SEATTLE – When there was plenty of time, the Seattle Pacific Falcons just couldn't find their shot.
 
They eventually did find their shot … then ultimately ran out of time.
 
Lolo Weatherspoon and Grace Leasure scored 11 points apiece, and SPU hit 50 percent in each of the last two quarters, but was not able to climb out of a double-digit hole and dropped a 71-58 decision to Saint Martin's in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Thursday in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Hunter Beirne added a solid line of 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Falcons (6-11, 0-4 GNAC).
 
"We did not come out ready to play," head coach Karen Byers said. "The adjustments we tried to make in the first half, the pep talks I tried to give just weren't sinking in.
 
 

"I was trying to give opportunities to get hot – I left the starters in or brought in other players who have had really good games to give them opportunities just to try to get some spark out there," Byers added. "But it took us until the second half to get that spark."
 
Saint Martin's (9-4, 2-3 GNAC) led for all but the opening moments of the game when Beirne grabbed the tip-off and found Leasure breaking underneath for the first basket.
 
SPU eventually climbed back into an 18-18 tie. But through the final 5 minutes, 32 seconds of the first half, the Saints went on a 15-2 scoring run, including the last nine points before the break. They forced the Falcons into 1-for-10 shooting from the floor during that stretch.
 
"We knew they we're tough and they're aggressive and they're going to be handsy," Byers said. "We knew that was coming and we prepared for that. But it was still that deer-in-the-headlights look in the first half."
 
The 33-20 halftime lead for Saint Martin's grew to as many was 20 points late in the third quarter at 51-31. Seattle Pacific got as close as 10 on three occasions during the fourth quarter: 59-49 with 4:08 still showing, 61-51 at the 3:36 mark and 63.53 at 3:04. But the margin never did get back into single digits.
 
Through the final 20 minutes, the Falcons hit 13 of 26 from the field: 6 of 12 during the third quarter, 7 of 14 during the fourth. That just wasn't enough to make up for their 26.6 percent mark (8 of 30) in the first half.
 
"We turned up our defense," Byers said. "The way we guarded their screens was working well. They had a couple of shot clock violations.
 
"We've just gotta come out and do that from the start."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- SPU wound up at 37.5 percent shooting for the game (21 of 56).
-- Saint Martin's finished 46.7 percent (28 of 60), including 10 of 15 (.667) during the second quarter and 8 of 14 (.571) during the third.
-- The Saints had a 34-28 edge in rebounding. Each team had 10 offensive boards, but the visitors had five of their during the fourth quarter, allowing them to drain more time off the clock.
-- Hunter Beirne's seven assists marked the second time this season she has finished with that many. She also has had an eight-assist night.
-- Senior wing Lolo Weatherspoon and sophomore wing Grace Leasure were both back in action and were part of the starting lineup on Thursday. Weatherspoon missed last Saturday's game at Montana State Billings with the flu, and Leasure missed the last two games (Dec. 21 vs. Metro State, and Billings) with an injury.
-- Seattle Pacific is now 20-3 all-time in GNAC home openers, five of which have been against Saint Martin's.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons host Western Oregon on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. in the second half of a doubleheader. The SPU men play Simon Fraser in the opener at 2:00 p.m. On Thursday, Western Oregon fell at Montana State Billings, 53-36.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Saint Martin's 71, Seattle Pacific 58
 
SAINT MARTIN'S (9-4, 2-3 GNAC)
Lamet 2-8 0-0 4, Oaster 5-12 0-0 10, Brown 2-3 1-1 5, Travis 4-6 0-0 1, K. Rios 9-17 4-4 23, Smith 4-9 0-0 9, Booster 2-2 2-2 8, Hatchett 0-3 2-2 2, Reed 0-0 0-0 0, J. Rios 0-0 0-0 0.   Totals 28-60 9-9 71.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-11, 0-4 GNAC)
Leasure 4-9 2-2 11, Weatherspoon 4-7 3-4 11, Berry 1-4 1-2 3, Beirne 4-12 2-2 10, Kearns 1-8 0-0 2, Bishop 1-2 1-2 3, Turley 2-5 0-0 6, Mertes 0-1 0-0 0, Ohta 2-4 0-0 6, Rubino 2-4 0-0 4, Lavigne 0-0 2-2 2.  Totals 21-56 11-14 58.
 
Saint Martin's      12           21           20           18           -- 71
Seattle Pacific       9           11            18           20           -- 58
 
3-point goals – STM 6-14 (Lamet 0-1, Oaster 0-2, Travis 2-3, K. Rios 1-3, Smith 1-3, Booster 2-2), SPU 5-19 (Leasure 1-2, Weatherspoon 0-1, Berry 0-1, Beirne 0-1, Kearns 0-6, Turley 2-3, Mertes 0-1, Ohta 2-4).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – STM 34 (K. Rios 8), SPU 28 (Beirne 5).  Assists – STM 16 (Travis 6), SPU 11 (Beirne 7).  Turnovers (points allowed) – STM 16 (12), SPU 16 (17).  Total fouls – STM 9, SPU 18.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 182.
 
Next game
Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 4:15 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.