Saints men’s basketball in hunt for NCAA regional top seed as local colleges near finish line
The Saint Martin’s University men’s basketball team had a bittersweet week heading into Saturday night’s home game against Montana State-Billings.
Season-long leaders in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and ranked 11th nationally in NCAA Division II, the Saints discovered Wednesday they had snagged the top spot in the first official NCAA West Regional rankings.
The team that ends the season in that spot is guaranteed to host an NCAA tournament game.
But the Saints had lost to a streaking Seattle Pacific University team — winners of eight straight — on Tuesday night, making their reign in the West a little shaky.
Saint Martin’s (21-4 overall), still led the GNAC with a 14-3 mark prior to Saturday’s action, a half-game ahead of SPU and Northwest Nazarene. The three teams have all clinched berths in the league tournament, to be played March 7-9 at Western Washington University, but the regular season GNAC title and NCAA tournament positioning will still be up for grabs when the Saints visit NNU on Thursday before closing out the regular season next Saturday at Central Washington.
The Nighthawks are unbeaten in Nampa, but Saint Martin’s, led in scoring by senior guard E.J. Boyce’s 13.2 points per game, are 8-3 on the road.
Luke Chavez (11.8), Chandler Redix (11.7) and BJ Standley (10.2) also score in double figures for Saint Martin’s.
Saint Martin’s women
The Saints women were 6-19 heading into Saturday’s home game with Alaska-Fairbanks.
Freshman Claire Dingus leads St. Martin’s in scoring with 13.0 points per game while junior Makenna Schultz – who became Thurston County’s all-time leading high school scorer while at River Ridge – is next at 12.6. Timberline product Sara Bowen is one of six Saints to have played in every game and has made three starts.
Evergreen men
After back-to-back NAIA National Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010, the Geoducks have missed the eight-team Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs every year since, struggling to a 5-21 mark in their recently completed 2018-19 season.
Ryan Quigley, a 6-6 senior, led the team in scoring this season at 12.2 points per game.
Evergreen women
The 0-22 Geoduck women played back-to-back rescheduled games at Walla Walla University to conclude their season Saturday and Sunday. Alexcis Higginbotham, a 5-7 Zillah product, leads in scoring with 13.8 points per game.
South Puget Sound men
The Clippers are having another banner season, with a 22-4 record prior to Saturday’s home game against Tacoma Community College.
They have games remaining at Grays Harbor on Wednesday and at home against Green River next Friday. The game with the Gators could prove crucial as streaking SPSCC, which had won six straight before hosting TCC, leads them by just a game in the NWAC West standings.
The Clippers have a balanced attack, with all five starters averaging double figure scoring, led by sophomore guard DeMonte Malloy at 16.1 points per game. Olympia High School grad Hunter Sipe, a 6-2 sophomore guard, averages 14.4 and is tied for the team lead in rebounds with 6-6 Tommy Faustka at 8.3 per game.
South Puget Sound women
In rebuilding mode with just three sophomores, the Clipper women are 6-18.
Trinity Betoney, a 5-8 guard from Henderson, Nevada, leads in scoring with 20.6 points per game. Freshman Kennedi Wilkerson, from Capital, is the one local product on the roster.