MBK | Gaels Win Lasallian Hoops Battle
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. -- The Saint Mary's men's basketball team utilized deadly shooting, stingy defense and a hefty rebounding margin to defeat fellow Lasallian program Manhattan College Monday night in McKeon Pavilion.
The Gaels improved to 2-0 on the young season, while Manhattan dropped its first ever season opener in the state of California. Saint Mary's returns to action Sunday (Nov. 22) with an 8 p.m. tipoff against Stanford in McKeon Pavilion.
Season, single game and multi-game ticket packages are on sale by visiting the tickets link on SMCGaels.com or by calling the SMC Athletic Ticket Office during weekday business hours at (925) 631-GoTx (4689).
Five different Gaels scored in double-figures, led by freshman Kyle Clark's 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting from inside the 3-point arc. Sophomore Emmett Naar, coming off a 27-point outburst over the weekend against San Francisco State, enjoyed another solid outing with 15 points to go with four rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Junior Dane Pineau scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while freshman Stefan Gonzalez and sophomore Calvin Hermanson added 13 and 11, respectively. Junior transfer Joe Rahon handed out a game-high 10 assists.
"I thought we did a good job, especially defensively, in the second half," SMC head coach Randy Bennett said after the Gaels limited the Jaspers to just 30 percent shooting in the second half and 14.3 percent from 3-point range. "That, and our ability to take care of the ball, were probably the keys to the game."
As a team, Saint Mary's enjoyed a 30-27 rebound margin and limited the Jaspers to just 38.1 percent shooting. The Gaels registered nine blocked shots and five steals. The two teams combined for 61 free throws with 24 of Manhattan's 63 points coming from the charity stripe.
Manhattan entered the game as the two-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions and return nine letterwinners that played in last year's NCAA Tournament.
"Manhattan has a very good team that has been to the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years," said Bennett. "There aren't many teams that have done that. Their players have a great deal of belief. We knew it was going to be a tough game and I thought our players did well to rise to the challenge."
Manhattan senior Shane Richards scored 23 points to lead all scorers. Junior guard Rich Williams scored 16 points to go with seven rebounds off the bench, while sophomore forward Rich Waterman added 14 points.
With the scored tied at 13-apiece midway through the first half, Saint Mary's went on a 14-4 run during a five minute span that included six free throws by sophomore center Jock Landale. SMC stretched its lead to as many as 18 points late in the half before Manhattan scored eight points on a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws in the final 1:25.
SMC opened the second half with a stifling defense that limited Manhattan to just 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the period and built a 28-point lead with 10:31 left in the game.
"I felt good out there," said Gonzalez, who connected on 4-straight 3-point field goals before finally missing with 3:00 minutes remaining. "I credit my teammates with finding me when I was open, particularly Joe and Emmett for getting me the ball on time."
A native of Pocatello, Idaho, Gonzalez was unsure if he would be ready to play to start the season after suffering an injury during the summer and spending considerable time in rehabilitation.
"I knew (the team) was going to need me off the bench this year, so this summer I worked hard to rehab and be ready to play," said Gonzalez, the Idaho state player of the year as a senior. "It is a long season and we have a long way to go."
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