March 6, 2008
Box Score
San Diego, CA - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team overcame a slow first half, defeating Loyola Marymount 71-67 in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The victory marks the Gaels' first WCC tournament win since the 2001-02 season. Jontelle Smith totaled a game-high 23 points in the game, knocking down 8-of-17 shots from the floor and 4-of-10 from long range.
Louella Tomlinson totaled three blocks in the win, boosting her total count to 152 on the year. The freshman's 152 blocks ties the NCAA Div. I record for blocks in a season, and with one more game to play the Aussie has an opportunity to capture the outright record. Tomlinson finished the game with eight points and four rebounds, on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor.
Chasing records seemed to be contagious in the game, as Lauren Shaughnnesy picked up three steals, accumulating 123 total career steals. With the three swipes the senior surpassed Anja Bordt's 121 career steals, and now holds the outright Saint Mary's record for career steals. The senior performed in every aspect of the game, adding 14 points, six boards and four assists.
Serena Benavente totaled a game-high seven rebounds against the Lions, while adding 12 points. The guard played a significant role in the first half, hitting two important three pointers to keep the Gaels in the game.
Predicted to be the closest first round match-up of the West Coast Conference tournament, the Gaels used a late first half surge to cut the Lions' lead to 40-37 at the half. Saint Mary's struggled from tip-off until the 11:42 mark, as LMU took a 17-10 lead to start the game. Although Saint Mary's was able to cut the Lions' lead to three points at 9:59, that was as close as they would come for the majority of the half.
Shaughnessy posted a game-high 12 points in the first half, on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. The senior guard used her quickness, finding midrange jumpers and lanes to the basket on multiple occasions. Fellow senior, Benavente, recorded eight points in the half on 3-of-6 shooting. Benavente used back-to-back three pointers at the 11:24 and 9:59 mark to keep the LMU lead in check.
Saint Mary's came out of the break with an instant boost of energy, capturing their first lead of the game just three minutes into the half, 41-40. From that point on the Gaels would hold the momentum, increasing their lead to 15 points with 6:53 left to play. The Lions made one final run in the game, pulling to within four points with 3:00 minutes to go. LMU was forced to foul the Gaels with 1:30 remaining, but the Gaels proved clutch at the free throw line, converting 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, and earning a 71-67 win over the Lions.
Smith was the key for the Gaels in the second half, recording 20 of her 23 points. The junior hit all four of her three pointers in the second half, as she was 4-of-10 in the game.
"I think that was a typical Saint Mary's-Loyola Marymount game tonight," said Head Coach Paul Thomas. "I think it was very, very hard fought and a pretty tough battle in there and I'm just very proud of this team. I couldn't be happier for Lauren (Shaughnessy) and Serena (Benavente), our two seniors, getting the chance to play in the semifinals on Saturday. I think that's really special for them. They put in a tremendous amount of work and I just couldn't be happier for those two. I'm so proud of what they've done for this program in just the two years that I've been there."
The Gaels continue play in the WCC tournament on Saturday, March 8 at 2:00 pm. After the reseeding of the remaining four teams, Saint Mary's will face top seeded Gonzaga in the second round.
