The Saint Martin’s mens basketball team used a dominant second-half surge to defeat Northwest Nazarene 70-54 on Thursday night at Marcus Pavilion, securing its 20th victory of the season and maintaining sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
The Saints improved to 20-5 overall and 12-3 in GNAC play, holding a one-game edge atop the conference standings.
Saint Martin’s set the tone early, opening the game on a 5-0 run behind a 3-pointer from Kaden Hansen and a floating jumper by Patrick Kilfoil. Northwest Nazarene answered with a 7-0 run to briefly take the lead, but the Saints responded midway through the first half with a 7-0 spurt of their own to move ahead 16-10.
The game remained a defensive battle throughout much of the opening period. Saint Martin’s extended its advantage to double digits in the final minute of the half when Kilfoil knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 29-17. The Saints carried a 29-18 lead into the break after limiting the Nighthawks to just 21.4% shooting in the first half.
Kaden Hansen led all scorers with nine first-half points.
The Saints broke the game open early in the second half. An 11-2 run pushed the lead to 40-22 less than four minutes into the period. Saint Martin’s continued to build its advantage, stretching the margin to 54-30 on a Hansen 3-pointer with just under 11 minutes to play. Pablo Navarro followed with another 3-pointer to extend the lead to 57-30.
Northwest Nazarene trimmed the deficit with an 8-0 run, but Matthew Lindblom answered with a 3-pointer midway through the half to halt the momentum. Though the Nighthawks closed within 15 points late, Saint Martin’s maintained control down the stretch.
Hansen finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with four assists and three steals. Navarro posted a standout performance with 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, marking the Saints’ top single-game rebounding effort this year. He also added two steals and two assists. Diego Trejo-Delgado contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Saint Martin’s controlled the glass throughout, outrebounding Northwest Nazarene 47-35 — the Saints’ 11th double-digit rebounding margin of the season.
The Saints will return to Marcus Pavilion on Feb. 21 to host Central Washington in their final home game of the season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with festivities planned as part of the 2026 homecoming celebration.
