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December 20, 2006 Lacey, WA – Saint Martin’s used a balanced offense and got strong contributions from every player to defeat George Fox University 78-67 in their final non-conference game Wednesday night at the SMU Pavilion. The game was close the entire first half as neither team took more then a five point advantage. The Bruins made a layin with 5 seconds to go in the half to pull within two. The Saints quickly called a timeout with only 3 seconds left on the clock. Jake Linton got the ball and with one second left hit a three to put the Saints back up by five, 33-28, going into the half. Saint Martin’s never trailed in the second half. The Bruins pulled within one a total of four times but the Saints were able to hold them off. With just over 11 minutes to go the Saints were up 47-46 before going on a 12-3 run to take a 59-49 lead. The Bruins didn’t get any closer then eight the rest of the way as the Saints put away the win. “After a slow first half we picked it up a lot. We missed some shots early which led to not as good of defense because we were disappointed. We executed better in the second half; got off good shots and made them,” said head coach Keith Cooper. “George Fox is a dangerous team to play this time of year. They execute and are well coached. We had to get after them and play hard to beat them.” Stephon Harris and Jake Linton both posted 16 points for the Saints. Harris added 6 rebounds and Linton seven assists. Brendan Campbell had 12 points and six rebounds while Greg O’Neal had ten points. Chris Parker led the Bruins with 14 points, Phil Heu-Weller had 13, Brent Satern 12, and Brady Strutz and Mark Metzler had 10 each. “Joe and Jake did a good job as point guards of executing and getting good offensive sets. Tyler played very good in the second half for us and gave us a good lift. Matt gave us a good lift off the bench and knocked down some big shots,” added Cooper. “We have a lot of depth and everybody contributes. Every night someone else steps up and is the difference maker. Matt, Joe, and Tyler were the difference makers tonight. We’re learning how to win even when we don’t play well. That’s a critical step in the success of this team.” The Saints have a short break before heading into conference play against Western Oregon on January 6th and are hoping to carry the winning momentum with them. “It was another feel good win. They were a good executing team but our defense did its part. It feels great going into conference with back to back wins. This is one of the toughest leagues. We’ve got to play hard every single game and stay together as a team. We’re ready for it,” said Harris.
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