MBB | Ford’s Career Night Propels Gaels Past Utah Valley, 92-63

Sunday, November 11

Moraga, Calif.

5:00 p.m. PT

Saint Mary's College of California

2-0

Utah Valley

1-2

Team	1	2	F
Utah Valley	23	40	63
Saint Mary's (CA)	45	47	92

MBB | Ford’s Career Night Propels Gaels Past Utah Valley, 92-63

11/11/2018 7:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Saint Mary' collects their second win of the season 92-63 over the Utah Valley Wolverines as Jordan Ford posted career numbers all night.

MORAGA, Calif. –– Saint Mary's played a dominant game of basketball on Sunday evening as the Gaels beat Utah Valley 92-63. Jordan Ford had a career night and scored a career-high 35 points, and also set career-highs with four steals, four treys, 9 free throws, and 11 field goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels and the Wolverines got off to a even start on Sunday as they traded buckets back and forth, before Saint Mary's opened the game up and went on a 9-2 run to take the 13-7 lead following a deep three-pointer from Ford, who went 3-3 in the first five minutes of the game.

After the first media timeout, the Gaels kept the momentum rolling with a 7-0 run and hit seven straight field goals over a four minute stretch early in the first half to break open a 26-12 lead. Ford continued to produce for Saint Mary's as he scored 12 of the Gaels' first 20 points in just the first six minutes. Tanner Krebs also hit a number of important buckets and went 3-for-4 in the beginning of the first.

With just under seven minutes in the half, the Gaels had a 17-point lead over the Wolverines and were shooting 65 percent compared to Utah Valley's 33. Ford led Saint Mary's as he went 6-for-8 with 16 points in the first half, as well as collected an assist, one rebound, and two steals. Gael starters combined for 41 of the total points in the first half as Krebs and Ford accounted for 29. Saint Mary's kept Utah Valley on their toes and went into the half with a 45-23 lead.

Saint Mary's came out strong in the second half as they had a 20-point lead over Utah Valley after just the first six minutes. To start the half, Ford broke his career high in points during the first seven minutes as well, collecting 29 points by the 13th minute after hitting two treys in a row. The Gaels continued to roll and improved their lead over the Wolverines to 33-points.

The Gaels began an 11-0 run just after the halfway mark of the second, as Ford accounted for six of those points and brought his total for the night to 35 with 8:18 left in the game. He also tied his previous season high for number of completed three-pointers, which was four last season against BYU. With seven minutes left in the game, Ford was 9-for-11 on free throws, with two rebounds, three assists and three steals.

As the last five minutes of the match wound down, Saint Mary's did not let up against Utah Valley. The Gaels continues to maintain a 28-point lead over the Wolverines with just under three minutes left. Saint Mary's put up 16 points off the bench in the second half, with 9 points coming after the halfway point in the second. The Gaels beat the Wolverines 92-63 as time expired, their first 90+ win since January 13th versus Pepperdine (91-67).

QUICK FACTS

Sunday's win is the first time the Gaels have had back-to-back regular season 80+ wins since January 11-13, 2018 (Santa Clara 81-57, Pepperdine 91-67).
Saint Mary's only spent 1:05 minutes trailing against the Wolverines.
With his career-high 35 points, Ford was just eight points shy of the Saint Mary's record for most individual points in a game (Jim Moore, 43, 1967).
Freshmen Alex Mudronja and Matthias Tass both scored their first collegiate buckets on Sunday.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

5: Number of career-high records broken for Ford
15: Turnovers for the Wolverines
46: Number of points in the paint for SMC
50: Saint Mary's shooting percentage from the three-point line
59: Saint Mary's shooting percentage

UP NEXT: NEW MEXICO STATE

Saint Mary's hits the road for the first time this season next week to take on New Mexico State on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
Fans can find coverage links on the men's basketball schedule page on SMCGaels.com.