LACEY, Wash. --
Jalyn Sackrider (Sr., G/F) scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Geoducks, but Saint Martin's University pulled away in the second half to defeat The Evergreen State College 57-25 in a women's basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 13. It was Evergreen's season opener. The Saints, who were playing their third game, improved to 3-0.
Evergreen trailed by a slim 14-10 margin at the end of the first quarter and the Geoducks were within 26-19 at halftime. Saint Martin's pulled away in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, when the Saints hit 3 of 6 three-point shots and outscored the Geoducks 22-1.
The Geoducks took a 6-4 lead on a jumper by Sackrider with 5:06 left in the first quarter. The Saints responded with a 10-0 run, including seven points by Avery Oaster. Evergreen tallied the last four points of the quarter on a 3-point basket by Sackrider with 48 seconds on the clock and 1 of 2 free throws by
Allison DeBerry (Sr., G) with less than a second remaining.
SMU scored eight of the first 10 points in the second quarter to increase the lead to 22-12. The Geoducks edged back within 22-15 following a 3-point shot by DeBerry at the 6:10 mark.
Jada Travis made a layup for the Saints to give them a nine-point lead, but a free throw by
Abby Mundy (Sr., G) and a 3-pointer by
Mikail Montez (Sr., F/C) cut the margin to 24-19 with 3:33 to go in the half. A tip-in by Oaster with 11 seconds left gave SMU a 26-19 edge at the break.
Evergreen opened the third quarter with jumpers by Sackrider and
Sydney VanNess (Sr., G/F) as the Geoducks reduced the deficit to 26-23. The Saints gradually added to their lead, starting with a layup by Keeli Jade Smith at the 5:08 mark. SMU recorded a slim 9-5 scoring edge during the third quarter, but entered the final period with a 35-24 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Saint Martin's hit 8 of 15 field goals and limited Evergreen to 0-for-9 shooting from the field. The Geoducks scored one point in the final 10 minutes on a free throw by Mundy with 54 seconds to play.
Sackrider's nine points led Evergreen and her seven boards were second on the team. VanNess added five points and four assists, while Montez hauled down a team-high eight boards.
Saint Martin's was led by Oaster with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Leading rebounders for the Saints were Travis with 10 boards, Sabrina Lopez with nine, and Oaster with eight. Travis also went 3 for 7 on 3-point shots while scoring 11 points. Lopez finished with 10 points.
Evergreen will host Pacific Lutheran University in another non-conference game on Sunday, Nov. 17. Game time at the Costantino Recreation Center is set for 2 p.m. PST.
