LACEY, Wash. - Saint Martin's University jumped into the lead within the first minute of tonight's exhibition contest and didn't concede it for the entirety of the game, with Multnomah struggling to get any sort of foothold in the game. The Lions remain 3-6 on the year and 1-2 in CCC play following tonight's 84-58 loss.

"We had to make some changes to the lineup and were missing some key players tonight, but I'm proud of the girls and how they persevered despite the result," shared head coach Reid Takatsuka. "They [Saint Martin's] are well-coached, disciplined, and organized on both sides of the ball. It's always valuable to have games like tonight, regardless of the result - it gives us a chance to continue to get better, and doing so against some top competition is more valuable than people may initially think."

Multnomah was sharp in the first quarter despite trailing for the duration of the period. They managed to only trail by as much as six points, with freshman guard Jersey Huerta converting two good free throws to close out the quarter and stay within four points of their hosts, trailing 16-20.

The Saints continued to assert their dominance on the game throughout the second quarter, jumping out to an 11-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the half thanks to a layup from Jada Travis on the fast break. The Lions continued to do what they could to chip away at Saint Martin's lead, but turnovers by the visitors allowed the Saints to maintain a 37-29 advantage heading into the halftime break.

It was more of the same from the Saints in the second half, who dominated the game offensively. The hosts found their biggest lead of the game with just over five minutes left to play, holding a 31-point advantage over the Lions. More good free throws from Huerta and senior forward Gracie Browning helped chip away at Saint Martin's lead, but it was nowhere near enough as the visitors would go on to lose by 26 points.

Huerta ended the night tied for a game-high 19 points and a team-high five assists, while Browning secured yet another double-double with 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Junior guard Makayla Torkornoo also found herself in double-digit scoring tonight, tallying 16 points as well as an additional five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

The Lions will be back in conference action on the road this weekend where they will take on Northwest University and The Evergreen State College.