Moraga, Calif. – In a contest in which nearly every offensive statistic favored Saint Mary's, the Gaels efforts came up just short thanks to an Aggies go-ahead jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining in the game.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• QUARTER 1 | SMC drew first blood in the opening quarter thanks to a layup from senior Megan McKay. After two minutes, the Gaels led 5-2 after sophomore Madeline Holland knocked down a 3-pointer from the far corner. SMC held the Aggies to just three field goals in the first five and a half minutes, but UC Davis took their first lead at the 2:50 mark (19-17) after a 3-pointer from Nina Bessolo. Another Aggies triple made it a 22-17 deficit for the Gaels, but a jumper from freshman Sam Simons brought SMC to within three. The Aggies went on a 13-2 run to end the first quarter and UC Davis led by nine at the end of the first period (26-19).

 

• QUARTER 2 | The Aggies took the first five points of the second quarter, extending their lead to 12. The Gaels brought it to within six points at the 4:53 mark, but their deficit stretched to 13 with 38 seconds remaining. 20 seconds later, Holland responded with the final field goal of the half, a 3-pointer to make it 48-38 UC Davis.  

 

• QUARTER 3 | Only two combined field goals were scored in the first four minutes of the third and the Gaels still trailed by 10 with 5:22 remaining. A pair of made shots from the charity stripe from junior Jasmine Forcadilla cut SMC's deficit to eight points and a 3-pointer from senior Claire Ferguson with 4:10 on the clock made it a 5-point game. SMC inched closer as Saint Mary's earned a stop and a foul which were followed by two free throws from sophomore Emily Codding to make it 52-49. The Gaels completed the comeback on their next possession when Holland landed a triple from the far corner at the 3:33 mark to make it 52-all. UC Davis made their second basket of the half with 2:35 remaining to give the Aggies a 54-52 lead, but Codding made a free throw to make it a 1-point game. UC Davis made a jumper with 58 seconds remaining and the quarter came to an end with the Aggies leading by three (56-53).

 

• QUARTER 4 | McKay scored SMC's first field goal of the quarter - a layup under the basket off of an offensive rebound to make it 56-55. In their next possession, the Gaels took the lead as Holland's jumper made it 57-56. The Aggies tied it back up with a free throw, but Ferguson responded with a layup, giving SMC a 2-point advantage. A 4-0 run by the Aggies returned the lead back to UC Davis, but a Simons layup at 6:07 knotted the score once again, this time at 61 points apiece. The Aggies came right back with five unanswered points, but Raggio cut their streak with a layup after driving through the lane. Both sides then traded points, but the Gaels' deficit remained at three points. SMC trailed by five with 1:30 to play, but Raggio made a pull-up jumper in the near corner to make it a 3-point game (72-69). The Gaels got the stop they needed on the next possession, but a foul allowed the Aggies to make a free throw to give them a 4-point, 73-69 deficit with 30.2 seconds to play. Holland made a layup to cut the deficit to 73-71 and  the team immediately fouled. The Aggies missed both of the free throw attempts on their end, but a turnover and a foul gave UC Davis the ball back and two more free throws. The Aggies made one shot which forced the Gaels to make a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining if they wanted to survive. Codding came through in the clutch, knocking down a deep three with 2.6 seconds on the clock, but UC Davis' Morgan Bertsch managed to score a layup with 0.9 seconds remaining which proved to be the game-winner.

 
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
 

• 17: No. of points scored by Holland (a new career-best)
• 2: No. of double-doubles for McKay this season after producing 14 points and 14 rebounds against the Aggies
• 13: The largest lead for UC Davis which SMC recovered from, tying the game at 52-52 with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter.
• 17: No. of offensive rebounds by the Gaels – their most this season
• 43: Total SMC rebounds – 19 more than UC Davis.

 
 
COMING UP
 
Saint Mary's will now head to New Orleans for the Tulane Classic which will begin on Friday, December 21 at 3:00 p.m. CT against Texas State.