, as the Saints saw their lead balloon into double figures. The Saints led 29-18 at the half while Northwest Nazarene shot 6-28 from the floor for the first half. Saint Martin’s used an 11-2 run to sprint out to a 20-point lead. The second half was played by a 20-point margin as the Saints kept knocking down shots and playing exceptional defense. The Saints would go on to win 70-54 and pick up another home victory.
Kaden Hansen led the way with 20 points and played all 40 minutes. Pablo Navarro was a rebounding machine, securing 17 rebounds, the most by a Saint this season, with 16 points. He grabbed eight offensive rebounds, while Northwest Nazarene as a team had 11 offensive boards. Diego Trejo-Delgado had 15 points and eight rebounds, and freshman guard Patrick Kilfoil ran the point well once again, scoring 12 points.
Saint Martin’s limited Northwest Nazarene to shoot 2-16 from three-point land. The Saints outrebounded the Nighthawks 47-35 and caused eight steals while Northwest Nazarene forced just one. The Saints had 23 second-chance points while the Nighthawks had just eight.
Saint Martin’s is now 20-5 on the season and 12-3 in the GNAC. The Saints remain one game ahead of Alaska Anchorage, which is 11-4 in conference play and hosts Saint Martin’s in the regular-season finale. Saint Martin’s hosts Central Washington on Saturday, who is in the thick of a tremendous battle to make the GNAC Championships. There are five teams within three games in the loss column of each other, and only the top six teams in the GNAC make the GNAC Championships. The Saints and Alaska Anchorage are the only two teams that have secured spots in the GNAC Championships.
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