NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene women's basketball held a four-point lead heading into the final frame, but Saint Martin's outscored the Nighthawks by nine in the fourth quarter to take a 69-64 win.

After not recording more than 15 points in any of the first three quarters, the Saints put 27 on the board in the fourth, shooting 57.1% (8-14) from the field.

"The game really came down to that fourth quarter," said head coach Steve Steele. "Our defense was decent until that last quarter, but we need to be consistent throughout the game, which will come with experience."

NNU had a hard time containing SMU's Claire Dingus, who put up 25 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. On the NIghthawks' side, three players were in double figures, led by Erin Jenkins with 18 points including a 4-7 mark from deep.

Nyalam Thabach recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Jordan Pinson matched Jenkins from beyond the arc with four triples on seven attempts and finished with 15 points. 

NNU was able to force 21 Saints turnovers while only committing 12, but the NIghthawks were only able to turn those 21 giveaways into 17 points on the other end.

Neither team was able to pull out to a large lead in the opening quarter, as NNU took a 15-13 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. A pair of triples from Jenkins bookended an 11-0 run to open the second, though, giving the Nighthawks a 26-13 lead at the 7:35 mark. 

The Saints chipped away at the lead before halftime, however, bringing it down to six on a Dingus layup with a minute to go before NNU went into the break up 34-28.

NNU still held on to a four-point advantage after the third quarter, but Saint Martin's was able to complete the comeback in the fourth as they took the lead with 5:36 to go on a Dingus triple that made it 57-55 in favor of the visitors. The Nighthawks would not be able to regain the lead the rest of the way, as Saint Martin's went 7-8 from the free throw line over the final four minutes to hold on for the five-point win.

NNU will have another chance against the Saints tomorrow afternoon as the two-game set concludes at 3:00 p.m.