MORAGA, Calif. – With an 86-76 win over Alabama, the Saint Mary's women's basketball team tied its best start in school history, moving to 6-0 on the season. The Gaels dished out a season-high 20 assists and shot 49.2 percent from the field in the win.

Earlier in the day, Toledo edged Cal State Fullerton 59-58 in the opening game of the Saint Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic.

Saint Mary's got a career-high 28 points from Lauren Nicholson on 9-for-12 shooting. She nailed down 7-for-9 from behind the arc, coming within two three-pointers of the SMC school record for three-pointers in a game.

Jackie Nared made her return to the lineup without skipping a beat, pouring in 26 points on 11-for-17 field-goals. Nared added six rebounds, four assists and two steals, playing all but a few seconds of the game.

Kate Gaze was the beneficiary of strong SMC shooting, setting up the Gaels' offense with a career-high 12 assists. Gaze was near a triple-double, posting 10 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Danielle Mauldin provided her standard double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, including a career-high four blocked shots in just 27 minutes.

Saint Mary's outrebounded Alabama 42-39 but one major difference was the free-throw shooting as the Gaels converted 15-of-20 (75 percent), while the Crimson Tide made 13-for-28 (46.4 percent).

In the first-half, the Gaels led 27-16 after an and-one by Jackie Nared at the 11:42 mark. Alabama remained close by converting three-pointers, hitting 9-for-17 from behind the arc in the half. The Gaels led 49-44 at the break.

In the second half, Alabama cut the deficit down to one point on four occasions, but never could take the lead. SMC had a response each time, even when Carli Rosenthal fouled out with 17:00 remaining in the game. The SMC post finished with two points and three rebounds, but the Gaels' big post defender was out for the rest of the game.

Off the bench, Hayley Hendricksen played well with three points and seven rebounds (five offensive), including a huge jumper at the 5:38 mark to give SMC a 78-73 lead. Alabama was within 78-75 at the 3:38 mark, but Nared scored four consecutive points to put the game out of reach. The Gaels won the game 86-76.

Saint Mary's is back in action on Saturday when it hosts Toledo at 2:00 p.m. in McKeon Pavilion, the final day of the SMC Hilton Concord Classic. Alabama will tip off the day, taking on CSU Fullerton at noon.