TACOMA, Wash. - Senior guard Claire Ely (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) nearly collected a triple-double as the Puget Sound Loggers marched past the Division II Saint Martin's Saints, 70-60, in a non-conference women's basketball game on Wednesday night at Memorial Fieldhouse in Tacoma, Wash.

In the first half, the Saints (5-3) took a lead and held on to it for much of the half, pulling ahead by eight with 9:22 left to go.  The Loggers (5-1) battled back, taking the lead on a pair of free throws by sophomore Jocelyn Riordan (Lake Forest Park, Wash./Shorecrest) with 4:35 left to play.  Puget Sound pushed the lead to three points heading into the break, holding a 37-34 halftime advantage.

In the second half, the Loggers slowly began to wear down the Saints, pushing the Puget Sound lead into double-digits on a three-pointer by Riordan with 6:34 that put the Loggers up, 60-50.  Puget Sound's biggest lead came with 1:39 to play when freshman Sarah Stewart (Burlington, Wash./Burlington-Edison) hit a jumper to give the Loggers a 68-55 lead.  The Loggers kept the lead at 13 until SMU hit a three-pointer with 23 seconds left but it was too little, too late as Puget Sound collected the 70-60 win.

The Loggers were led by 17 points and seven rebounds from Riordan.  Ely finished with 16 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds while Natasha Ludwig (Hilo, Hawaii/Waiakea) chipped in 15 points. 

Saint Martin's was led by 16 points from Jamey Gelhar.  Dara Zack collected the double-double, scoring 15 points and recording 10 points while Krissy Basset scored 10 points in the losing effort.

The Loggers will now take a ten-day break for finals before hitting the hardwood again on Dec. 19 against Chapman in a neutral-site game at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif.