NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene men's basketball opened the game strong and never looked back on Saturday, defeating Saint Martin's 71-53.

With the win, the No. 14/17 Nighthawks improved to 10-1 on the year. NNU has now won each of its last 10 contests, counting an exhibition victory. The Nighthawks will finish the year with a perfect home record of 6-0, and also with an unblemished mark of 4-0 against Saint Martin's.

NNU put the game out of reach almost instantly, grabbing a double digit lead just five minutes in on a Brandon Recek triple that made it 15-4 in favor of the home team. NNU showed no signs of slowing down from there, extending the advantage to 25 by halftime, as they went into the break up 44-19. 

In the first half, the Nighthawks shot 50% from both the field (15-30) and beyond the arc (7-14), but the story was on the defensive end, as they held the Saints to just 17.2% (5-29) from the field and 15.4% (2-13) from deep. SMU also had nine turnovers in the opening period, and NNU held an incredible 19-0 advantage in points off turnovers and 12-0 positive margin in fast break points at the halftime. 

NNU was able to cruise to the win from there, going up by as much as 36 in the second half. Saint Martin's went on a late run to cut the lead down to 18 points at the final horn, but it was far too little, too late for the Saints, who fell to 1-8 on the year.

The night was special in more ways than one for the Nighthawks, as they honored their three seniors in Ethan McPherson, Ezekiel Alley, and Sam Roth. McPherson hit a triple in the opening minutes and finished with three points, Alley recorded 11 points and six rebounds, and Roth registered eight points and four boards in the win.

Fourteen Nighthawks scored on the afternoon, led by George Reidy's 15 points and three steals. 

NNU will next pay a visit to Seattle Pacific for the first and only meetings between the Nighthawks and Falcons during this regular season. Friday's tip time is set for 6:00 p.m. PT in Seattle, while Saturday is slated for 2:00 p.m. PT.