NAMPA, Idaho – The calling card of the Northwest Nazarene University women's basketball team this season has been balance.

A different leading scorer nearly every night, multiple players in double digits and unselfish play no matter the situation.

So, when reserve guard Avery Albrecht had the hot hand Thursday, her teammates got her the ball.

Albrecht scored eight points in a little more than two minutes to help NNU rally for a 92-83 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory against Saint Martin's.

"I wasn't necessarily trying to be aggressive, I was just reading whatever the team gave me," Albrecht said. "My team set a lot of good screens to get me open so I just took advantage.

"(SMU) wasn't switching very hard at all, so we had open lanes to the basket. You just had to take advantage of that lapse in their defense."

Saint Martin's used a 14-2 run to open the second half to take a 51-50 lead with 4:59 to go in the third quarter. Marina Valles then hit a 3-pointer to end the onslaught before another SMU bucket.

Albrecht then took over.

McKenna Walker started a 12-3 run with a jumper, then Albrecht scored six straight points and after a Carly Parker lay-in, Albrecht made two free throws for a 65-57 lead with 1:22 left in the third.

"Our kids get excited when someone gets hot and they start feeding them the ball," NNU coach Steve Steele said. "Everybody saw that Avery was able to score and they kept finding her."

The win combined with Seattle Pacific's loss to Central Washington means the Nighthawks are in second place alone in the GNAC standings, one game back of Alaska Anchorage. NNU hosts Seattle Pacific at 5:15 p.m. Saturday.

"Everybody I talked to today – fans, boosters, everybody – kept saying, 'Hey, big game Saturday,'" Steele said. "But this is a tough game. We had a game today. We did a good job of not panicking when they went on that run and took the lead."

Danielle Jardine scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Saints at bay. The reserve post finished with a team-high 21 points and six rebounds. She was 9-of-11 from the field.

"My coaches and teammates told me their posts were in foul trouble and to go at them," Jardine said. "If I wasn't doubled I just went and if I was doubled, I passed it out to my teammates."

Albrecht finished with 11 points and was one of six NNU players in double figures. Raquel Jardine had 16 points and five rebounds, Walker added 11 points and nine rebounds, and Colette Gall and Marina Valles each had 10 points.

"This is when teams start to burn out," Albrecht said. "We just know that we don't want to be one of those teams, so it is just critical that we come to play every day and come out with a W."