Men's Basketball Storms Past Brown, 77-63
12/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Moraga, CA - Chase Poole (Austin, TX) and Ross Benson (Everett, WA) combined for 43 points and 22 rebounds to help Saint Mary's earn their sixth victory of the season against the Brown Bears on Monday, December 30 in McKeon Pavilion. With the win the Gaels improve to 6-5, while Brown falls to 3-8.
In the first half both teams struggled offensively bu the Gaels were able to grab a quick 4-0 lead. Defensively the Gaels pressured Brown not allowing a field goal until the 12:45 minute mark. With the Gaels leading 10-9 at the 11:49 mark, SMC went on a 10-2 run to take a nine-point advantage. Brown would inch back into the game but the Gaels were able to take a six-point lead into halftime. Poole, Benson and Samuel Saint-Jean (Versailles, France) combined for 28 of the team's 34 first half points.
The Gaels would begin the second half with a 10-3 run to go up 11 points on the Bears. Saint Mary's would keep a consistent 10-point lead throughout the second half until Brown went on a 12-2 run to bring the Bears within two points, 54-52. With 7:06 remaining the Gaels would explode to a 13-3 run putting the game out of reach for the Ivy League school.
Not only were the Gaels extremely active on the boards outrebounding Brown, 39-29, but the Gaels committed a season-low 10 turnovers with only four coming in the second half.
Poole led the Gaels with a career-high 26 points, while also tallying 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Benson finished with his first double-double of the season, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was Saint-Jean, who recorded 10 points to go along with his game-high four assists. Jonathan Sanders (Denver, CO) also had a career night with six points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Leading the way for Brown was Earl Hunt, who finished with a team-high 19 points and five rebounds.
The Gaels will continue non-conference action when they host the Yale Bulldogs on Thursday, January 2. This game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:05 PM.
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