A sloppy pass here, a failed block out on a rebound there.
Nothing major, but Seattle Pacific has a knack of making teams pay for even the smallest lapses.
Tested early by Saint Martin’s University – a team the Falcons drilled by 31 points in the first meeting this season – Seattle Pacific pulled away in the second half to knock off the Saints, 78-62, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball Thursday at Marcus Pavilion.
“That was the key,” Saint Martin’s coach Tim Healy said. “They make you pay for every mistake you do out there. I was pleased with how we played tonight. We played hard for 40 minutes, but you make one turnover, one slip-up, and Seattle Pacific will make you pay every time for it.”
Chelsea Haskey was the only Saint Martin’s player to score in double figures, finishing with a team-high 12 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
The Falcons had six players score in double figures, led by the 15 points from guard Nyesha Sims, who scored seven consecutive points during a brief two-minute stretch at the start of the second half to help Seattle Pacific pull away.
Saint Martin’s fell to 7-13 overall and 2-8 in conference play with the loss.
The Saints, which last won on Jan. 7 against Simon Fraser (64-57), have lost four in a row and eight of their past nine games – losing by double digits in all but one of their defeats.
Seattle Pacific, which has won three in a row against the Saints and leads all the all-time series, 49-11, improved to 13-5, 7-3 GNAC.
Trailing by eight, things started off well for the Saints on their opening possession of the second half as they went to Haskey down low.
Haskey, a graduate of Black Hills High School, delivered, cutting the deficit to six points.
The Falcons, who defeated Saint Martin’s, 70-39, in the first meeting on Dec. 31, responded with an 11-0 run.
The Saints never got within double digits the remainder of the game.
“I thought we came out pretty flat in the second half,” Healy said, “which was surprising because we were able to get the lead under 10 right before halftime. Seattle Pacific’s a tough matchup because of their size and just how versatile they are.”
Seattle Pacific’s advantage ballooned to 21 points (67-46) on Suzanna Ohlsen’s three-point play with 6:49 remaining in the contest.
Seattle Pacific shot 47.1 percent (16-for-34) from the field in the first half to take a 37-29 lead into the locker room.
The eight-point deficit was a significant improvement from the Saints’ first meeting against the Falcons this season when they missed 25 of their first 29 shots and trailed by 24 at the intermission.
This time around Saint Martin’s shot 34.5 percent from the field (10-for-29) and used a full team effort to keep things close as 11 Saints saw the court in the opening 20 minutes with nine scoring.
Katie Benson capped a 9-0 run with 51/2 minutes left in the first half to give the Falcons their largest lead of the opening session at 30-19.
Saint Martin’s answered by outscoring Seattle Pacific, 10-4, to close out the half and keep the Saints within striking distance.
Emily Lashua and Andrea Schutt both finished with nine points for the Saints.
Saint Martin’s hosts Montana State University Billings at 2 p.m. Saturday before playing its next four contests on the road.
