NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene women's basketball bounced back from a home-opening loss to Saint Martin's yesterday, using a big second quarter run to knock off the Saints 85-69.

Similar to the first game between the two teams, NNU held an early lead and SMU began inching back early in the second half. Tonight, however, the Nighthawks' defense was able to clamp down and stifle any hope that the Saints had of overcoming the 18-point halftime deficit. In all, NNU forced 23 turnovers thanks in large part to a suffocating press throughout the contest.

"We were much better on the defensive side, I was really happier with our effort," said head coach Steve Steele. "Our defense was able to put the finishing touches on the game, which is something we haven't been able to do in other games this year."

The offense was also clicking, as NNU recorded their highest scoring output of the season, seven better than their previous best of 78 points in the win at Fresno Pacific. The Nighthawks shot an even 50% (32-64) on the afternoon, including 43.5% (10-23) from deep. NNU also tallied a season-best 20 assists.

"We were definitely able to do more things that we wanted to do on the offensive end," said Steele. "Better defense leads to better shots on offense, and that led to a much higher percentage from the floor."

Clare Eubanks led the Nighthawks with a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in just her second game of the year. McKenna Emerson also totaled 17 points, going 7-11 from the field. Haley Hanson added 12 points and Erin Jenkins 10 to round out the double figure scoring.

Saint Martin's only had one player in double figures, as star forward Clare Dingus put up 28 points nad six rebounds. NNU was able to counteract that by locking down the rest of the squad as Dingus scored nearly half of the Saints' points.

"Claire Dingus is a beast, an absolute stud," said Steele. "She is always in the right position on the offensive glass and can finish from anywhere."

As mentioned, it was really the second quarter when the Nighthawks were able to enforce their will on both sides of the ball and build a big lead. Ahead by six, 22-16, after one, NNU opened the second frame with a 14-3 run to take a 36-19 advantage on an Emerson triple with 5:10 to go until halftime. That 17-point lead held until the break as Jordan Pinson splashed in a deep three just before the horn to make it 46-29.

SMU made a bit of a run to open the second half, scoring the first six points to cut the deficit to 11. NNU responded with a 12-2 run, however, taking their biggest lead of the game of 21, 58-37, on an Emerson layup with 3:51 on the clock.

The Saints had one more run in them at the beginning of the fourth, as a Dingus triple cut the margin all the way down to seven, 72-65, with 7:07 to go. Eubanks answered with a three of her own, though, igniting an 8-0 run that put the game out of reach. The Nighthawks would build their lead back up to 16 at the end, with Hanson's jumper in the lane bringing the final score to 85-69.

NNU will remain home for one more contest early next week, hosting local rival The College of Idaho on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. After that, it will be a visit to Division I Idaho State on Friday.