NEW ORLEANS – Saint Mary's dominated on Friday afternoon to open the Tulane Classic, leading Texas State by as much as 31 points, fueled by a career-game from freshman Sam Simons.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• QUARTER 1 | After falling behind 5-2, the Gaels went on a 13-2 run to make it 15-7 with 4:41 remaining in the quarter. The streak was highlighted by triples from Simons, sophomore Emily Codding, and freshman Taycee Wedin. The Bobcats outscored SMC 6-5 to end the period, but the Gaels led 20-11 at the end of the opening 10 minutes. Saint Mary's held Texas State to just 26.7 percent shooting in the quarter (4-for-15).

 

• QUARTER 2 | The Gaels built themselves a 12-point, 32-20 lead at the 4:57 mark in the second quarter after Codding knocked down her second 3-pointer of the contest. Their advantage stretched to 18 points with 2:48 on the clock (40-22) and they did not look back. Simons made a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to play (her third of the game), making it a 21-point contest. SMC ended the period with a 19-point, 43-24 lead.  

 

• QUARTER 3 | The Bobcats outscored SMC 8-5 in the first 2.5 minutes of the second half and cut their deficit to 14 points (50-36) with 4:44 remaining. However, Simons made yet another triple at the 3:25 mark and junior Tyra Moe added a layup to give the Gaels back a 22-point lead (58-36). Simons came back with another jumper two possessions later to give her a new career-high in points with 18. Her basket rounded out SMC's 10-point run, making the score 60-36. The Gaels ended the quarter on a 15-2 run to lead 65-38.

 

• QUARTER 4 | Saint Mary's stretched their lead back out to 27 points when Simons hit another trey with 6:43 on the clock and despite a Bobcats triple in response, Wedin scored a 3-pointer from the far corner to maintain their advantage. It was a 3-point shootout in the first four minutes of the quarter as both sides combined for a total of six (three from each side). SMC's biggest lead of the afternoon came when senior Morgan Malloy hit her first 3-pointer of the season with 3:04 to play, giving the Gaels a 31-point lead (86-55). Saint Mary's maintained their composure for the remainder of the contest, eventually coming out on top 89-62.

 
NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 21: No. of points for Simons – a new career-high
• 5: No. of 3-pointers Simons (another career-best) and the most by any Gael this season.
• 31: SMC's biggest lead of the game and most they have led a team by this season.
• 57: Field goal percentage for Saint Mary's – their second best mark this season and highest since the season opener against Wyoming on November 9.  
• 42-26: Rebound ratio between SMC and Texas State respectively - fifth-straight game the Gaels have collected more than 40 rebounds (sixth overall)
• 6: a career-high number of points for Malloy and her most since February 16, 2017 at Loyola Marymount.

 
QUOTABLE
 
"I was pleased with our shot selection this afternoon," said head coach Paul Thomas. "We played solid defense with the exception of only a handful of possessions. Our team came out with an excellent attitude and showed good enthusiasm today."
 
COMING UP
 
Saint Mary's will now play in the championship game of the Tulane Classic on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT. Their opponent will be decided by the winner of the matchup between Tulane and Old Dominion.