HONOLULU, HI. – Saint Mary's fended off a late surge from Eastern Washington to hang on for the 59-57 victory in the opener of the Bank of Hawaii Classic. Three of the last four games for the Gaels have been decided within a five-point margin not including their double overtime win over UC San Diego. It was a team effort tonight as not a single Gael finished the game in double figures, instead seven different players recorded five points or more. 

Maia Jones made her second start of the season and led the Gaels with nine points but the bench production is what helped seal the win for Saint Mary's. Ella Wedin and sophomore Jada Hunter each recorded nine points and helped outscore Eastern Washington's bench 32-19.  

FIRST HALF SMC 26-25 EWU

Saint Mary's found themselves down sic early in the first quarter but Jada Hunter would come on and splash a three ball to cut the deficit in half. Edia Clarke also came off the bench and went on a solo 3-0 run and then another clutch three ball from Mauriana Hashemian-Orr would give the Gaels a 13-12 lead, their first of the game. 

There were three lead changes in the second quarter but Saint Mary's went on a 9-2 scoring run to hold a five-point lead in the quarter, their largest of the game. On the flip side, Eastern Washington made back-to-back shots to make it just a one-point game at the break. 

FINAL SMC 59-57 EWU

The Gaels would explode for a 22-point third quarter and found themselves up double digits by the end of the quarter. Kennedy Johnson came out hot with back-to-back buckets including a three ball to give the Gaels a 31-25 lead early in the third. The next eleven points to end the third quarter would be scored by five different players as the Gaels showcased some of their most balanced scoring of the early season. 

A 5-0 run to start the fourth would push the lead to as many as 14 points, the largest lead of the afternoon. However, the Eagles would storm back down the stretch with a 16-2 run to tie the game with 1:20 to play. Jada Hunter would convert a layup on the ensuing possession to put the Gaels back up two and then they would get two key stops defensively to force Eastern Washington to foul with just seconds remaining. Maia Jones and Kennedy Johnson helped hit free throws to ice the game for their third win of the season.   

Hunter and Wedin led the bench scoring with a career high nine points each and the Gaels shot a game high 50% from the field. Hunter also finished a perfect 4-4 from the field, the second time this season she's shot 100% from the field. Three-point shooting hasn't been a strength for head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad early in the season but tonight, the Gaels shot a season high 70% from three and matched their season high with seven made three pointers. Wedin was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc and leads the team with seven made three pointers on the season. Clarke and Orr also combined to shoot 4-5 from the field good for ten points off the bench.   

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Mary's improves to 3-2 after another close win, defeating Eastern Washington 59-57 in the Bank of Hawaii Classic. They will take on Louisiana Monroe for the first time in program history on Sunday to conclude their Hawaiian road trip. Live stats and ticket links can be found ay smcgaels.com. 

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