WBB | Gaels Down the Dons For Another Conference Win
1/17/2019 9:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Saint Mary's picked up another conference victory on Thursday night after a 80-65 win over USF.
MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels secured another conference win on Thursday night after a strong first half propelled them to a 80-65 win against San Francisco.
HOW IT HAPPENED
NUMBERS TO KNOW
"Tonight was a game of runs," said Paul Thomas. "We took control of more runs than USF and it helped out a lot. Sydney did a great job of taking advantage of her touches and was very efficient tonight."
COMING UP
The Gaels remain on the road for their next context against the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday at 2 p.m. Links to the live stats and the live stream can be found by clicking here, or visiting the Gaels' schedule page.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- QUARTER 1 | The Gaels got the scoring started on Thursday night against the Dons with Jasmine Forcadilla scoring the first layup of the game after a steal in the paint that turned into a fast-break. The defense stepped up early and kept USF scoreless for the first three minutes of the game, including another steal from Sydney Raggio. With 5:45 left in the quarter, the two teams were tied at 4-4 and began trading buckets back and forth. The Gaels picked up a couple layups in the last two minutes and went into the quarter with a four-point advantage over the Dons.
- QUARTER 2 | Saint Mary's nailed the first layup of the second period by Taycee Wedin and Claire Ferguson scored the first three-pointer of the game under a minute into the quarter. The Gaels went on a 19-2 run through the first five minutes and pulled out to a 20-point lead over USF bolstered by a nine-point quarter from Emily Codding. Codding lead the team in the first half with 11 points while shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from the three-point line. The Dons scored their first points of the period with 4:26 left and responded with a number of buckets, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Gaels and the half ended 38-28.
- QUARTER 3 | SMC began the third period with an 8-2 run before the teams went back to trading buckets. Raggio continued to shoot well for the Gaels and ended the night with 21 points which is just shy of her season-high. Megan McKay also played a big role in the second half, shooting 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the third quarter and 9-for-10 on the night. Saint Mary's held a healthy lead of at least seven points for most of the half until the Dons went on a run in the finals minutes and brought the gap to just three points. Again, the Dons couldn't regain the lead from the Gaels and the period ended 58-53 with SMC on top.
- QUARTER 4 | With just under eight minutes left in the game, Saint Mary's went on a 6-2 run fueled by a strong quarter from Raggio who had a number of key layups in the opening moments of the period. With just under five minutes left, the Gaels pulled back out to an eight-point lead which they extended to 11-points shortly after. Raggio and McKay continued to come up big in the last minutes of the game and Saint Mary's sealed the deal with an 80-65 win over the San Francisco Dons.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 53.7: Saint Mary's shooting percentage.
- 7: Total made free-throws for McKay, which ties her season-high.
- 46: Points in the paint for SMC.
- 5: Steals for the Gaels, two shy of their team season-high.
- 43: The Gaels improve their all-time record to 43-24 over the Dons.
"Tonight was a game of runs," said Paul Thomas. "We took control of more runs than USF and it helped out a lot. Sydney did a great job of taking advantage of her touches and was very efficient tonight."
COMING UP
The Gaels remain on the road for their next context against the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday at 2 p.m. Links to the live stats and the live stream can be found by clicking here, or visiting the Gaels' schedule page.
Players Mentioned
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