MBK | Day 3: Beach Visits and Basketball
8/7/2018 6:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – Following two days of basketball related activities, the Saint Mary's men's basketball team had a chance to explore the South Island of New Zealand on Tuesday, prior to their game against the Mainland Eagles at night.During the day, the Gaels took a trip to Sumner Beach, a top surfing spot on the South Island. Though in the middle of winter, several Gaels braved the cold temperature of the Pacific Ocean for a quick dip.
The next site had the Gaels in New Brighton, overlooking the pier and watching a brave surfer in full wetsuit catch some waves.
Following the nice day out and about as a team, Saint Mary's quickly gained focus on their second game of the tour Tuesday night at Cowles Stadium.
The
Gaels took care of business in Tuesday night's game, beating the Mainland Eagles for the second straight day by a final score of 88-61.Saint Mary's was led by sophomore forward Malik Fitts, who scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.
"It felt good to get out there and break off the rust in the first game. It's been over a year since I've played in a real game," Fitts said. "Tonight was even better, I was a little more comfortable out there."
Junior guard Jordan Ford set the pace again offensively with 17 points and four assits and freshman forward and
Auckland, New Zealand native Dan Fotu scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in front of his family and friends."Overall we played well, guys are starting to come into their role," Ford said. "These games are good for us to see what we can do."
Following a long day, the team was still talking about the fun adventures on the bus ride back to the hotel.
"It was definitely fun, I took a lot of video to record the memory. We were able to see who the men were compared to the boys with those guys jumping in that water," Ford said.
"I love our team and hanging out together, but those guys are crazy for jumping in that water. This trip has been great for us, to build our team chemistry and come together closer as a team," Fitts said.
Saint Mary's heads to the airport on Wednesday, off to Melbourne, Australia for the second leg of the tour.
Saint Mary's Foreign Tour Game Schedule
Date Team Site Result
Aug. 6 Mainland Eagles Christchurch, New Zealand W, 95-66
Aug. 7 Mainland Eagles Christchurch, New Zealand W, 88-61
Aug. 9 Melbourne United Melbourne, Australia
Aug. 10 Dandenong Rangers Melbourne, Australia
Aug. 12 Hobart Chargers Hobart, Tasmania
Aug. 14 Illawarra Hawks Sydney, Australia
Aug. 15 Sydney Kings Sydney, Australia
#GaelsRise – It's time to pack McKeon Pavilion and watch the Saint Mary's basketball team rise to new heights in 2018-19…call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link above to renew your seats now…Saint Mary's Basketball…#GaelsRise
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