SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Gaels took advantage of dominant second and fourth quarters and a career-high, 14 points from freshman
Taycee Wedin on Thursday afternoon. As a result, SMC went on to a record their largest point differential of the season with an 80-55 win over UC Santa Barbara.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- QUARTER 1 | Saint Mary's took an early, 5-2 lead, but a 5-1 Gauchos run gave UCSB their first lead of the game (7-6). Both sides went back-and-forth until a layup by junior Jasmine Forcadilla tied the game at 10 points apiece with 5:07 to play in the quarter. With 1:33 on the clock, SMC led the tightly-contested first quarter 19-17 and then took a 5-point advantage thanks to a 3-pointer from Wedin. The Gaels ended the quarter with a 26-19 lead. Â
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- QUARTER 2 | Wedin was on absolute fire to get the second period going, hitting three triples and a pair of free throws after a technical foul to boost the Gaels' lead to 13 (37-24). The freshman was the only scorer for SMC in the first five minutes and brought her game total to 14 points at the point (a new career-high). The Gaels continued to dominate the quarter and entered the half with a 19-point, 47-28 lead.
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- QUARTER 3 |Â SMC maintained their double-digit lead in the third quarter with their advantage never dipping below 14. Saint Mary's finished the third with a 65-51 lead.
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- QUARTER 4 | The Gaels went on a 15-2 run to begin the fourth quarter that lasted until the Gauchos made a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to play. SMC ultimately only allowed four points in the final period for an 11-point differential which gave them an 80-55 victory.
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NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 58.5: The Gaels' shooting percentage this afternoon – their second-highest mark of the season
- 11: Amount of SMC 3-pointers which is tied for the most this season.
- 14: A career-high in points for Wedin
- 31: The Gaels' second-most field goals this year.
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QUOTABLE
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"Today was a collaborative effort for each member of our team," said head coach
Paul Thomas. "We were more consistent in our efforts this afternoon."
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COMING UP
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Saint Mary's will now head to Cal Poly for their next game which will take place on Saturday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m.
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