Red is the color of choice when Saint Martin’s University’s women’s basketball team hosts Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Western Washington University on Wednesday, January 13.
“Our fans, students and staff look forward to this game each year as it provides the opportunity for us to showcase our team and the enthusiasm of our student body,” said SMU Director of Athletics Bob Grisham who encourages all fans to wear red to show support for the university’s annual “Pack the Pavilion.”
Saint Martin’s University alumni are invited to attend a pre-game reception with appetizers and drinks. The event will also have a student pep rally before the game and a pre-game tailgate for both adults and students.
“It’s a great opportunity for the institution and the program to get some exposure,” said head women’s basketball coach Tim Healy, who is in his 23rd season with the Saints. “I think it’s fun for our players and our fans.”
The family friendly atmosphere creates a great opportunity for area high school and middle school students to watch college-level basketball. To add to the atmosphere, the Tenino High School marching band is scheduled to play.
SMU Women’s Basketball
The young Saints team features just two seniors – guard Krista Stabler and forward Megan Wiedeman – on this year’s roster and eight underclassmen (five freshman and three sophomores).
Through the first nine games this season, Stabler, who scored a career-high 38 points in a 75-71 victory over Western Oregon on December 5, is averaging a GNAC-best 18.6 points per contest, while Wiedeman is leading the conference in rebounding with a 10.9 boards per game average.
SMU is off to a 3-6 start to the season with a 1-1 mark in GNAC play. The team closes out 2015 with a road game in Nampa, Idaho against Northwest Nazarene University on December 31.
The Saints will then travel to Ellensburg to open 2016 against Central Washington University on January 2.
A home date against Seattle Pacific University on January 5 and a road game at Montana State University – Billings on January 7 follow, before SMU welcomes Western.
The Vikings have won 16 consecutive games in the series and hold a 64-10 advantage all-time over the Saint. SMU’s last victory over Western came on January 26, 2008 when the Saints held the Vikings to their lowest point total in 31 years. The Saints routed Western in a 54-37 triumph in Lacey.
Televised SMU Basketball
The women’s game against WWU is one of five GNAC games televised on ROOT SPORTS. The five-game series begins with the Saint Martin’s University men’s team against Western Oregon at 9:00 p.m. on January 9 in Monmouth, Oregon.
An additional three GNAC games will be broadcast on January 23, February 11 and February 20.
The #PackthePavilion game, hosted at Marcus Pavilion on January 13, starts at 8:00 p.m. and will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS. Fans are also being asked to help get the word out on social media by using the hashtags #PackThePavilion and #SaintsAlive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Tickets are available by calling 360-438-4305. General admission tickets can be purchased at the door in a 2-for-1 deal or you can purchase a reserved seat.
Visit http://www.rootsports.com/northwest and click on ‘Channel Finder’ for channel listings on all television service providers.
The GNAC postseason basketball tournament, which will be held March 3-5 at Saint Martin’s University, will have both the men and women’s championship games televised live national as part of the Division II Basketball National Showcase on the American Sports Network. Tip offs are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. for the men’s game and 7:30 p.m. for the women’s championship.
For more information about #PackThePavilion, please visit the Saints Athletics website.
