PULLMAN, Wash. - Saint Mary's women's basketball improved to a perfect, 2-0 after defeating Washington State on Sunday afternoon. The Gaels led by as much as 14 points in the third quarter and held on despite a late run by the Cougars in the game's final minutes.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• QUARTER 1 | The Gaels got off to a hot start in the early-goings, going on a 7-0 run to make it 9-3 SMC. However, the Cougars inched their way back, cutting the deficit to two points (13-11) at the first timeout.  Back-to-back turnovers turned into WSU points allowed the Cougars to tie the contest at 15 points apiece. WSU took a 17-15 lead after a pair of free-throws, but senior Megan McKay drove to the basket in traffic, making a layup to tie things up once again (17-17) as the first quarter came to a close.  

• QUARTER 2 | Saint Mary's played from behind for the first four minutes of the second quarter, but the Gaels used a 6-0 run to regain the lead (28-22). Sophomore Emily Codding led the offensive charge, scoring 10 points in the period as part of 15 points (a career-best) in the first half. SMC entered the half leading 35-31.

• QUARTER 3 | The Gaels opened the third quarter with five-consecutive points to take a 9-point, 40-31 lead and dominated throughout the rest of the 10 minutes. Saint Mary's led by as much as 14 points (51-37) and they held the Cougars to just six points in the first six minutes of the quarter. SMC led 58-49 heading into the fourth.

• QUARTER 4 | Saint Mary's maintained their advantage in the final quarter, only allowing the Cougars to pull within single-digit points with four minutes to play. WSU cut the lead to four points with 2:05 on the clock, and two points with 1:23 to go thanks to a 12-2 run. However, Saint Mary's ultimately survived the Cougars' late push with a 70-64 victory.

QUOTABLE
"This is a very solid win on the road," said head coach Paul Thomas. "Our team is learning each day from current and past experiences."

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 17 & 6: No. of points and rebounds by Codding (both career-highs)
• 1.000: Codding's shooting percentage against WSU (7-for-7)
• 42: No. of Saint Mary's points in the paint
• 4: No. of SMC players with double-digit points

 
COMING UP

• Saint Mary's will remain on the road this week with one matchup against No. 8 Oregon State on Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m.