LACEY, Wash. - Kristin Sturdivan and Madison Salisbury combined for 41 points as the Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team kept pace with Division II Saint Martin's University on Wednesday night before falling 71-63 in an exhibition inside Marcus Pavilion.

The host Saints hit a three with nine seconds left in the opening quarter, enjoying a 25-13 edge after 10 minutes of action. Saint Martin's advantage ballooned to 18 midway through the second quarter before the Lutes mounted a 14-0 run, closing the gap to just four points with 57 ticks left on a Sturdivan three. SMU stopped the run with a layup just before the buzzer sounded, taking a 39-33 edge into the halftime intermission.

Pacific Lutheran refused to back down in the second half, closing within a single point at 54-53 with 6:11 remaining off a Sturdivan three. SMU responded with the next six points and did just enough to keep PLU at bay to collect the win.

Sturdivan paces the Lutes with 22 points, draining six of her 10 three-point attempts while netting three assists and three steals. Salisbury complemented Sturdivan with 19 points on eight-of-17 shooting while securing seven rebounds. Anna Hurd tallied seven points while Emma Janousek added six.

Saniah Simpson and Makenna Schultz led the Saints, each scoring 20 points while Claire Dingus had 10 points and 17 rebounds.

"For our first on-court run, I'm happy with the effort and determination we showed," said Head Coach Jennifer Childress. "We had good composure. We were tested in many different ways and responded like a veteran team. At the end of the night, offensive boards really cost us."

PLU shot 42.9 percent (24-for-56) from the floor while limiting SMU to just 36.4 percent (24-for-66) from the field. The Lutes enjoyed a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint but was out-muscled on the boards with SMU enjoying a 53-28 rebounding edge.

PLU opens the regular season on Nov. 16, hosting Trinity University at 4 p.m. inside Olson Gymnasium.